OT: Ugliest cars of all time

[fiamme red]

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/tragic-by-design-greatest-car-styling-blunders/index.html?hp

I love this:

In 1980, a woman I knew in Detroit reported her Ford Pinto stolen. Her insurance company turned down her claim for reimbursement of its value on what I considered novel grounds: No one would steal a car that ugly. That turned out to be a smart call by her insurance adjuster. She later confessed that she and some friends had pushed it into the Detroit River. (At least in a watery grave, it was no longer a danger to explode.) I guess in Detroit, the car theft capital of the world, the insurance industry is savvy enough to know what is worth stealing, and what is not.

[goonster]

The Aztek is truly a disaster. Ditto the Pacer.

My vote would go to the front of a Fiat Multipla grafted onto the rear of a Renault Megane.

[fiamme red]

I see that some of the comments single out the Citroën 2CV as the ugliest car of all time. I couldn't disagree more. I love that car. Maybe I've been watching too many old French films.

[goonster]

Silly goose. You can never watch enough old French films.

The 2CV is not hard to love. The DS is a much more acquired taste, especially when you get past what it looks like and consider what it is.

http://www.iprovinciali.it/wp-content/CitroenDS_blu.jpg

In Automobile Gestalt 101 that car alone makes up a third of the syllabus, atmo.

[pjm]

The Aztek is truly a disaster. Ditto the Pacer.

My vote would go to the front of a Fiat Multipla grafted onto the rear of a Renault Megane.
Aztek = dumpster on wheels

[maunahaole]

This article is a lazy writer regurgitating low hanging fruit.

No mention of Trabant anywhere. Or Reliant Robin, for that matter

[pjm]

....

[christian]

I thought it was a funny read, though Jerry cut off some good possibilities by excluding cars not available for sale in the U.S.

And for a little Serotta content, I'm one of the other contributors to the Wheels blog: http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/author/cedstrom/

I'm going to try and work in some bicycle content, too...

- Christian

[BumbleBeeDave]

American ingeniuty(?) and style(??) triumph again!

AMC will never ever be outdone!

I especially like the mag wheels on the "Pacer X" to make it look, uh, sporty! :eek:

BBD

[dirtdigger88]

Aztek = dumpster on wheels

wanna know something funny- the Hummer H2 shares a bunch of parts with the Azteks-

way more than any H2 owner would ever care to admit-

LOL

BTW- BBD that Javalin is way cool- dont know why you included that one

Jason

[Ozz]

...BTW- BBD that Javalin is way cool- dont know why you included that one

Jason
Pepe Fernandez (local pro soccer legend in '70's) drove an AMC Javelin (green).....he and it were the coolest! :cool:

P.S. I was about 12

[dirtdigger88]

my uncle (RIP) has a navy blue one when I was a kid-

between that car and his chopper- he started my love of speed

Thanks man-

Jason

[maunahaole]

I like that AMC Marlin (the red/white two-tone). There is one here locally that I see periodically.

[old_school]

The Daimler SP 250 (http://www.britishcarlinks.com/Daimler_sp250.jpg) gets my vote as the ugliest car I have always wanted to own.

[mef]

no contest.... AMC Pacer :fight:

[YO!!!]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSo-hlDK8sQ

Our black one was knicknamed The Buzzard

[swoop]

pt cruiser.

[Tom]

So ugly it was beautiful.

[mikemets]

We had a Tempest when I was little, and I remember it lacked in the looks department.

[WadePatton]

Pacer--all time

That chevy truck/tupperware cross-breed for current production. :fight:

[pjm]

Ther was a car uglier than the Pacer - the Pacer Wagon!

[William]

BTW- BBD that Javalin is way cool- dont know why you included that one

Jason

Have to agree here. The Javalin/AMX was the gem of the AMC line. Still sought after.



William

[saab2000]

Dodge Prowler. Fugly primarily because it took kool kustom kar kulture and turned it into some corporate 'statement' by a bunch of suits who couldn't have cared less about the hobby of the real enthusiasts. And it even had some lame V-6.

But the final insult was its automatic transmission. Probably can't even spin the tires on a gravel road or chirp 'em around a sandy corner.

[pjm]

I know there's a lotta love out there for Bimmers, but this one is no Bavarian beauty.....

[sg8357]

VW The Thing ,So ugly it was beautiful.

The Thing had a real name, VDub was too embarrassed to use it.

"Gee Gunter, look what we found in the bunker"
"Yeah, We can sell them to Americans, they don't remember anything"

[BumbleBeeDave]

Have to agree here. The Javalin/AMX was the gem of the AMC line. Still sought after.



