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GMs Homliest Car?

Hudsy Wudsy

By Hudsy Wudsy
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8E45E 25,000+ Points

8E45E

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It was available on the Aztek too. It goes from ugly to hideous with this option.

To me it looks like a big black diaper.

2003_pontiac_aztek_std-pic-3460.jpeg

At the annual new car show, there was an Aztek set up with the tent one year.  The salesman told me they actually caught some woman spectator changing her kid's diaper in the back of it!

 

Craig

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Todays headline on the MSN web page;  "These 12 cars were ahead of their time."  It's written by Road and Track Magazine.

 

 

These 12 Cars Were Ahead of Their Time

AA90scD.img?h=50&w=50&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=t&l
Kristen Lee2/25/2016
  • When it was introduced in 1986, the 959 was the fastest street-legal production car, with a top speed of 195 mph, and was widely recognized as the most technologically advanced road car ever built. Porsche only made 337 examples, and each car had a complicated AWD system that standardized AWD for all Turbo models following it. The twin-turbo flat-six made an obscene 444 hp. You could control ride height. It was the first passenger car to have an electronic tire-pressure monitoring system. Besides the Ferrari Testarossa, it was also one of the few cars to have zero lift aero. And it had titanium connecting rods. Who at the time was packing this stuff into their road cars? Nobody, that's who.
  • The FCX Clarity was the first hydrogen fuel cell car available to the public. But nobody could buy them because Honda only leased them, and only to people living in Southern California. The problem is that there's still no real infrastructure for hydrogen fueling, which makes these cars more experiment than replacement for production car.
  • Some peopled hated it. Some people loved it. But you can't deny that the Lagonda's sharply wedge-shaped nose is eye-catching. That, paired with fairly advanced in-car tech made the Lagonda a bit too advanced for its time. It had a digital instrument panel in 1976, which was hilariously bad, by the way. The buttons were touch sensitive and often didn't work. Bright sunlight washed out the display. That's why screens didn't show up in cars again for decades after that, but man, was it stylish.
  • The 1987 Honda Prelude previewed design language that eventually made it to the NSX and is arguably the first mass-produced car to offer four-wheel steering. Are you a fan of how the Porsche Turbo, GT3, and 918 Spyder have it? Well, Honda had Porsche beaten by almost 25 years in offering the technology in a road car.
  • First off: Awesome name. Second: The Jetfire (and the Chevy Corvair Monza) was the first mass-produced turbocharged car in 1962. The Corvair had an air-cooled, rear-mounted, and turbocharged flat-six engine. The Jetfire has a 3.5-liter V8 that made 215 hp. It relied on "Turbo Rocket Fluid" to combat detonation problems. You know how almost all cars are turbocharged these days? These two started it all.
  • When you think of an electric car these days, your mind will almost automatically jump to a Tesla Model S. But Tesla isn't the first American automaker to create a mainstream EV. Back in the late 90s, GM had the EV1 for lease-only. Automakers have been playing around with EVs since the 1800s, but the EV1 was the first modern mass-produced EV. It was good for 137 hp and had a 70- to 100-mile range.
  • The second generation Pathfinder abandoned the body on frame construction of the first generation in favor of the unibody design. Although it returned to BoF for the third generation so the platform could be shared between Nissan's trucks and SUVs, the second-gen 1995 Pathfinder displayed the eventual path that most other BoF trucks took in switching to unibody designs (the XJ Jeep Cherokee being the first).
  • The Insight was introduced for 2000 and had a sleek design meant to minimize drag. It was the first mass-production hybrid car sold in the U.S., although its sales figures never managed to top those of the Toyota Prius. Honda discontinued the Insight in 2006, and brought it back again as a five-door hatch in 2010.
  • The DS21 wasn't just beautiful, it was also innovative. It was the first production car ever to come with front-disc brakes. It also had a self-leveling hydropneumatic suspension, which raised and lowered the car and gave it a "magic carpet" ride feel. Today, the system is used by Citroen, Rolls-Royce, and Maserati.
  • Every time the exotic silhouette of a mid-engined car catches your eye, the Lamborghini Miura's influence is there. It was the first serious production mid-engined supercar, and had a transversely mounted V12 tucked behind the passenger compartment. It delighted in being driven fast, and is still very expensive today.
  • The retro looks are archetypal 1930s to 1940s American and it's the forerunner to the modern minivan. And it looks way, way better than any minivan. It had a rear-mounted Ford V8, which left the interior wide open for passengers.
  • When it was introduced in 1986, the 959 was the fastest street-legal production car, with a top speed of 195 mph, and was widely recognized as the most technologically advanced road car ever built. Porsche only made 337 examples, and each car had a complicated AWD system that standardized AWD for all Turbo models following it. The twin-turbo flat-six made an obscene 444 hp. You could control ride height. It was the first passenger car to have an electronic tire-pressure monitoring system. Besides the Ferrari Testarossa, it was also one of the few cars to have zero lift aero. And it had titanium connecting rods. Who at the time was packing this stuff into their road cars? Nobody, that's who.
  • After considering the crossover craze that's seized the U.S. car market, you start to think that maybe the Pontiac Aztek was just a few years short of being a popular family-mover. Sure, people complain incessantly about its looks, but when you hold it up next to some of the other oddly shaped crossovers on the market, like the Lexus RX, is it really that weird?
Previous SlideNext SlideNext Gallery
1/13 SLIDES © Brian Blades

