Saturday, February 11, 2017

25 Worst Cars Ever Made


1. Ford Pinto

top 10 worst vehicles

Here we are, the ne plus ultra of bad cars. The Legendary Ford Pinto– folks who have never seen one and weren’t even born when they were in production know that these are bad cars. Some of them even know why, but we’ll offer a refresher course anyway.
The Pinto was a compact car that on paper looked pretty good: decent performance, good fuel economy, and a fairly comfortable interior. There was just one problem: rear-end collisions tended to result in the whole thing exploding. Coupled with the scandal around Ford refusing to spend the money to fix the problem in favor of just paying off its victims, there’s a reason that the federal review of the Pinto described it as “unsafe at any speed”–a phrase burned into our collective memory forever. Pun intended.

2. 2004 Chevy SSR

worst vehicles ever

This is why we have “truth in advertising” law: The SSR in Chevy SSR stands for “Super Sport Roadster”–and this car does none of those things. Not at all, not even a little.

Yet one more attempt to capture an audience with an admittedly cool looking retro body design, the SSR fails the way all other similar attempts do: by emphasizing appearance rather than performance and severely disappointing drivers who were having hot-rod fantasies. With a heavy body, underpowered engine, and sluggish if not lazy performance, Chevy’s SSR quickly lost all street cred.

3. 2001 Pontiac Aztek

top worst vehicles

There’s one thing we can say about the Pontiac Aztek, and that is that it did not come with any controversy, debate, discussion, or back-and-forth. This car was hated from the moment it appeared in public and remains hated to this day. The design is ludicrous, especially the front end. The plastic body only served to make it look cheaply built, and the over engineered features and engine didn’t wow with impressive performance. Add on a price tag that was a bit more than most folks wanted to spend, it’s no small wonder that this, this thing is as reviled as it is.

4. Ford Mustang II

worst vehicles

The Mustang is an American classic – a coupe with a roadster feel and performance tendencies. We all know them, most of us love them, and they are pure America.

5. Lincoln Blackwood

worst vehicles ever built

The Lincoln Blackwood is the result of a combination of ideas that have no business together at all: Ford’s Lincoln division and the iconic American pickup truck. It seems that someone back in the year 2002 thought that the post-9/11 world really needed a luxury pickup as a means of . . . capitalizing on the fading fad for all things redneck? Upgrading a utility vehicle with posh features? We may never know.
We do know about the results however. The luxury trimmed interior, fine upholstery, and burled wood accents made it the visual rival of many luxury vehicles. However, these and other features (rear wheel drive in a pickup?) made it of dubious practicality and the whole project vanished in less than a year making it the shortest time of any Ford production run to date.

6. Original Smart Fortwo

worst vehicles ever made

Smart Cars is a subdivision of Daimler, so one could assume that they know what they’re doing and while they may not get it right every time, they’ll at least deliver a passable product with good engineering and solid construction. You’d think that, until you ran into the Smart Fortwo.

7. Renault Dauphine

worst car brand

Somewhere in the Great Hall of French Engineering Failures, there’s a pedestal underneath a dome. At the top of that column sits the original Renault Dauphine, a testament to what can go wrong in the hands of a really creative people having an off moment.

Originally named the Corvette — go ahead, laugh — the undersized Dauphine had a rickety body, a weak and feeble engine, and reputation for safety issues before seat belts were standard equipment. You know, back before anyone cared about safety. We’re told that there are still a few on the road. That’s why we don’t drive in France.

8. Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible

worst cars sold in america

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: An American car company attempts to recapture its past glories by reintroducing retro body designs with the hopes of triggering a wave of nostalgia and thus sales. But the relatively poor performance when compared to the expectations of the motoring public nearly sink the project and cost the company billions.

9. 1998 Fiat Multipla

worst cars ever built

Fiat has long used the Multipla name for its vans and mini-buses, dating back to the 1950s. The 1998 addition to the family was supposed to be the heir to a storied legacy, but instead became the punchline in more jokes than any American minivan design.

10. 1975 AMC Pacer

worst cars ever built

American Motor Company’s troubled history was not helped by the Pacer, a two-door compact car released just as the compact car craze was coming into full vogue.
Initially hailed as the future of driving due to its fuel economy, compact size, and relative economy in a market still dominated by Detroit-made land yachts, there were high hopes for the Pacer. However, poor performance during hard stops and turns — apparently one needed professional racercar driver skills to keep the thing on the road — lead to serious criticism from reviewers. With the introduction of other, better compact designs, the Pacer soon disappeared from sales lots, as did AMC.