William

To me it looks like it has Neurofibramitosis--in other words, Elephant Man's disease! But look on the bright side--the fewer of us who want one, the easier it will be for you guys to find a good price on one! :rolleyes:

BBD

[pjm]

Dodge Prowler. Fugly primarily because it took kool kustom kar kulture and turned it into some corporate 'statement' by a bunch of suits who couldn't have cared less about the hobby of the real enthusiasts. And it even had some lame V-6.

But the final insult was its automatic transmission. Probably can't even spin the tires on a gravel road or chirp 'em around a sandy corner.
Plymouth Prowler.....looked like an insect.

[William]

The H1 I like. It looks like and is a capable 4WD vehicle.

http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/100-greatest/03-large/49-hummer-h1.jpg


Everytime I see an H2 I think of a bloated tick. 99.5% of these will never go off-road.

http://webiol.homenetinc.com/dealers/7858/16092/C6011.jpg

Ugly atmo.


William

[saab2000]

Plymouth Prowler.....looked like an insect.

I stand corrected! Thanks! :beer:

[Erik.Lazdins]

Pepe Fernandez (local pro soccer legend in '70's) drove an AMC Javelin (green).....he and it were the coolest! :cool:

P.S. I was about 12

Carlos Alberto was driven to NY Cosmos home games at Giants Stadium in an AMC Matador. This was in 1978 and I was about 12. I was into cars as any other adolescent was, however this car didn't move me in any direction but perhaps nausea.

[Avispa]

I thought the Edsel actually was voted by the auto industry as the ugliest car ever made!

..A..

[quehill]

I know there's a lotta love out there for Bimmers, but this one is no Bavarian beauty.....

Woooooooooah, careful there. The Z3 coupe is probably my favorite car in the whole world. It has that angry E-Type on testosterone look. Awesome.

[David Kirk]

I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I have respect for many of the cars shown here. If nothing else they were unique and unusual. It takes some guts to do something truly unique and I applaud that. That's not to say that I'm about to go out and find an AMC Ambassador to restore but you get my drift.

What I hate is mediocrity. Stuff that is so middle of the road that you can't tell what it is. Safe stuff......lowest common denominator stuff that we, as a society, seem just fine with.

My vote is the Oldsmobile Achieva and it's lame-*** Buick relative. Talk about weak. No passion, no life, no inspiration and it's not even utilitarian. It looks like crap and works like crap.

Remember..........a mediocre man is always at his best.

Dave


http://riversideent.com/whitebuick.jpg

[Dr. Doofus]

i'd love it if sombody took two pacers and welded them together side-by-side

double-wide pacer

[andy mac]

American ingeniuty(?) and style(??) triumph again!

AMC will never ever be outdone!

I especially like the mag wheels on the "Pacer X" to make it look, uh, sporty! :eek:

BBD



i am with david here. i think many of these cars have real character.

the aztek for sure, but i will ad the ferrari mondial. how could such a company get it so wrong? it looks so wimpy and pedestrian. if somebody gave me one i wouldn't drive it...

[flux]

I know there's a lotta love out there for Bimmers, but this one is no Bavarian beauty.....

The M Coupe is BMW's coolest car to date. Have you ever driven one? Fcuking amazing machines.

[Fixed]

any and all that don't get at least 30mpg
imho :beer:

[William]

I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I have respect for many of the cars shown here. If nothing else they were unique and unusual. It takes some guts to do something truly unique and I applaud that. That's not to say that I'm about to go out and find an AMC Ambassador to restore but you get my drift.

What I hate is mediocrity. Stuff that is so middle of the road that you can't tell what it is. Safe stuff......lowest common denominator stuff that we, as a society, seem just fine with.



Dave


http://riversideent.com/whitebuick.jpg

I used to really like Saab 900's, esp the Turbo SPG. I had one of these and the thing was a screamer. And I also loved the fact that it was different. When they changed the body style to the bland Toyota-esqe Corolla look, I lost interest.

Get these goof balls off the car and you get an idea...

http://www.komar.org/car/1987_saab_900_turbo_spg/1987_saab_900_turbo_spg_1.jpg


http://www.saabnet.com/tsn/models/1990/900spgXx.jpg


William

[ti_boi]

Yeah William....I drove back to back SAABs...and in fact loved them both...though their styling is an acquired taste....many of the uglies here look great....let's put it this way....cars are one of the most 'personal' things a person can choose....my wife loves her Volvo(s) and of course....I think they are bee-yoo-ti-ful too!


P.S. Someone give me a MONDIAL...I'll drive the wheels off it!

[David Kirk]

P.S. Someone give me a MONDIAL...I'll drive the wheels off it!

One thing is for sure............given that was made during Ferrari's very dark years it might not take too long to drive the wheels off it.