These 12 Cars Were Ahead of Their Time

We live in a golden age of cars. Many, even the most inexpensive cars, have features that we admittedly take for granted. Before today's tech heavy cars, there were ambitious cars decades ago with tech that wasn't quite ready for primetime, but previewed the future.

Follow MSN Autos on Facebook
2/13 SLIDES © Provided by Road and Track

Honda FCX Clarity

The FCX Clarity was the first hydrogen fuel cell car available to the public. But nobody could buy them because Honda only leased them, and only to people living in Southern California. The problem is that there's still no real infrastructure for hydrogen fueling, which makes these cars more experiment than replacement for production car.

Research Honda's Latest Models on MSN Autos

3/13 SLIDES © Provided by Road and Track

Aston Martin Lagonda

Some peopled hated it. Some people loved it. But you can't deny that the Lagonda's sharply wedge-shaped nose is eye-catching. That, paired with fairly advanced in-car tech made the Lagonda a bit too advanced for its time. It had a digital instrument panel in 1976, which was hilariously bad, by the way. The buttons were touch sensitive and often didn't work. Bright sunlight washed out the display. That's why screens didn't show up in cars again for decades after that, but man, was it stylish.

Research Aston Martin's Latest Models on MSN Autos

4/13 SLIDES © Provided by Road and Track

Honda Prelude

The 1987 Honda Prelude previewed design language that eventually made it to the NSX and is arguably the first mass-produced car to offer four-wheel steering. Are you a fan of how the Porsche Turbo, GT3, and 918 Spyder have it? Well, Honda had Porsche beaten by almost 25 years in offering the technology in a road car.

Research Honda's Latest Models on MSN Autos

5/13 SLIDES © Provided by Road and Track

Oldsmobile Jetfire

First off: Awesome name. Second: The Jetfire (and the Chevy Corvair Monza) was the first mass-produced turbocharged car in 1962. The Corvair had an air-cooled, rear-mounted, and turbocharged flat-six engine. The Jetfire has a 3.5-liter V8 that made 215 hp. It relied on "Turbo Rocket Fluid" to combat detonation problems. You know how almost all cars are turbocharged these days? These two started it all.
6/13 SLIDES © Provided by Road and Track

General Motors EV1

When you think of an electric car these days, your mind will almost automatically jump to a Tesla Model S. But Tesla isn't the first American automaker to create a mainstream EV. Back in the late 90s, GM had the EV1 for lease-only. Automakers have been playing around with EVs since the 1800s, but the EV1 was the first modern mass-produced EV. It was good for 137 hp and had a 70- to 100-mile range.
7/13 SLIDES © Provided by Road and Track

Nissan Pathfinder (second generation)

The second generation Pathfinder abandoned the body on frame construction of the first generation in favor of the unibody design. Although it returned to BoF for the third generation so the platform could be shared between Nissan's trucks and SUVs, the second-gen 1995 Pathfinder displayed the eventual path that most other BoF trucks took in switching to unibody designs (the XJ Jeep Cherokee being the first).