11. 1947 Davis D-2 Divan

3 wheeled car

We were wrong earlier about the Reliant Robin. Not about its many flaws or anything like that, but about the role of three-wheelers in American motoring. As it turns out the Davis Motor company of Van Nuys, California built a three-wheeler back in the 40s in the form of the D-2 Divan.

12. 1958 Zundapp Janus

crazy cars

We have to admit a perverse love for these absurd little cars. Really, just look at them. They’ve got an odd neurotic beauty that you can’t help but “d’aww” over.

13. 1982 Cadillac Cimarron

top 20 worst cars

Whereas the Edsel was just over-blown, the Cadillac Cimarron was a full-scale disaster. The kind that automotive engineers relay to their children on dark moonless nights when the forces of evil are exalted amongst the shadows. An attempt by GM to move the Cadillac brand into the small-car market, the awfully-designed and poorly-performing Cimarron made use of the already unpopular J-platform sedan as its base, leading to the perfect storm of a weak form and horrible function.

14. 1958 Edsel Corsair

top 10 worst cars

Up next is an American contribution, this time from Ford, and one so bad that it remains synonymous with “lemon” to this day. The 1958 Edsel was a machine designed to . . . well, we’re not sure. It had all the outer hallmarks of 50s greatness: fins on the body, a boxy design, an elaborate front end including a suggestively shaped vertical grill. And while mechanically sound, the Edsel was the victim of media over-hype: the marketing campaign presented it as the car-to-end-all-cars, but rather than defining the decade in automotive engineering, the Edsel was just another run-of-the-mill sedan. There’s a lesson there: under promise and over deliver, not the other way around.

15. 1981 Delorean DMC-12

disappointing cars

You know this one—it’s the car from Back to the Future. The one with the aluminum body and the gull-wing doors. Pretty cool, right? Admit it—you wanted one when you were a kid just so you could make believe you were with Doc and Marty on an adventure through time.

16. 1957 Trabant P50

silly cars

You’ve likely never seen a Trabant P50 on the road. That’s due to its point of origin. Like the Yugo, it was a product of the Soviet Bloc, in this case East Germany. And unlike the Yugo, it failed to find an importer to the US—and frankly we’re all better off for it. 
17. 1971 Chevy Vega

badly designed cars
 
Back to the US. Back to the 70s. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

The Chevrolet Vega has perhaps the most dramatic story arch of any car on this list. With its lightweight aluminum alloy engine block and unique inline four-cylinder design, it initially received great praise—even getting Motor Trend magazine’s Car of the Year award during its introduction in 1971. However, those glory days didn’t last. The Vega had nearly every problem a car could, short of just exploding on ignition: reliability issues abounded, engineering flaws led to part failure, rust was a constant battle, and the safety standards were well below what even the 1970s expected. Unlike the star for which it is named, the Vega faded quickly and for good reason.

18. Reliant Robin

most dangerous cars

For most Americans, the Reliant Robin is one of those things that has to be seen to be believed. For whatever reason, three-wheeled cars never caught on in the States—the country that tried out eight wheels, as you’ll recall. So the Robin’s tricycle design tends to give North American drivers pause.

19. Citroen Pluriel

top worst cars ever

The French have a lot to proud of. World War II collaboration aside, they’ve lead the way in the arts, in liberty, in literature, and their proud creative tradition continues to this day. And none of it, not one inch, is captured in the Citroen Pluriel, also marketed as the Citroen C3.

20. Yugo GV

terrible car

Where to begin? Where to even begin? Do we start with the foolishness of the importers, who assumed that there was an American market for this two-door hatchback built in Communist Yugoslavia during the apex of the Cold War? Do we look instead to the original manufacturers, who believed that a car so poorly received in its freedom-lacking homeland could possibly succeed elsewhere?

21. Saturn Ion

worst cars

Saturn was a company born of optimism—the idea that a new American automotive manufacturer could break into the market with made-in-the-USA vehicles seemed like a pipe dream. But they did it, broke through, and for a while succeeded. With no thanks due to the Ion.
The Saturn Ion was under-performing, with a smaller-than-average engine pushing what at the time was one of the longest four door sedans on the market. There was also the small issue of side impact—specifically the frame did very little to protect passengers from a good t-bone wreck. For these reasons and more, the Ion vanished in 2007.

