Posted on 08/26/2007 8:45:36 AM PDT by Daffynition
Car geeks are generally an outspoken group. But they really put the pedal to the metal when Hagerty Insurance, a specialist in collector cars, surveyed its policyholders for their picks of the worst car designs of all time.
Here's what one connoisseur had to say the about the top pick, American Motors' Pacer: "0 to 60 in four-and-a-half hours. AMC's only conceivable excuse for this stylistic horror would be if their design crew was tripping on massive quantities of acid...and even then...it wouldn't be a good excuse."
McKeel Hagerty, CEO of the company, ordered up the survey after noticing that several of what he calls "nerd cars" were increasing in value. He says he was surprised when the Pacer-a notorious dud from the days of disco-topped the list. Hagerty bought himself a dark green 1976 Pacer three years ago for $2,300. "If anyone thinks I'm picking on Pacer owners, guess what-I am one," he says.
Here are the top 10 worst design picks, with comments, from the nearly 2,500 Hagerty customers who participated.
(Excerpt) Read more at images.businessweek.com ...
Maybe it’s just my love of classic styling, but I think the Edsel is the best-looking of that bunch. Having said that, it’s still kinda ugly, as classic cars go.
The Officer’s Command car. Military vehicles are supposed to be practical so you don’t mind when they get blown up.
Owners like that one. The worst looking of the type is the Pontiac.
The comments people wrote were a riot. Thanks for posting. BTW, my first car was a Pinto. It was that same God-awful orange, too. It was ugly, but it got from A to B, which is all that matters when you are 17.
I had a taxi yellow matador station wagon. I called it the screaming yellow banana but it was really a pretty good car.
If they could put captions in that ad, the dog would be thinking “I hope I get out of this wretched vehicle alive”, the kid would be thinking “I hope none of my friends can see me in this claptrap of a car.” and the wife is asking the husband about trading the car in for something else she just saw down at the auto dealership. Meanwhile, the husband is thinking “I hope my wife doesn’t find out about the Corvette I bought for my girlfriend.”
Hideous yes, but look at the front end on that thing. Every Japanese sporty car now has that “face”. Citreon was 40 years ahead of its time.
I once got into a rough patch and needed cheap transportation. I bought a ‘74 Pinto ‘woody wagon’ for $60. It was horribly ugly, with peeling fake wood decals and a sort of Olive Drab paint.
I spray painted it matte black, blacked out the rear windows, and put on some donated mag wheels. I spent less than a hundred dollars and had a blast with that car!
I didn’t have to worry about parking-lot dings, wasn’t concerned with keeping up images, and actually enjoyed driving it. The 2.0 liter engine and 4-speed had more performance than they ever got credit for, and I had no problem keeping up with traffic.
When I got back on my feet I gave the car to a young neighbor who drove it for several years. Best hundred bucks I ever spent!
Conehead-mobile?
How dare you!!!
I have two scioons, the boxy one is a 2006 and I just bought, yesterday, a 2008. I love them, they are great!!!!
At least Citroen redeemed themselves with the SM of the early seventies.
Am I the only person in the world who loved the Edsels. I remember seeing them as a kid and just thinking they were so cool.
Still smarting over the insults to my beloved Scions!
1955 Messerschmitt K-175
How 'bout this chick magnet?
That third car is a bit disturbing.
Sorry! It was just my opinion. Don't tell me you like these to?
Sorry to break the news, but that ugly little car is going to eat Detroit’s lunch if they don’t make something very much like it.
And quick.
"You just got owned by a toaster"
On the other hand, it did well in crash tests. The cabin would stay intact in wrecks involving more G forces than a person could survive.
I’m so sick of cars and supporting the Middle East that I haven’t gone through a whole tank of gasoline since January of this year. I walk, bike, and if I absolutley have to be somewhere, bum a ride. When Detroit makes a little electric car that can get me 7 miles to work and back, with enough space for 2 bags of groceries, I might consider getting a new car. Meanwhile, my old clunker sits in the driveway with a dead battery and a flat tire.
I might give up my “issues” about the Middle East when it gets cold. Depends on how many pairs of long johns I can get on and still move.
BTW, the best car I ever had was an old Pinto woody wagon. Got 25-30 miles per gallon and had more zip than I thought possible.
I’m glad someone else names their cars. ;-D
LOL ... I heard the Aztec was designed during a Burning Man celebration!?!
When I was a teenager in about 1956, there was a dealership near our house that sold those 3 wheeled things. I was out riding my horse and I test drove one while the salesman held my horse. Was it called an Isetta?
A truely crappy time for U.S. cars.
That is putting it mildly.
It was a lousy time to buy gas, too. Remember the gas lines? There were many days even in small towns when there was no gasoline available. We heated with wood in those days, but our neighbors ran out of gas for their furnaces. The price of sugar went through the roof, and inflation was crazy. The 70’s weren’t very good on many fronts.
Let’s see, who was President then?? Oh, yeah, Mr. Peanut.
Actually, I thought the Thing(aka Kubelwagen) was pretty cool. Safety regs killed it.
You don’t even want me to get started on the Peanut man.
BTW, that is the front of the car, at least that is where the windshield wipers are.
0 to 60 in four-and-a-half hoursWhat that frequent quote about the Pacer has to do with its looks remains a mystery. :') The Pacer wasn't ugly, it was too effaced to be ugly. Dull, but not ugly. The Pontiac Aztec is ugly. The early 1990s Chevy Caprice was ugly. Most of the Fords in the 1980s were ugly. Most cars in the 1970s were ugly. Some of the current models from Chrysler (and for a few years now) look like Third Reich Staff Cars, and are butt-ugly. The older Saabs were all hideous.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.