Dave

[shanerpvt]

had a 900 in college...........lots of fun in that car. true story, one night in austin (early fall 94) we had 7 people stuffed in the thing and we were going party to party. we exited mopac around terry town and Bevo (Texas Longhorn mascot) was walking right down the middle of the street. I pulled over to let one of the girls in the car out to call the cops at a pay phone (no kids rolled with mobiles back in the day). Then we proceeded to follow or as I like to say "herd" Bevo. He finally walked up in someone's yard. we pulled over and a couple of us got out of the car to try to keep him "pinned". cops showed up pretty quick.

i later heard the greeks had him in west campus for photos or something and he got out. but at least i can say i herded Bevo in my 900.

:beer:
shaner

p.s. - sorry for the drift

[justinf]

total crap, mediocrity at its worst, and the disemboweling of a once-great brand:

[ti_boi]

Bertone...Volvo....Show some love people...WOOOF!!!

[justinf]

dude I LOVE that Volvo, whoa.

[ti_boi]

Who loves ya baby????

[ti_boi]

dude I LOVE that Volvo, whoa.


Me too brutha....me too....! Tuck and roll in the back passenger area.....chopped top Italian Style.... :beer:

Here's a coupla mo!

[ti_boi]

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever" -Keats

[ti_boi]

"A rose by any other name....."

[DarrenCT]

+1 for the aztek

[Redturbo]

My first car was a 68 or 70 something Renault 16, Sinatra couldn't even get tail in that thing! My girlfriend said it looked like a roach.

[maunahaole]

If you had a girlfriend when you had a car that would have shut Sinatra down, then Redturbo > Sinatra

[andy mac]

i think the people responsible for cadillac from about '72 on should be shot. it was up there with rolls royce as the greatest luxury car brand in the world then turned to a streaming pile o' turdburger.


:crap: :crap: :crap:

[merckx]

El Camino-----half man, half woman

[rphetteplace]

The M Coupe is BMW's coolest car to date. Have you ever driven one? Fcuking amazing machines.

I work with a guy that has an M Coupe it's an absolute blast to drive gotta agree.

[Grant McLean]

Sure... pick on the AMC's.

Mediocrity has it's sins, but the biggest offenders are the supercars that look
like they were put together by hotwheels. The front end on the SLR mclaren
is such a design disaster, the fact that it's $500,000.00 is a bad joke.

-g

[Grant McLean]

I work with a guy that has an M Coupe it's an absolute blast to drive gotta agree.

It's still the ugliest M car ever.

-g

[H.Frank Beshear]

2008 Motor trend car of the year (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPSQ9XdoWlc) , can't be all bad Still trying to convince my Partners I need one :D . Frank

[DarrenCT]

It's still the ugliest M car ever.

-g

i think the M is for the rich gay guy atmo

[ti_boi]

FORD////Found On Road Dead

[rphetteplace]

Yeah William....I drove back to back SAABs...and in fact loved them both...though their styling is an acquired taste....many of the uglies here look great....let's put it this way....cars are one of the most 'personal' things a person can choose....my wife loves her Volvo(s) and of course....I think they are bee-yoo-ti-ful too!


P.S. Someone give me a MONDIAL...I'll drive the wheels off it!

Just out of college I worked for a moving company. We were moving a family to England. My job was to drive their car back to our warehouse to be loaded onto the container.

I got there and the woman opened the door and there was a Mondial convertible in the garage. I almost shat myself. The woman could tell I was nervous and said "oh don't worry about it I hate that car it drives like a go-cart". Needless to say I had to size up the situation and yup it drove like a go cart. Hard as nails, but still one of the coolest hours of my life :beer:

[ti_boi]

Awesome...I always liked how they were the 4 seat Ferrari....pretty practical. ATMO


I owned one of these..............................And yes......it was ugly......but also practical..... :beer:

[gone]

The mid-90's Chevy Caprice & Impala - the one that looked sort of rounded everywhere like it was made out of wax, left in the hot sun and sort of collapsed.

I remember when these came out. At the time the Caprice and Impala were in big with police departments and there was always a fight in the PD's for who was going to get the new cars first. When these showed up there was a fight who was going to get to keep their old car.

The pacer is uglier though.

[Grant McLean]

i think the M is for the rich gay guy atmo

not that there's anything wrong with that....


:banana:


-g

[vaxn8r]

Here are 2 of my choices. Maybe more to come after dinner.

[Steelman]

Lamborghini Countach LP500http://www.pistonheads.com/news/images/4713-lp_500S.jpg

[Steve Hampsten]

be still my beating heart...

[whitecda]

Pacer is ugly, BUT at the time it was at least "unique". Remember the W I D E body ads? It at least had a reason... something different from the rest of the 70's total $#!t.