22. Suzuki Samurai

top worst cars ever

Like so many cars on this list, the Suzuki Samurai sums up its decade—in this case, the 1980s. Colorful, sporty, overblown, and with a penchant for being a bit too rambunctious, the Samurai fully embraced the twin mix of optimism and fatalism that defined the end of the Cold War. A chic little 4×4, the Samurai was just beginning to find its place in the market when drivers noticed that it had a tendency to—flip over and roll while taking perfectly normal corners at average speeds. Clearly not a win for Suzuki, and another rolling metaphor for Japan’s decline from dominance of the automobile industry.

23. Aston Martin Lagonda

worst car ever top gear

You may not be old enough to remember, but the 70s were a happenin’ time. Disco was in full swing, funk was fresh, and hip-hop was on the horizon. Everything was fueled by cocaine, which may explain the razor like design of the Aston Martin Lagonda. It may also explain the gap between ambition and performance—the electronics were computer-run, the displays all CRT based rather than gauges, and the whole thing was intended to push the limits of what a car could achieve with the technology of the day. Unfortunately, none of the “advanced” gadgets worked, and Aston Martin scored a major case of “equipment failure.”

24. Plymouth Prowler poorly made cars

A quick time hop to the other end of the 20th century shows us that the 1990s weren’t short of silly designs for automobiles—but they were more willing to look back in time to find them. Inspired by the hot-rodding roadsters of yesteryear. However, this is less “American Graffitti” and more “An American Tail”. It seems that the geniuses at Plymouth forgot to make the Prowler a hot-rod, instead installing a pitifully underpowered 3.5 liter V6 pushing a mediocre 250 horsepower. Visually intriguing but lacking in performance, the Prowler was a rolling metaphor for the decade from which it spawned.

25. Overland Octoauto


crazy classic car

The brainchild of Milton Reeves, the Overland Octoauto challenges some of our core assumptions about automobiles—namely, that two axles and four wheels is the name of the game. In keeping with the grand American theory that bigger is better, Reeves concluded that adding a few extra wheels could provide a smoother ride for the discerning automotorist of the year 1911. And thus the Overland Octoauto was born. 20 feet long with the steering and handling one normally associates with a pregnant hippo, the Octoauto is a great place to start our list of the most poorly designed cars of all time.

Source: yeahmotor.com

24 Incredible Custom Car Modifications


1. Ford Mustang

So in the list with probably one of the most iconic American muscle cars in history. Yet, check out this 1966 Ford, Mustang fastback. It has been painted a matte black color and outfitted with LED lighting in the wheels and engine compartment to give the vehicle and nice blue clothes. Oh yeah, and the 400 or so horses under the hood will still blow you away on the streets so you don’t have to worry about losing any races at all. It’s what made the Mustang so popular, and why people like to modify them. However, we have never seen a modification like this. It’s one for the record books, and is more than impressive. Just keep looking at it and enjoy. And go back through the list and enjoy the others again. They are all worth a second look.


 



2. Beetle



So this Volkswagen beetle at first glance might look like it will not win any awards. However, look closely. See that fire shooting out the rear end. That means it will smoke you quicker then beef jerky in a smokehouse. That’s right, this Beetle has been modified with its awesome tail fin and sick acceleration kit to give it the speed it needs to blow you off the track. It will make you think twice the next time you pull up to one at a red light and want to rev your engine. If you see a smiling Dragon painted on the hood, just refrain. You don’t need that sort of embarrassment in your life.



 

3. Nissan Silvia



This Nissan has been tricked out to the point that it’s almost unrecognizable. If you look long enough you might think you’re looking at an old Pontiac Firebird or Trans Am. Nope, it’s just a sick modified Nissan Silvia. It has enough horsepower to get the job done, and it’s exterior modifications make it a bit more aerodynamic, ensuring the competition is no problem. Get behind the wheel, buckle up, hit the gas and be surprised. This is not your grandfather’s Nissan. Nope, this custom mod has been outfitted to own the streets, and it does so rather nicely we might add!

 

 

 

5. Chevy S-10



Remember those old Chevy S 10’s that used to drive in high school? Sure you do. However, that years never looked like this. This one has a custom paint job with flames on the side, a double row of lights, and suicide doors. Also, it has been lowered a bit to give it a slightly more fierce look, and we would say they did just that. Throwing custom rims and then nice chrome package on the engine and you have one incredible, Chevy modification. Good job on this one. I wish I had it back in high school. I would have been the envy of my class!



6. Dodge Al Sema

The screen wonder will blow you away on the street. It has a little more than 400 horses under the hood, despite the exterior modifications. Let’s talk about them for a moment though shall we? It would be a shame not too. The hood scoop on the front end of this Dodge Al Sema and custom racing rims peer nicely with the green and black paint job. The fact that this is a convertible simply means you can have fun fun fun, without your daddy taking the T bird away. Why, because this is not a T-bird. It’s a Dodge and it means business. Enough said.



