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"QUANTUM SHOT" #749
Link - article by Daniel Butler & Avi Abrams
      "What we really need is a car that can be shot when it breaks
          down."
        (Russell Baker).

      Here at Dark Roasted Blend we normally celebrate weird and beautiful...
      except when we equally celebrate weird and ugly. Both "beautiful" and
      "ugly" sides of things are worth mentioning when they are brought to
      extremes. We already covered the
      ugliest architecture, the
      worst roads, and even the
      ugliest facial expressions. Now, it's time to see some atrocious cars and collectively abhor their
      unnatural shapes!

      
      (this is the LADA, Russian SUV concept that we hope will never see the
        light of day -
        via)

      Officially, the World's Ugliest Car - looks like it's melting

      The Aurora monster was built in 1957 by an eccentric New York
      priest trying to make the ultimate safety vehicle. Clearly, this design
      was not graced by the hand of God: only one prototype was produced, and it
      broke down 15 times on the way to the press conference, requiring towing
      to 7 different garages (more
      info, and images at
      Gatsby Magazine):

      
      
      
      (images via
        Gatsby Magazine)

      Safari Car (left) and 1968 Ostentatienne Opera Sedan, made by
      Mohs Automobile
      - no side doors here; entry is from the rear door, what a bright idea:

      
      
      (images via
        1,
        2)

      It should come as no surprise that during the long history of the
      automotive industry there has been some truly shocking cars created. Often
      experimentation and innovation goes too far, overriding common sense and
      resulting in Frankenstein vehicles prospective drivers scream and run
      from. Our friends at
      Netcars.com provide us with more
      examples of awful automobiles:

      Overland OctoAuto (1911): perfect for Doctor Octopus' garage!

      Measuring more than 20 ft in length, Milton Reeves’ barmy behemoth had 8
      wheels and received zero customer orders when it went on display at the
      inaugural Indianapolis 500. Unable to realize that 4 wheels was the future
      of automobiles, Reeves made a 6 wheeled SexAuto the following year, which
      was another flop. Imagine the length of congestion lines today if 8 wheels
      had caught on as a design concept!

      
      
      
      
      (art by James B. Deneen, images Bob Tate,
        via)

      Also billed as the "Easiest Car in the World on Tires". Easy on tires,
      perhaps, but certainly not easy to drive! The photo of the man in the
      image below is of Elbert Hubbard, who actually drove OctoAuto and lived to
      write an article about it in 1911.

      

      Here is some strangely bloated 1912 racing car from Turin,
      Fiat S76, rightly called "The Beast of Turin":

      
      (image
        via)

      Scripps-Booth Bi-Autogo! (don't you just love this name?)

      Not really a car but some sort of a bike / cart hybrid, this two-wheeled
      3,200-lb monstrosity was built in 1913 and was powered by the very first
      V8 engine that was made in Detroit. Check out the huge external radiator,
      made from the shiny copper tubes... The Scribbs-Bah...Bi...Whatever...
      even comes equipped with the training wheels!

      
      
      (image
        via)

      A similar two-wheeled (or somewhat three-wheeled) "thing" was manufactured
      from 1925-1928 in France from a design by the Mauser company (better known
      for guns) and called a "Monotrace":

      
      (images via, see
        the restored Monotrace there!)

      King Midget (1946): Plain as a Box

      Aiming to provide a cheap kit car every household could afford, Midget
      Motors Corporation put together the King Midget package, containing an
      instruction manual, axles, chassis, steering system, springs and patterned
      schematics for the sheet metal. Able to accept all one cylinder engines,
      the King Midget was bargain basement design at its worst and later models
      were discontinued with stricter safety and emissions regulations.

      
      (images
        via)

      To say that King's dashboard was simple is an understatement (left), and
      to our eye, this vehicle looks better and more interesting when totally
      rusted:

      
      (images
        via)

      Even Uglier: The Town Shopper

      Made by Carter Motor Corporation in California in 1950:

      
      

      Here is a three-eyed 1948 Crossley (left) and a 1942 one (right):

      
      (images
        via)

      Renault Dauphine (1956): considered by many to be "the Slowest Car of
        All Time"