The Vega was another piece of crap (engine anyhow), but I always thought they looked kinda cool. Take out the aluminum engine and toss it and put in something that would last, and it might be ok. Of course the frame couldn't handle a cast block.... catch 22.

My vote is the Aztek, HANDS DOWN. When I pass one, as I just did yesterday, I have to wonder if the owner just doesn't care, or if they got it free, or ...... ?

I forgot about the Olds Achieva. My wife test drove one in the early 90's. (Wasn't much to choose from in Cody, WY, where we were at the time.) She drove it 2 miles and brought it back to the dealer and just said "NO".

[whitecda]

Lamborghini Countach LP500http://www.pistonheads.com/news/images/4713-lp_500S.jpg



Must be a character deficiency, but the Countach still gives me a ....well a "rise". Again, don't forget the time period. Not much else to fantasize about back then.....car-wise.

[julia]

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s306/juliahensley/1571613-lg.jpg

[flux]

It's still the ugliest M car ever.

-g

You're just jealous. :rolleyes:

[flux]

i think the M is for the rich gay guy atmo

That's not what she said bro. ;) :cool:

[rphetteplace]

That's not what she said bro. ;) :cool:

at least you thought he was a she :rolleyes: :)

[flux]

at least you thought he was a she :rolleyes: :)

Your mom? :)

[DarrenCT]

That's not what she said bro. ;) :cool:

i actually meant the Z3 coupe. the older small one.

the M is super money. my friend has an m5 with the cool seats that auto adjust around corners

[justinf]

what pieces of dung, that skylark and cimarron. or cavalier--whatever.

while we're at it:

[maunahaole]

don't forget the caddy seville with the bump in the trunk, the late 70s-early 80s dodge magnum, chrysler imperial, and of course the cordoba

[rphetteplace]

what happened to the Chevette????????

[maunahaole]

the CHevette wasnt necessarily ugly, it was just an incomparable POS.

[PacNW2Ford]

Hey, looks like fun. I'll pile on...

The funniest thing was when someone pressed GM on poor Aztek sales, they said "We set too high of a price target". Whaaaaaa?

Almost as funny is the arguments that go on on the Subaru DB's on whether the new Impreza is an improvement. I own a WRX and it certainly wasn't looks that drove my choice.

How 'bout the Datsun F10?

[ti_boi]

I took my 1st drivers test in one of these.....4-door version...parallel parking was a breeze. :rolleyes:

[Jeff N.]

I believe almost any Nash or Hudson was the ugliest car(s) ever built. Especially the '51 Nash Ambassador. Hideous! The '51 Studebaker too. Ya just gotta wonder what the designers were thinkin'! 1951 was a bad year for auto designers, for certain. Jeff N.

[julia]

we played ping pong in the back of my mom's ford gran torino "squire"

ooo fake wood paneling

[eddief]

would love to drive one.

[Erik.Lazdins]

would love to drive one.

Eddie! This is not an ugly car - sheeeeeeooout I'm getting weak in the knees from this one and considering the coin new Alfa-Romeos are going for I'm too late to own one of these.

Nice thread drift!! :beer:

[big shanty]

In profile, the original Toyota RAV4 looked like a leaf blower.

[C5 Snowboarder]

Citroen - any of them

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_2CV

[vaxn8r]

No one went for the early 90's BUick Skylark?

Hmmm. Try these.

[72gmc]

I'm glad someone brought up the Chevy Crapalanche. Lots of them around here, driven by grown men who probably still wear Underoos.

Julia, is that Gran Torino image actually art? I can't recall the name, but I did a video shoot at SFMOMA and their feature display was the collection of an artist who did amazing photorealistic pieces. A Gran Torino was one of them.

[PBWrench]

Harold or Maude? This hearse died and went to heaven!

[vaxn8r]

Here we go...

[Ozz]

...The Vega was another piece of crap (engine anyhow), but I always thought they looked kinda cool. Take out the aluminum engine and toss it and put in something that would last, and it might be ok. Of course the frame couldn't handle a cast block.... catch 22.....
a buddy of mine dropped a small V8 into a Vega back in high school...yeah, warped the frame cuz of the torque. ;)

Let me toss out "LeCar" for one of the ugliest... :crap:

[julia]

how'd you do that??

and, don't do it again

i'm having nightmares already




Here we go...

[C5 Snowboarder]

Chevy Caprice.. butt ugly

and these too!

http://home.pon.net/hunnicutt/uglycars.htm

[guyintense]

Hands down ugliest, probably most dangerous too.

[girlie]

That's not what she said bro. ;) :cool:

certainly not what I would say....or have said for that matter.
NOT the convertible though....that one is for a certain kind of handle bar - as some would say.