 

7. Jaguar

Though the company has changed hands a few times, Jaguar has quite an impressive history as both a passenger vehicle and racing superstar. It performs equally well in both venues. The S type seem to be the marriage of both worlds. You got four-door sedan comfort with a souped-up V8 engine if you opted for their apartheid.


Well, check this one out. The suicide doors give this S type and even more aggressive feel, and the suspension has been lowered to clean it up to. We would say they knocked it out of the park. Good job on this great custom mod.

 



8. Subura Impreza

Subaru has long been known for making vehicles that perform well in rough terrain and weather conditions. However, they have made a mark on the racing industry too. Take this Impreza for instance. It’s a far cry from the stock version. The hood scoop and custom tell fan give this car a mean look.


Plus, check out those ground effects designed to increase the car speed to make it handle better. They actually serve to push the vehicle down and give it more traction. With sponsor stickers all over the front, it’s pretty obvious this one is here to race!

 

9. Alpha Romeo

The Alpha Romeo is a classic sports car with a long story and history. However, newer models are more aggressive and lame. Yet, they still carry the same styling and performance you expect from the original. All of that said, check out this custom creation.


It’s what happens when you take an already awesome sports car and give it a few modifications, like Lamborghini doors and complete custom lights and tail work. We’re not sure if stamping diva on the back makes this car one that sports a tramp stamp or not, but we don’t care. Look it over, she is absolutely gorgeous.

 



10. Audi R8

Audi try to find their way for years with their custom R8. They finally got it down in and tuned up just in time for somebody to come along and modify one like this. Words escape you when you look at a car this beautiful. This Audi R8 has been completely refinished with a custom chrome paint job and LED lights to highlight the rims and vehicle insets. Cost on one of these is a lot more than you would be comfortable thinking about, so it’s best to let all of those zeros go and simply stare at the picture in awe. That’s what we do, and we have no shame in doing it. Just looking at a picture of a vehicle like this is enough to make you want to wear sunglasses. It’s just that shiny and awesome.



 

12. Bentley Continental


Bentley makes great vehicles, and their GT Continental is no exception. Designed to be a sportier version of their already impressive Luxury line, this two-door coupe is known for its handling and superior acceleration. However, check out this custom mod and you will quickly notice a few differences. For starters, the scoops and insets add an entirely different feel to the vehicle. It makes it appear a bit more aggressive. Second, the two-tone side mirrors are just pure boss. They contrast very nicely with the rest of the vehicle and let any driver on the road know that this baby plays for keeps.

 



13. Toyota Celica

Remember the Toyota Celica? It’s a classic little coupe that was designed to essentially be the poor man’s sports car. However, looking at this one let you know that you are immediately knocked out of the price range as a potential buyer. The clear hood is incredible. It allows you to see the massive beast of an engine performing up close. The custom paint job on the side with the suicide doors add a touch of class and flair to an already impressive vehicle. Bonus points for the rims. Now if only we could see this thing crank up and take off. That would be a banner day.



 

14. Szerszy McLaren



If you have ever driven a Szerszy McLaren then you’re probably not reading this list. However, if you are like the rest of us that instantly drool or begin to salivate like one of Pavlov’s dogs when you see one, then Merry Christmas to you. This custom McLaren, is a true class act. I’m not a huge fan of white vehicles, but even I would take this one in a heartbeat.


The acceleration and handling on a McLaren is sick. Modifying one and being able to drive it would be a complete dream. I can’t figure out if the guy in the picture is kneeling to pray or kneeling out of respect. Both would be appropriate in this scenario. You might want to come back and look at this one a few times while clicking through the rest of our list.

 

15. Dodge Viper SRT 2

Dodge Viper’s are known for two things. First, they are absolute beasts on the road, as this was Dodge’s attempt at entering the luxury sports car market. Second, high insurance. That’s right, since most modern safety upgrades are not available for the Dodge Viper, you can expect your insurance to be high. However, if you are in love with the vehicle, as this person is, then you might as well modify it.


The matte black finish and red racing stripes elevate this classic luxury sports car to an entire Lee new level. Bonus points for the deep hood vents up top, as well as the center hood scoop itself. This makes sure plenty of air gets to the engine so the Dodge Viper can do what it does best, scream down the road at breakneck speed.

 

16. Cadillac

This Cadillac modification looks like an old ghetto sled on steroids. Check out the front grill. Flat, lean and wide, it smiles at every driver it sees, in a menacing way of course. The solid lines from the front that taper to the back give the vehicle and appearance of elegance.


