It’s a small wonder that any cars ever released to the public were even fun to drive or good to look at. Apprently making a good car is a huge pain, if these examples are anything to go by! These thirty cars will leave you scratching your head and wondering how any major manufacturer ever thought it was a good idea to release such a hunk of junk for a mass market audience.
Crosley Hotshot
The abysmal Crosley Hotshot has the ignoble distinction of being the first “sports car” made in the US after the Second World War. It was too light, too slow, and downright hostile to its own drivers. Part of the problem with it is that its engine wasn’t made from iron but instead stamped tin, which would easily fall apart under hot conditions. You know, like when a driver pushes the sports car to its limit.
Renault Dauphine
With a blistering zero to sixty of 32 seconds and build quality that would fall apart at the slightest provocation, the Dauphine is one of the worst cars to ever come out of France. People still bought the thing, which somehow sold 2 million units, showing that car buyers in the 50s were really desperate to slowly inch along the highway.
Ford Edsel
In 1958, Ford released the Edsel to much fanfare. It was meant to be the follow-up to the Model T, the start of a new generation of cars. That’s why it was named after Henry Ford’s son, Edsel, after all. It was a lemon, with a funky vertical grille and very uninspired performance that failed to live up to marketing hype.
Lotus Elite
The Lotus Elite was made from fiberglass and weighed only 1,100 pounds. That made it a great racecar, but it was so fragile that it was a terrible option for daily driving. The engine was so powerful it would literally tear the fiberglass body apart when put under any serious strain.
MGA Twin Cam
While the standard MGA is considered a classic, the “Twin Cam” variant introduced in 1958 is a disaster on four wheels. The engine in this “souped up” MGA is extremely finnicky, a result of faulty carburetors that would cause the fuel to froth, resulting in catastrophic overflow and critical engine failures. You know, stuff you don’t want happening while you’re driving down the highway.
Amphicar
Have you ever wanted to own a vehicle that is as terrible on land as it is on sea? Well, then, the Amphicar is for you. Yes, people actually bought some of these things, and, yes, they could technically function as boats if you drove them into a body of water. Of course, the bilge pump system that kept the thing afloat could easily fail, leading to unceremonious drowning, so it’s for the best that these bizarre cars stayed in the 60s.
Peel Trident
There’s something almost endearing about the dumb-looking little bubble cars of the 60s. They have numerous issues, like their sluggish engines, dangerous form factors, and poor fuel economy. But, perhaps the most obvious issue with them as soon as you sit down in one, is that they have these domed, Plexiglass tops that function like a greenhouse when the sun hits them. Yeah, they completely cook you.
Triumph Stag
The Triumph Stag might look cool, so you’re probably asking what it’s doing on this list. Well, if the engine doesn’t work right, it’s not much of a car, is it? The Stag had numerous issues with its V8 powertrain, including aluminum heads that would warp, main bearings that would freeze, and timing chains that didn’t want to stay intact.
Chrysler Imperial LeBaron
There was a point in time when the “Imperial” imprint suggested an upscale, luxurious car. By the time Chrysler unleashed the LeBaron onto the world, the name “Imperial” was synonymous with overdesigned, trashy cars that were more flash than substance.
Jaguar XK-E V12 Series III
The 1974 iteration of the E-Type was a far cry from the beautiful work of art car lovers had come to know in the early 60s. This redesigned version of the beloved imprint was derided for being ugly, cumbersome, and outfitted with an absurdly heavy V12 engine that threw off the thing’s balance.
Bricklin SV1
This 1975 misfire was intended to be a model for the future of safer cars. The manufacturer even decided to forego an ashtray and lighter, and unheard-of move at the time, in the interest of dissuading drivers from smoking. Another safety feature: it could barely get anywhere in a hurry and the joke at the time was that farm equipment could outrun the ugly vehicle.
Morgan Plus 8 Propane
It’s hard to believe now, but in the mid-70s Morgan made a car that ran on propane. Yes, Hank Hill would be proud, and, no, these cars weren’t safe. They literally had propane tanks affixed near the rear bumper. Even a slow-speed fender bender could cause a Morgan Plus 8 Propane to go up in flames.
Aston Martin Lagonda
The name “Aston Martin” usually conjures images of refined, glamorous cars with excellent performance and well-appointed interiors. Not so with the Lagonda, which the company was so eager to make futuristic that they crammed it full of so many fancy electronics that they’d look at home in a Bond film. However, unlike the classic superspy’s cars, the Lagonda’s tech was so finnicky that it would just… break down.
Chevy Chevette
What is there to say about the Chevy Chevette? No, literally, what can you say about a car as bare-bones and unexciting as a Chevette? There’s really nothing to the thing. It’s got a 51-horsepower engine, a genuinely ugly design, and came in colors ranging from dull black to unenthusiastic brown. Ho-hum.
AMC Pacer
Some people like the AMC Pacer for whatever reason. Designed by Richard Teague, the same man who was responsible for the Gremlin, the Pacer was a dorky, ugly, slow-moving mess. Sure, Wayne drives one in Wayne’s World, but that’s kind of a joke at his expense.
