A look at the ugliest cars in existence
Picking out the ugliest cars of all time is an exercise in automotive taste, or the lack thereof. The period in history in which the car was created has much to do with its appearance. However, there are cars that are “classic” in design; their design rises above the norm and looks good years later. There are, of course, those which fall far below the norm; it is those automobiles to be celebrated herein.
The car that sinks to the top of the list must be the AMC Pacer, a misbegotten, rolling terrarium of a car. Originally designed to use theWankel-typerotary engine under development at General Motors, the Pacer had a short engine compartment. This was an early example of the “cab forward” design concept. The design intent was to include as much passenger and cargo space as possible within the planned wheel base. GM planned to introduce their rotary in 1974 and AMC planned to purchase it and begin installing it in the 1975 Pacer. But GM was not able to cure the rotary’s dismal fuel economy and oil consumption. When GM abandoned the rotary AMC had a car tooled up and ready for production without an engine. AMC ended up installing its 3.8L and 4.2L inline 6 cylinder engines. Unlike the compact rotary engine, the inline 6 was so long that the rear two cylinders were under the windshield and partially encroached on the passenger compartment.
TheAMC Matadorruns a close second to the Pacer for malapropos design cues, bulbous body panels and deplorable interior appointments. The Matador was typical AMC fare, and had it not been for Jeep, AMC would have vanished sooner than it did. Renault finally divested itself of AMC stock, selling it to Chrysler, who really only wanted Jeep.
Speaking of Renault, the next examples of deplorable design originated in France. The Citroen 2CV must certainly take third place in the world of ugly cars. Surely every owner of a 2CV had to chain the car in the garage to keep it from uglying away at night. Here was a slab-sided pile of tin with corrugated panels for strength. The car was as minimalist as the Volkswagen, but where the VW had panache, the 2CV had unrelenting quality problems. Citroen continued its unusual design themes with the Ami and the DS, all just simply ugly.
Moving on to the more major manufacturers, it is clear that great amounts of money and engineering talent can also go awry. In response to Chevrolet's successful “Tri-Five,” the 1955, 56 and 57 Chevrolets, Ford wanted to make a splash for 1958. Ford was introducing a hard top convertible calledSkyliner, a complex mechanical monstrosity with limit switches controlling three electric motors to raise or lower the hard top. Each step in the process had to happen at the precisely correct moment to prevent binding and improper stowage of the top. Should any limit switch be incorrectly adjusted or fail to function, disaster struck. The Skyliner was supposed to put GM back on its heels, but the knock-out punch wasEdsel! Unfortunately, it was Ford that took the hit on this ugly duckling, losing millions on development, lackluster sales and marketing. Although 1958 began the era of chrome excess and extreme body design, Edsel went beyond the extreme and lasted barely three years.
There are a few cars which fit into the “dishonorable mention” category. The1958 Ford Thunderbirddisappointed Thunderbird enthusiasts greatly. The pretty two-seater of 1957 grew a back seat, gained weight and grew in size. But it sold very well in spite of rather extreme body appointments.
Another horror of automotive design was born in the General Motors design studios. This vehicle was named theAztek. It was fortunate for the spirits of the Aztec Indians that Pontiac chose to not sully their heritage by spelling the name correctly. Instead, the Aztek design was one to stir emotions; people either liked it or hated it. Unfortunately for Pontiac, they hated it in droves and it died after only four years.
With the thankful demise of the Aztek, this walk down the memory lane of repulsive automotive design has come to a conclusion. It is hoped that the denizens of Detroit endeavor to do better in the future.