This theme is further encouraged by the shiny chrome rims and lifted suspension. Cadillacs are known for being loved by millions, and if you had a convertible modification like this, you could see why. The question is, how does it perform on the street? That my friends is a story for another day.



 

17. Classic Cruiser



This is what happens when you take an old car like a 1940s Packard or 50s Bel Air and customize it into the ultimate cruiser. This custom rod mod is a complete beast. It looks like it would eat normal passenger vehicles for breakfast and spit them out in a junkyard when its finished. Check out the split window in the front.


Without any of the fancy paint, I would take the vehicle just for that alone, much less the screaming engine under the hood. Flames, chrome and a nice dome, this car is one amazing custom job. We say she is a keeper for sure.



 

18. Bugatti Veyron

We are not sure why you would want to customize a Bugatti since they run upwards of $2 to $4 million. However, if you have that type of money to spend on a vehicle then you can probably spend about $1 million more to theme it out with this stellar royal blue paint job. The polish on this will blind you if you keep waxing it.


That’s how Bugatti’s are designed by nature though. They are so stunning and so exquisite that just looking at them evokes a sense of passion and brings out your inner prowess. Customizing it like this does much more, and I’m sure it’s a hit with the ladies too. Now if we only had $2 million to spend wouldn’t we be happy?


 

19. Lamborghini Gallardo

Lamborghinis are known to be luxury cars by nature. They are unique and always considered to be an extravagant purchase. So when you see one that has been modified like this, it turns your head for sure. Check it out. This one has more black and white on it then an adult coloring book and would be quite therapeutic if you had time to fill in all the white spaces.


However, you would also probably be carted off to jail since that vehicle is worth right around half $1 million as is. At that price, it’s better to buy an adult coloring book in the therapeutic on your own. Save the eye candy for the Lamborghini, with its custom rims and sleek aggressive look. Yup, this custom paint job is a thing of pure beauty.

 

20. Porsche

Porsche is known for making finely tuned automobiles and the Pandora is no exception. However check this one out. It has been fine-tuned for racing and is a thing of pure beauty. Of course, you get the classic Porsche lines with a head nod too nostalgic evident in the two front round headlights. Yet there are a few upgrades to. Most noticeably, the rear fan and matte black rims. The bumper has been outfitted with a ground effects package to give it a much lower profile look, as well as the entire vehicle itself. Yet, make no mistake this is still a Porsche and will still perform better than any standard vehicle on the road on its worst day.

 

21. 68 Camaro



Camaros have earned a spot in musclecar history in their own right. However, taking a classic 68 and modifying it to be a road beast like this one takes skill. Notice the Matt black finish on the hood with its deep insets, and the orange paint job echoed in the detailing on the rims. They are enough to make you a bit misty eyed with nostalgia. Don’t forget about the showstopper though, the 375 engine that came stock with most of these babies. You can always upgrade to a 450 for more horsepower if you want to. Just make sure you don’t mess up that paint job!

 

22. Corvette C6

Corvette has been throwing American consumers for years, and their C6 is no exception. However, taking an already superb American sports classic and turning it into a custom modified vehicle is a thing of pure beauty. Check out the TV on the back and the enlarged Corvette double flag logo. That’s a thing of pure beauty right there. The fin attached to the lifted hatchback and the classic Corvette front opening hood look absolutely amazing. Oh yeah, and this thing will still scream down the road. You can redline with the best of them and blow out the competition with ease. Just watch out for the Smokies, you don’t want to get yourself a ticket!



 

23. Mercedes Custom Car


This is what happens when you take a convertible Mercedes limousine and make it even more convertible. Wait, that’s not what is going on at all here. This is what happens when you take an M class Mercedes and chop the top off, add some killer rims and incredible leather interior. The minimal trim highlights the classic elegant lines of the vehicle and also highlights the detail features on the rims. Bonus points for the chopped windshield to complete the look. This Mercedes M class turned Mercedes limousine is one beast of a vehicle. I wonder how much it costs to rent for the evening? Im’ sure it would make my wallet scream!



24. Nissan GTR

This custom Nissan GTR is as bad as it is boss. Check out the custom cooling system underneath the bumper. It’s designed to take in as much airflow as possible so this Nissan can go screaming down the street. Nissan makes good cars anyway, so you always know you have good bones to work with. Customizing and modifying one to look like this though takes real skill. This is street racing mod taken to a whole new level. A fast, adrenaline laced level. We like the buttons on the fender and the deep scoops on the hood. Bonus points for the fan in the back.



Source: yeahmotor.com