[big shanty]

Chevy Caprice.. butt ugly

and these too!

http://home.pon.net/hunnicutt/uglycars.htm


One of my first cars was an '85 Caprice, two-tone tan with an orange pinstripe. Amenities included small black & chrome Chevy truck wheel covers (the hubcaps had fallen off), pleather handlebar wrap, below-dash Realistic cassette player, and those speakers that sit on the back dash and slide around. I loved that car....my dad took it to the bank one afternoon and got hit by a snowplow, totalled it. He was fine.

[vaxn8r]

More nominations:

[julia]

i want one of these

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s306/juliahensley/McCall-ZUB.jpg

[rphetteplace]

and then there is the coolest.....

[ti_boi]

Thread Drift........if the Italians had designed the Mustang :cool:

[ti_boi]

Uncle Rico's Van

[KJMUNC]

they just keep getting worse and worse.....

[Blue Jays]

The Renault Fuego surely didn't inspire anyone:

http://www.delest.nl/media/img/DCP_1413.JPG
..
..
http://www.ralph9000.freeserve.co.uk/fuego/image1.jpg

http://sbw.sportbikes.com/images/smilies/puke.gif

[swoop]

pontiac aztec.

[slowgoing]

1. 4 door Dodge Dart (Swinger???) and it's Plymouth counterpart. Bland beyond belief.
2. Merkur. Which one? All of them.
3. Aztek
4. Pacer
5. Matador/Ambasador (tie)

There were also a few years in the early 70s when Ford downsized the Mustang to an economy instead of a sports car. It was fugly.

The Avanti was so ugly you had to love it.

Agree that the Javelin was great.

[Blue Jays]

..
..
It was kind of cool to hear Ricardo Montalban melodically crooning, "Volare!"

http://www.moparautos.com/images/80volare.jpg

He subsequently continued his fame by going on to discuss "the rich Corinthian leather" inside yet another ugly car contestant, the infernal and completely silly Chrysler Cordoba:

http://www.cordobaclubusa.com/images/600_1976ChryslerCordobaSportCoupe.jpg

http://sbw.sportbikes.com/images/smilies/laughing.gif

[Steve Hampsten]

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/4/40/Sportbak1.jpg

[Blue Jays]

/\/\ Isn't that the infamous Nissan Pulsar NX sportwagon? Yikes.

[Blue Jays]

..
..
Speaking of which...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/1986_Nissan_Pulsar_NX.JPG/800px-1986_Nissan_Pulsar_NX.JPG

[nobrakes]

I know this is drifting a little, but when I see one of these creeping up behind me, I cringe...ugliest and most feared by cyclists. I know...the obvious "but have you ever driven one?"

[classic1]

http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/images/car_info/holden_commodore_vl_hsv.jpg

1988 Holden Walkinshaw VL Commodore. Ugliest Australian muscle car ever. Even uglier in real life.

[classic1]

SSANGYONG KYRON
http://www.micoche.com/especiales/salonmadrid/2006/Ssangyong/Ssangyong_Rodius.jpg

FIAT MULTIPLA
http://www.autocult.com.au/img/gallery/full/hologram158.jpg

[Blue Jays]

Wow, that Fiat Multipla is quite harsh on the eyes. :eek:

[Ray]

Wow, that Fiat Multipla is quite harsh on the eyes. :eek:
Looks like a character from the Simpsons. In distress.

Maybe its just because they're still on the road and I see 'em every now and then, but I gotta go with the Aztek. I'm just sticking with relatively mainstream cars because those are the ones you actually see. I'm not easily offended but that beast is just horrifically ugly. Some of the old AMC cars were pretty bad, but the Aztec.....BLEEEECHHHH. Saw one just the other day. You just have to keep looking at it trying to deconstruct all of the little details that suck. There are a bunch.

My wife and daughters would actually put the Honda Element up there as pretty ugly. I don't mind 'em at all. So its largely an "eye of the beholder" kind of thing, but does ANYONE think the Aztec is anything other than butt ugly? Even the committee that designed it?

-Ray

[3chordwonder]

http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/images/car_info/holden_commodore_vl_hsv.jpg

1988 Holden Walkinshaw VL Commodore. Ugliest Australian muscle car ever. Even uglier in real life.

Living down under and having seen plenty of them, I'd like to back you up on that proposition. And yes, even uglier in real life.

[classic1]

Wow, that Fiat Multipla is quite harsh on the eyes. :eek:


And as common as muck in Italy. I thought Italy was supposed to be some sort of style capital or something.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . looks like it was a normal little van and somebody drove it into a cable stretched across the road!

But I think the "Harold & Maude" Jaguar hearse is about one of the coolest rides I've ever seen. I'd love to drive around in that! Of course, I also ride around on my bike in a zebra striped outfit so people will see me comin' . . . :rolleyes:

BBD

[PBWrench]

Gotham is safe!

