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Ugliest Cars of All Time
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"Pontiac....We build excrement!"
Usually, what we see as bad design comes from confusion...either a committee designed the car or the company was in a rush to get to a market they didn't understand.
But it is hard to understand how such a botch got past the GM board of directors. Heads will roll.
But now I'm wondering if maybe comparing then and now isn't a little unfair. For years the B-O-P cars have all used the same drivetrains, making it harder for each division to obviously differentiate itself through its engineering. They can fine-tune ride, handling, steering feel etc. but how important are those factors to the mass market? Styling is where they can really make their statement. Most of us probably think that the '60s were a golden era for Pontiac, but most of us probably aren't today's younger buyer.
Styling is a marketing message, like advertising, and with all the messages we're bombarded with today, a marketer has to do something different to cut through all the noise. The Aztek is certainly different, and cartoon-like, but people are talking about it. More importantly, mainstream cars like the Grand Am, Sunfire and Bonneville are also different, and unmistakably Pontiacs. GM in general seems to find it easier to compete on styling and price, not quality and refinement, probably because GM was traditionally the Big 3 styling leader since the days of Harley Earl and Bill Mitchell. Obviously it's hard to change the focus of a huge corporation.
As far back as I can remember you could always tell a Pontiac from any other GM car, the always had a special flare. Who can blame them for staying with their tradition.
I really can't defend the design. It's pretty bad, a hodge-podge of ideas that to my eye don't work at all.
I suppose you're right, the Aztec may be a big mistake, but the driving force behind the youth/counter culture is design that alienates those over 30. It shows in their clothes and music. If it doesn't look or sound ugly to the old folks, it's not hip. Once I realized this (and all I had to do was go back to my own youthful days of long hair and bellbottoms) the teenyboppers don't offend me anymore--as much.
So maybe the Aztec is right on for its market. Unfortunately for Pontiac, there aren't that many fourteen-year-olds buying cars.
Well, the Aztek left the dealer's lot before I could confront it. I have to admit I was disappointed. The city probably made them bury it.
But then I own a 2000 Impala LS and the rear side of it ain't that great either.
The Impala keeps the wife happy though!
Now how about the Ford Focus? There's one that only a die hard Ford lover could love.
Hey, the Focus is pretty sharp. It's the Toyota Echo that should be banned from the roads. That is one astoundingly ugly car. I thought Japan had outgrown that kind of bizarre styling.
btw, I'm posting a pic of my '57 DeSoto, so you guys can judge for yourselves ;-)
-Andre
As far as the ugliest cars of all time:
What about the new 2000 Toyotas? Specifically the Echo and Celica (not that any Celica was ever good looking).
The front end of a 2000 Honda Prelude is also pretty ugly.
The sedans were the worst but the fastbacks were out of scale too.
http://a351must2.stangnet.com/cgi-bin/i/74Coupe/mustangfrontright.jpg
http://a351must2.stangnet.com/cgi-bin/i/77Mach1/machdriverfront.jpg
(The car itself was pretty sad. As I recall some magazines of the day said that the Pinto was a better car. How's that for an insult?)
The main thing that bothers me about it is that nose. For the most part, the car's not bad...integrated plastic covered bumpers, fairly smooth lines, but what were they thinking with that front end?? It looks like they took a 1978 Cutlass, tried to stick a Pontiac beak in the center of the grille, and make it as ugly as possible. Maybe they did this so more people would buy Grand Prix's. For some reason, they came to their senses for 1981 and stuck on a front-end that looked similar to the 1976-1978 era Trans-Am, but, in typical GM fashion, once they finally made it look right, they cancelled it.
-Andre
Love that Desoto. Do you belong to the National Desoto Club. They came to Charleston (SC) last summer and it was row after row of good looking Desotos. The 57s are my favorite, but of reportedly poor quality control when new.
I used to belong to the National DeSoto Club years ago, but let my membership lapse. I've been thinking about rejoining, just been too busy I guess. The 1957 was my favorite year for DeSotos, too, except for the Firesweep, which was basically a DeSoto body on a Dodge wheelbase, with a DeSoto grille stuck on a Dodge front-end clip. I think it was an early attempt at downsizing, but the grille stuck out so far that the thing ended up being only about 2 inches shorter than the "real" DeSotos
Chrysler did have quality problems with the 1957-59 models, mainly rust. A lot of this was due to their inexperience with building their own bodies, which had been supplied by Briggs through 1954. I still wonder, then, how the 1955-56 Mopars came out so rock-solid, since those would have been the first actually built by Chrysler. Mine was mostly garage kept, but in the 60's was used as the bad weather car. (i.e., it's snowing out, honey, let's not take the good car, let's take the DeSoto) It has a little rust around the headlights, lower rear quarters, and a hole in the trunk. I guess that's not bad, though, for a 43 year old car that's pretty mouch been untouched.
Hey, as far as ugly cars, how about a 1957 Ford? Those bug-eyed headlights always bothered me, although the rest of the car isn't bad, I guess, just overly creased. As I recall, weren't those serious rusters, too? Maybe that's why the 1957 Chevy is so popular, because all the Fords and Plymouths rusted away ;-)
Onto the topic at hand. I'm sorry to not be in a forgiving mood towards the Aztek. Looks like a PT Cruiser that went to the Bizzaro world... Out here I've yet to see one that wasn't Pokemon red.
Echo - very ugly. New Celica - Extreeeeeemly ugly. I do not understand the reviewers that think it looks sharp. Yeah, sharp as in you could cut yourself on it! Blech!
Maybe it's time to bring back tail fins if tehy want something different...... bring on taht DeSoto!