Ferrari Mondial 8
Surely there can’t be a bad car from Ferrari of all manufacturers, right? Wrong. The Mondial 8 was a weirdly heavy Ferrari that used transistor-based gadgets that would invariably short out and cause system-wide failures. These “affordable” Ferraris were something of a joke in the early 80s. On the off chance you saved up enough for this “starter” Ferrari, the Italian automaker would get the last laugh by selling you a lemon.
Cadillac Fleetwood V-8-6-4
What’s up with that weird name? The Fleetwood was Cadillac’s first attempt to create a variable displacement engine that could use the number of cylinders appropriate for the current power demand. Of course, this being 1981, the technology that made it work was quite fragile, and these Cadillacs were prone to serious malfunctions.
Cadillac Cimarron
Remembered as the worst car to ever bear the Cadillac name, the Cimarron came perilously close to ending Cadillac as a brand. This overpriced, underpowered little monstrosity was supposed to be GM’s answer to Mercedes-Benz then-successful premium compact cars. It wasn’t.
Camaro Iron Duke
In 1982, if you purchased a Camaro, you wanted the thing to have more than 90 horsepower. Imagine your surprise if you purchased a Camaro and found out it would take around 20 seconds to go from 0 to 60. That’s downright unacceptable, even by the standards of the early 80s, and makes this the worst Camaro of them all.
Yugo GV
Not content with the hilarious flop that was the Bricklin SV1, Malcolm Bricklin got back to it, importing the awful Yugo GV to the US. This car was the butt of a thousand jokes back in the 80s, including “You go? No, you really don’t.” It was a bizarre Eastern Bloc mashup of bad intentions and worse engineering and no one in the US really wanted to buy one.
Chevrolet Corvair
The Corvair is a stylish looking car that can really move when its driver wants it to. However, it’s marred by a few safety issues and manufacturing problems that darkened its reputation after it hit the market in 1961. Issues with oil leaks, the steering column, and a flawed swing-axle rear suspension all make the Corvair lesser than it could have been.
Ford Pinto
The Ford Pinto, first released in 1971, isn’t a terrible car in most respects. It’s somewhat stylish, sporting a boxy 70s charm, and it offered reasonable performance for its price range. However, its fuel tank’s location (in the back of the vehicle) was a glaring safety issue, as the Pinto had a habit of literally exploding when caught in a rear-end fender bender.
AMC Gremlin
The AMC Gremlin might have the most accurate name ever given to a terrible car. AMC rushed the thing out the door to compete in the subcompact market in 1970, resulting in an awkward, oddly proportioned mess making its way to consumers. It sported a choppy ride, uncomfortable interior, and overall ugly design.
Corvette 305 “California”
Chevy’s Corvette is the foremost American sports car, but its 1980 “California” variant suffered from some issues when the manufacturers had to adhere to new emissions regulations. The main culprits were a smaller engine and a new automatic transmission, both of which greatly diminished the car’s acceleration and possible top speeds.
DeLorean DMC-12
The 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 is one of the most stylish and iconic cars ever built, but it’s tragically a lemon under the hood. It’ll always be beloved for its unique stainless-steel design and its starring role in the Back to the Future films, but its underpowered engine and high price point doomed the vehicle from the start.
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Ford Explorer
Not-so-affectionately known as the Ford Exploder due to its abysmal build quality, the 1995 version of the Explorer is one of the worst cars ever made—it’s ugly, it’s way too big, and it started the SUV trend in the 90s. If you hate the modern proliferation of massive SUVs taking up way too much space on the road and handling like bricks with wheels attached, blame the Ford Exploder.
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GM EV1
The aptly named GM EV1 was General Motors’ first electric vehicle. Despite what you’re likely thinking, this one hit the market in 1997! Given that this was the late 90s, however, battery and charging technology wasn’t even close to what it is now, making the EV1 an awkward vehicle for owners to operate. Between this and its high price, GM saw fit to discontinue it shortly after its launch, leading to accusations that the manufacturer purposefully let the EV1 fail to kill progress in the electric car market.
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Ford Excursion
If you thought the Ford Exploder was bad, wait until you see its hideous big brother, the 2000 Ford Excursion. After the Exploder got everyone clamoring for huge SUVs and a high driving platform, Ford dumped this 7,000-pound monster onto American roadways. This car is awful in every conceivable way: it’s too big, it can’t get anywhere in time, and it looks as ugly as an SUV possibly can.
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Pontiac Aztek
The 2001 Pontiac Aztek has only one thing going for it: it was, hilariously, the car Walter White drove for the majority of Breaking Bad. This is a purposeful choice, as Walt is an awkward and dorky guy when the show starts, so it stands to reason he’d drive the nasty, unwieldy box with wheels Pontiac dubbed the Aztec.
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Hummer H2
The Hummer H2, released in 2002, is one of the very worst cars to ever blight American streets. It’s a monument to over-militarized post-9/11 American excess and helped further cement way-too-big cars as a popular option for the average driver. Neither fun to drive nor practical for any utility, the H2 is just the worst of expensive nonsense vehicles with no purpose.
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