[dirtdigger88]

http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/images/car_info/holden_commodore_vl_hsv.jpg

1988 Holden Walkinshaw VL Commodore. Ugliest Australian muscle car ever. Even uglier in real life.


you know the new G8 that Ponitac is bringing out now is a rebaged Holden Commodor

they are also putting 7.0 liter (thats 427 cu in) Chevy motors in some of the ones down under :cool:

Jason

[eddief]

practical, comfortable, complete POS. he still let me be his friend a few years later. Renault 16.

[whitecda]

FIAT MULTIPLA




Ok, I might have to change my vote! Yuck. Little car with a big GOITER!?

[eddief]

were these the cars that inspired the corvair? not great looking, coming or going, but my recollection was they were road rockets. NSU. who?

[ti_boi]

My dad drove one of these when I was a kid....now you know. :rolleyes:

[Tom Kellogg]

The Avanti was so ugly you had to love it.


I can not let this one go by. My namesake, the more famous Tom Kellogg, designed the Avanti. He was one of the 20th century's best and most acclaimed product designers. Absolute genius. Google him some time.
http://www.tomkelloggdesign.com/tom_testimonials.html

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . but don't tell the owner that if you know what's good for you! :eek:

BBD

[ti_boi]

Two more American classics. :beer:

[chuckroast]

Ti Boi, you're killing me man!

Those mid nineties GM wagons (Caprice, Roadmaster, Custom Cruiser) are beauties! I wish I still had one.

[Blue Jays]

/\/\ What the heck is that Chevrolet Caprice wagon doing mixed-in with all those restored/hot-rodded older cars, anyway?

[Ozz]

/\/\ What the heck is that Chevrolet Caprice wagon doing mixed-in with all those restored/hot-rodded older cars, anyway?
pulling the trailer......

[Dr. Doofus]

my sister had one of these in hs

pure style

[swoop]

.

[vaxn8r]

Toss up but the Dodge wins because it's newer

[ergott]

Come on, where's your imagination?

http://www.terra2imports.ca/images/model-specific/g-class-wallpaper.jpg

[ergott]

http://www.autobytel.com/images/carpics/testdrv/suemead/500/Chevy-SSR-04.jpg

[ergott]

http://image.automobilemag.com/f/auto_shows/los_angeles_2005/6680980/0501_los_angeles+2006_chevrolet_monte_carlo+rear_r ight_view.jpg

[chuckroast]

Toss up but the Dodge wins because it's newer

Oh man, I used to own an Astro/ Safari also. I am such a dork.....

[vaxn8r]

Oh man, I used to own an Astro/ Safari also. I am such a dork.....
I meant "wins" in a bad way.

[Ozz]

Come on, where's your imagination?


sorry....I liked those alot until they became a regular part of the M-B line up....don't get me started on the AMG version...***????

They should have stuck with the NATO ambulance look....it's right up there with the Nissan Patrol (that all the UN inspectors drive)!

P.S. - There is a "crazy" old lady that lives near us that has one of those chevy truck / hot rod things....she has pink flames on it, pink dingle balls and a pink fuzzy steering wheel cover....she also wears a pink leather biker hat....i am just guessing, but I think she has about 30 cats at home with her.

[girlie]

Oh man, I used to own an Astro/ Safari also. I am such a dork.....

Dorks......

[ergott]

sorry....I liked those alot until they became a regular part of the M-B line up....don't get me started on the AMG version...***????

They should have stuck with the NATO ambulance look....it's right up there with the Nissan Patrol (that all the UN inspectors drive)!

P.S. - There is a "crazy" old lady that lives near us that has one of those chevy truck / hot rod things....she has pink flames on it, pink dingle balls and a pink fuzzy steering wheel cover....she also wears a pink leather biker hat....i am just guessing, but I think she has about 30 cats at home with her.


They were cool before they became a lame status symbol.

[ti_boi]

http://image.automobilemag.com/f/auto_shows/los_angeles_2005/6680980/0501_los_angeles+2006_chevrolet_monte_carlo+rear_r ight_view.jpg


A woman in a burka drives one of these around here....it has the Earnhardt colors.....always leaves me speechless.

[Ozz]

They were cool before they became a lame status symbol.
this is what I'm saying.... :beer:

[big shanty]

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/4/40/Sportbak1.jpg

Is that a Pulsar? My friend had one of those with T-Tops!!

[BumbleBeeDave]

Is that a Pulsar? My friend had one of those with T-Tops!!

