Fifty Ugliest Cars of the Past 50 Years (A Half-Century of Automotive Eyesores)

Business Week ^ | 7/24/2010 | Damian Joseph

[nickcarraway]

Considering how many new cars are rolled out every year, it's no surprise that a few might be just plain homely. There's a chance that certain styles might become fashionable with a dash of retro hip. (Well, maybe not from the 1970s.)

[Hepsabeth]

Also, the happiest...

**********

Oh, man, who wants to look at that first thing in the morning, when you’re about to leave for work? That’s the kind of thing that gives people nightmares.

[ut1992]

Your pic brought alot of memories. I drove the exact model and color in HS; believe it was a ‘73 and I got it in ‘81 or so. It was a hand-me-down from my oldest brother when he left for the navy. It ran and ran without any problems. If I remember correctly, the only thing that Dad and I had to replace was the A/C; remember when you could still actually work on cars in your garage.

Actually sold it for $500 to an ex of mine after two years of driving it myself. It already had 160-80k miles on it. She knew our family took care of our cars. She ended up driving it another two years or so until it finally gave up the ghost; she admitted she had done no preventative maintenance and hadn't changed the oil the whole time she had it.

Oh memories.

[Oztrich Boy]

I gotta disagree with ‘em on the El Camino

Me too. Nice looking ute. He just doesn't like utes.

Me I want a Subaru Baja

Usually 4 seats, but occasionally one might need to shift a body out to the boondocks.

[Midnight Matador]

Deathmobile

[wally_bert]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh0VF6s-UYU

[norge]

LOL, could be either. But the T’bird is the last one I’ll own. I love it.

[mike-zed]

Agreed.

Author is a 20 something yr old gay lib in NYC without a drivers license.

How could this not make the list?

[Oztrich Boy]

How could this not make the list?

Can't really judge with that Toyota blocking the view.

[usconservative]

My Pinto wagon damn near made it to 75,000 before it tried to kill my nephew and burn the house down.

I had just over 250,000 miles on mine (I bought it with 65,000) when the engine finally gave out. That car got me through college, several part time jobs a week and more than a few road trips during the time I had it. The only maintenance it required were brakes, tires, shocks, timing belt, oil changes and an occasional tune-up. It was one of the most reliable cars I ever owned. That 2300 I-4 was just unbeatable.

[goseminoles]

I want a Baja too. Subaru gets a bad rap for being a liberal car(whatever that is). But Subaru makes some of the best cars on the road. And fastest(WRX).

[BufordP]

Please tell me it vwasn’t Tennessee Vols Urnge

If it was it was purely coincidental. Grew up in St Louis. Not Tennessee Volunteer fans.

This is the approx. shade of orange to my recollection.

[Ditter]

I am a girl, we always pay a lot for our haircuts.

[wildbill]

Thanks for the picture.

Damn, I loved that ugly little fiberglass beast. In an era where lots of ‘sports cars’ still had zip on windows, it came with 4 lots of luxury items for the day including roll up windows, leather interior, 4 wheel disc brakes, etc.

It got over 20 miles to the gal (great for that era)and would give you an honest 140mph out of the 140 cu. in. engine.

I rolled it the first night I owned it, but we had a long fun life together. I used it as my primary ride for a long time and drove it until the mid 90s.

[xp38]

Maybe you could convince her if you got an all blacked out Mercury Marauder. They were high performance versions of the crown vic.

[AnnGora]

The main trouble I remember having was with the distributor cap. If it got any moisture underneath it, the car would not start. Many times I popped the hood, unclipped the distributor cap, wiped it out, clipped it back, and went on my merry way. hahaha

[TexasBarak]

Any list without the “Smart Car” is worthless.

We call these "stupid cars" in my family- my nine-year-old daughter thinks this is hilarious, and never fails to point one out to us.

I have the vending at one of the local hospitals, and park my truck in a service alley by the doctor's dining room- the doctors park across the street when coming in for breakfast. One of the older doctors drives one of those things (If he were my doctor, I'd switch- seriously questionable judgement).

So, one morning I was out at my truck getting some product, when this doctor pulls up in his stupid car. I just happened to be looking up as he got halfway across the street, stopped, turned around and pointed a remote back at his car to turn on the alarm. I almost fell over laughing!

[Atlas Sneezed]

[m1911]

I had a yellow Colt with the 8 speed (4x2) transmission and the 1.6L engine. I bought it from a friend in Morgantown WV in 1990 and finally abandoned it in a parking lot after 180,000 miles averaging over 40mpg. As long as you didn’t mind the roar of the wind because of the lack of insulation, the insane torque steer under throttle, and getting blown into another lane every time a semi went by, it was a good car. (Not minding the snickers and finger pointing helped also).

I could get it to squeak the tires going into second too!

[RegulatorCountry]

My girlfriend in high school loved that Javelin. Her daddy bought the Matador coupe though. When I went to visit her right after he had just bought it, she was digging her elbow into my ribs when he asked me how I liked their new car. She and I had been discussing how ugly that car was just the week before he up and bought one.

Well, now, being fair to AMC and head stylist Dick Teague, the Matador Coupe wasn't an entirely ugly car, from the right angle, in a dark color with the "X" option, deleting the big Starsky & Hutch-esque stripe. You can see what should have been:

What you can't see in the photo is the wheel overhang and just exactly how huge the car is, juggernaut huge. That sort of ruined it, just as it did with the Pacer, although both cars sold relatively well, especially the Pacer. We forget just how ugly most American cars of the era were, though, with giant chrome battering rams slung front and rear, federally mandated.

This Matador Coupe looks positively svelte alongside a Ford Torino of the same model year.

[Yardstick]

I'd say it's swoopy...just not good swoopy.