Research Nissan's Latest Models on MSN Autos

8/13 SLIDES © Provided by Road and Track

Honda Insight

The Insight was introduced for 2000 and had a sleek design meant to minimize drag. It was the first mass-production hybrid car sold in the U.S., although its sales figures never managed to top those of the Toyota Prius. Honda discontinued the Insight in 2006, and brought it back again as a five-door hatch in 2010.

Research Honda's Latest Models on MSN Autos

9/13 SLIDES © Wikimedia Commons/Thesupermat

Citroen DS21

The DS21 wasn't just beautiful, it was also innovative. It was the first production car ever to come with front-disc brakes. It also had a self-leveling hydropneumatic suspension, which raised and lowered the car and gave it a "magic carpet" ride feel. Today, the system is used by Citroen, Rolls-Royce, and Maserati.
10/13 SLIDES © Robin Adams/RM Sotheby's

Lamborghini Miura

Every time the exotic silhouette of a mid-engined car catches your eye, the Lamborghini Miura's influence is there. It was the first serious production mid-engined supercar, and had a transversely mounted V12 tucked behind the passenger compartment. It delighted in being driven fast, and is still very expensive today.

Research Lamborghini's Latest Models on MSN Autos

11/13 SLIDES © Wikimedia Common/Joanna Poe

Stout Scarab

The retro looks are archetypal 1930s to 1940s American and it's the forerunner to the modern minivan. And it looks way, way better than any minivan. It had a rear-mounted Ford V8, which left the interior wide open for passengers.
12/13 SLIDES © Brian Blades

Porsche 959

When it was introduced in 1986, the 959 was the fastest street-legal production car, with a top speed of 195 mph, and was widely recognized as the most technologically advanced road car ever built. Porsche only made 337 examples, and each car had a complicated AWD system that standardized AWD for all Turbo models following it. The twin-turbo flat-six made an obscene 444 hp. You could control ride height. It was the first passenger car to have an electronic tire-pressure monitoring system. Besides the Ferrari Testarossa, it was also one of the few cars to have zero lift aero. And it had titanium connecting rods. Who at the time was packing this stuff into their road cars? Nobody, that's who.

Research Porsche's Latest Models on MSN Autos

13/13 SLIDES © Pontiac

Pontiac Aztek

After considering the crossover craze that's seized the U.S. car market, you start to think that maybe the Pontiac Aztek was just a few years short of being a popular family-mover. Sure, people complain incessantly about its looks, but when you hold it up next to some of the other oddly shaped crossovers on the market, like the Lexus RX, is it really that weird

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Ghg

Ghg

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When I look at the front of a '42 Olds I see resemblance of an airplane. Is this the look Harley Earl Was trying to achieve? Perhaps the beginning of incorporating the "Rocket" theme into the Oldsmobile brand!

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4 hours ago, Ghg said:

When I look at the front of a '42 Olds I see resemblance of an airplane. Is this the look Harley Earl Was trying to achieve? Perhaps the beginning of incorporating the "Rocket" theme into the Oldsmobile brand!

No you are a little early for that,

Try 1956- it even has a intake divider like a Mig.  15 ;

23505_Front_3-4_Web.jpg

 

 

Here is one for you to look at, the engine intake cowling for the B-47-B-52 airplane and compare it to the front turn signal housing of a 59 Cadillac.

  153942854-pratt-whitney-engines-tf33-of-

 

e89e7ab6636ad58ee3930aa039c276fe.jpg

 

 

Edited by helfen (see edit history)
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Hudsy Wudsy 25,000+ Points

Hudsy Wudsy

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9 hours ago, Ghg said:

When I look at the front of a '42 Olds I see resemblance of an airplane. Is this the look Harley Earl Was trying to achieve? Perhaps the beginning of incorporating the "Rocket" theme into the Oldsmobile brand!

I think that I'm going to have to disagree with Helfen some on this in this regard, a three quarter front angle view of the front of the Olds shows how some of the grille and the bumper both project out quite a ways in a distinctly (to my mind) flat and horizontal wing-like manner. The bumper guards are quite thin and stand up tall like the tail fin on the back of an airplane. Personally, I like to think that Harley Earl was really busy with other matters at the time and left the design for this Olds up to interns.

42 olds.jpg

Edited by Hudsy Wudsy (see edit history)
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