. . . There were different modules available for the rear end. This is the hatchback one. There was also a sedan module, I think. Not sure what else. but for some strange reason they always seemed to sell the cars with the modules in a contrasting color. I remember seeing a red one with this module also in red when they first came out and though it looked pretty nice. Very practical. but then I never ever saw another one that had a matching color module, which kinda defeated the purpose as far as I could see. I'm not sure this car was called a Pulsar, though . . .

BBD

[velotel]

I've always said the SP 250 was hands down one of the ugliest cars ever built, sort of a bigger and way uglier version of the Sunbeam Alpine. But lordy did I love the one I owned. Seriously friggin fast. I think it was in '69 or thereabouts I drove from Aspen, Colorado where I was living down to Santa Fe to see a good friend. Just before leaving town, smoked some very good weed to set the correct atmosphere and I was off. Right at the edge of town there was a hitchhiker. I picked him up. He was from Switzerland and heading to Santa Fe. Okay, on the road. I totally forgot he was even there; I was too focused on driving. Flew over Independence Pass then turned right and headed south. Averaged over 100 mph from Aspen to Santa Fe. I was slowing down in town and all of a sudden there was this tap on my arm and the guy said he'd get out there. I about jumped out of my seat because I literally had no idea he was there and he hadn't said a word the entire drive. He got out of the car, closed the door, looked back at me, and, shaking his head, said 'never such a drive in my life, never.' And he walked away.

Oh man what a great car and a great drive. V8 2,5 liter motor, fiberglass body, four-wheel disc brakes, four-speeds, top speed around 130. Great sound too. Especially right around 2500 rpm where the engine came on the cams and suddenly exploded with power and sound. Top down, burning the road. Later I came back up through the San Luis valley on the gun barrel (I think that's what it's called; been awhile and details have faded) at night with a full moon. Top down, speedo sitting at 120-125, no headlamps. Truly outrageous. Yea, I know 100% off the charts in the non-acceptable behavior department today but I still have to laugh when I think back to those days with my 250 SP.

[gomez308]

BMW Isetta

[Bud_E]

The Toyota Prius reminds me of a flea.

[Fixed]

i had one of these my dad liked cars and made me drive one in the 70's mine was a 72
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_F103

[C5 Snowboarder]

Can you imagine this doing 100mph? And then the look on the cop's face?

[Blue Jays]

/\/\ "It's going left, no, wait, I mean it's turning right! Now I think it's driving straight. Aaarrrghhh, I don't know!"

[PaulE]

Personally, I always feel sorry for someone when I see them driving an Aztek. I imagine them with such poor style sense and getting themselves hoodwinked by a car salesman into thinking they were going to be on the leading edge of the next big thing. Then they're stuck with a few years of car payments and everyone else laughing at them as they drive by.

And we can all thank Chris Bangle for the Bangle Bustle on the back of every current BMW sedan as well as the hideously over the top current Rolls Royce.

The worst thing about the Bangle Bustle is that it has started a trend - Toyota Camry, Mercedes Benz S Class, Honda Accord and new Chrysler Sebring all have copied it to some extent.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this from the New York Times 2 weeks ago:

How Ugly? Put a Bag on That Car

NY Times

By JERRY GARRETT
Published: December 23, 2007
“I ALWAYS wanted to own a dream car,” said Andy Saunders, 44, who has a flair for customizing cars. “But others had already bought all the dream cars.” So Mr. Saunders settled, instead, for a nightmare.

“I remember one day going through a book about dream cars, and I saw a tiny drawing, a sketch really, or artist’s impression of a car called the Aurora,” Mr. Saunders said in a telephone interview. “My dad commented, ‘Have you ever seen anything so ugly?’ He was right; it was so ugly it was unreal. I said straightaway, ‘I’ve got to own that.’”

Mr. Saunders, who operates an auto importing and customizing business near his home in England, said he enjoyed a challenge. He has worked on cars that include a Lancia and a Cord (www.andysaunderskustoms.com).

He saw the image of the Aurora in 1993, and it took him several years of detective work to find what happened to the car.

The Aurora may have had the most unusual pedigree in the history of the auto industry. It was created in the mid-1950s by a Catholic priest, Alfred A. Juliano, and partly bankrolled by parishioners of his church in Branford, Conn.

Juliano wanted to create the world’s safest automobile, and his Aurora featured innovations that were years ahead of their time. The Aurora also had many wacky ideas to go along with its bizarre styling. Some auto historians have called it the ugliest car ever made.

Although Mr. Saunders originally agreed, he has come to see beauty in the Aurora.

Juliano, who studied art, said he always wanted to design cars, even as he studied to join the priesthood. Published reports said he entered competitions for aspiring auto stylists, including one sponsored by General Motors. Juliano’s family said G.M. offered him a scholarship to study with the legendary designer Harley Earl, but he said the offer came just after he had been ordained a priest.

Juliano continued to be fascinated with cars and their design. He also believed that most cars were unsafe, and began a quest to design a car that addressed his laundry list of safety issues. His solutions were novel, to say the least.

“Despite having no mechanical knowledge, Father Juliano set out to put his heart and soul into that car,” Mr. Saunders said. “He bought a totaled 1953 Buick, straightened the frame, and began building his dream around that.” He spent two years designing the car and another two constructing it.

Over a plywood substructure, Juliano fashioned a swoopy 18-foot-long fiberglass body, which he said was resistant to dents, rust and corrosion. It had a gaping, cow-catcher-style nose, filled with foam, to safely scoop up errant pedestrians and cradle them on a kind of platform. The spare tire was in a “crush space” under the nose.

Hydraulic jacks, activated by a dashboard control, lifted the Aurora off the ground for service.

The oddly bubble-shaped windshield, made from shatterproof resin, had no wipers because Juliano said it was so aerodynamic, raindrops blew away. The bubble curved out, away from occupants, to minimize head injuries. The roof was a stunning panoramic dome, with metal blinds inside.

The driver’s seat was toward the center of the car, for better protection in a side impact. There were four seats, each with seat belts, still a revolutionary idea at the time.

The seats had high, reinforced backs and were mounted on a pedestal that could be rotated so, in case of an impending crash, they could be spun backwards.

Other safety innovations included a roll cage, side-impact bars, a collapsible steering column and a padded instrument panel.

Although the prototype cost $30,000 to build, Juliano calculated that he could produce copies for $12,000 and make a profit. At the time, the most expensive American car, by far, was a Cadillac Eldorado Brougham priced around $13,000. He planned to offer buyers a choice of engines, mostly from G.M.

Where Juliano got it all wrong was in the drivetrain. The Buick’s engine had not been started in more than four years.

Worse, he did not clean out the fuel lines before scheduling a media event in New York City in 1957, to which he planned to drive the Aurora for its world introduction.

He arrived hours late, because the Aurora broke down 15 times en route and needed to be towed to garages to have its fuel system purged of gunk. Although New Yorkers marveled at the futuristic-looking machine when it finally arrived, they had no reason to be impressed by its performance, especially relative to its price tag.

Things went from bad to worse for both Juliano and the Aurora. Questions were raised — no one seems clear who started this — about Juliano’s finances. He said he thought it was all instigated by G.M., which denied involvement.

Juliano compared himself to Preston Tucker, who had asserted that he was harassed out of business by other automakers when he tried to manufacture the Tucker in the late 1940s.

Juliano was eventually accused by his superiors of misappropriating parishioners’ donations. The Internal Revenue Service opened investigations into possible tax liabilities.

But Juliano was actually deeply in debt because of the project. He had no source of funds to begin production, even if he had received orders (which he had not).

Finally, Juliano declared bankruptcy. He forfeited the Aurora to a garage where he had an unpaid repair bill. He was forced to leave the Order of the Holy Ghost.

For decades, the Aurora lay forgotten and rotting in a field behind the garage. Juliano had a brain hemorrhage while reading in a library and died a few months later in 1989.

“I think the whole story is so sad,” Mr. Saunders said. “He died a broken man, because he lost his dream.”

Mr. Saunders found the Aurora through an old photo, which had a billboard for the repair shop in the background. He reached the shop’s owner and arranged to buy the car for $1,500, sight unseen, and have it shipped to England.

The car was in disastrous shape. “It had mostly melted,” Mr. Saunders recalled. “I wish I had never laid eyes on it.”

But he persevered for years and finished the car.

“I have never found anyone who could replicate Father Juliano’s astounding workmanship, in areas like the fiberglass bodywork or that Perspex windscreen,” he said. “I’ve done the best job of re-creating it I could.”

Mr. Saunders’s restoration was rewarded when he was invited to show the car two years ago at the prestigious Goodwood Festival of Speed in England.

Since then, it has been displayed at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, Hampshire (beaulieu.co.uk), and, true to its heritage, has been in and out of repair shops for assorted maladies.

Mr. Saunders said he believed the Aurora deserved a place of honor in automotive history.

“If anybody would have listened to him, he could have changed the face of motoring,” Mr. Saunders said of Juliano. “But for the time, he was just too far out there.”

[cadence90]

No joke:

My university Art History professor, who was brilliant, funny, eccentric, and an heir to DuPont, drove, on alternate days, a mint 1932 black Packard and a mint 19?? black AMC Pacer.

Now that is style.... :)

[BumbleBeeDave]

Can you imagine this doing 100mph? And then the look on the cop's face?

Is that for real? If it's a Photoshop job, it's a good one . . .

BBD

[97CSI]

Anything with a Japanese nameplate. Just like ugly bike gear. :D