      Proof that no one ever lost money underestimating the intelligence and
      taste of the general public, the Renault Dauphine sold very well, over 2
      million units globally. Not bad, considering it was a cheap heap of junk
      with no identifiable redeeming feature other than what the scrap merchant
      ultimately offered for it. A continental bad joke, the Dauphine possessed
      the glacial acceleration (able to reach 60 mph from start in "only" 32
      seconds) and was so prone to rusting that one hard winter could corrode
      the front wings into sieves. People were saying that "if you stood beside
      it, you could actually hear it rusting". Imagine how criminals rejoiced
      when French police was outfitted with Dauphines! And yet it even was used
      in car racing:

      
      
      (images via)

      The actual shape of Renault Dauphine is not that bad-looking, and holds
      nostalgic value for many people. The idea behind this car was to provide
      modest transportation to many working families in a post-war recovery
      France. It did just that, but barely, providing people with many hilarious
      memories, and earning itself a place in many "worst cars" lists.

      Zunndapp Janus (1958): better not to look where it's going...

      When the Janus was unveiled industry experts weren’t two-faced with their
      reaction, they all openly agreed it was terrible. Equipped with a 250-cc
      engine and boasting a maximum speed of 50 mph, the Janus proved that
      motorbike manufacturers shouldn’t meddle in the motorcar market.
      Hilariously, the back seats were rear-facing so the red-faced passengers
      could watch congestion build up behind them while being serenaded with an
      irate cacophony of car horns.

      
      (image via)

      The dashboard was no less hilarious:

      
      (image via)

      Amphicar (1961): equally bad on the road and in the water

      There was a certain sinking feeling about this bizarre concept car,
      seemingly thought up by a drunk car designer who had watched far too many
      Bond films. Able to drive on land and ride on water, the Amphicar wasn’t
      watertight and therefore only floated for as long as a pump held out or
      passengers could bucket the rising flood overboard. With a top speed of 7
      mph when on water, consumers decided to keep their cars and boats as
      separate vehicles.

      
      
      (images via
        1,
        2)

      Peel Trident (1966): you'll be so hot, your skin will start peeling
        off

      A woeful attempt to make a futuristic car (though it is rather neat
      looking, in a soap box sort of way), the Peel Trident was made on the Isle
      of Wight and was basically a go-kart with a ludicrously heavy bubble-like
      chassis. Slow and cumbersome, the Peel Trident was quickly laughed off the
      road, particularly as the plastic dome threatened to cook the passengers
      under the harsh gaze of the sun.

      
      
      (images via
        1,
        2,
        3)

      The Bond Bug (1970): Ask Sean Connery what he thinks about this

      No relation to Agent 007, and ugly as sin, the Bond Bug was a two seated
      sports car with three wheels which had a short production run of four
      years, during which the guffaws from car critics resounded loudly. The
      bright orange body paint made it look like a satsuma on wheels and the
      price was ridiculously high for such a small oddball of a vehicle that
      fared poorly when compared with the iconic and cheaper Mini.

      
      
      (images via
        1,
        2)

      See other super-small vehicles in our
      Smallest Cars
      series. One advantage of their size, of course, is that you can transport them
      on the flat bed of your truck:

      
      (image
        via)

      Sebring-Vanguard CitiCar (1974): a pyramidal abomination

      Surely this ugly duckling should be applauded for being an early attempt
      at introducing an electric car on to the motor market? No, it looked like
      the mismanaged mix of a golf-cart and a garden shed. Made as a response to
      the 70s fuel crisis, the Sebring-Vanguard CitiCar placed the reputation of
      car design and manufacturing itself in jeopardy with its unpopular
      box-like body. Its production run ran for four years.

      
      (images via)

      Yugo GV (1985): go yugo yourself, why don't you?

      The car that raised fitness levels of passengers by forcing them to push
      it, the Yugo GV was imported from a socialist country to a world that
      really didn’t want them. Their poorly assembled engines would break down
      with low mileages on the clock, leaving an unwelcome box-shaped eyesore on
      the side of the road and kids trembled at the thought of their parents
      bringing one home, knowing the playground gibes that would await them.

      
      

      Here is the mis-proportioned Austin Allegro/Vanden Plas, with a
      Rolls-Royce-styled grill no less! On the right is the Austin Allegro
      All-Ego variation:

      
      (images
        via)

      Incredibly awkward-looking Aston Martin Lagonda wagon (left) and the
      overly souped-up Porsche (actually RUF CTR-2):

      

      Miserably-shaped 1965 Citroen Ami (designed by an Italian sculptor, it has
      an eclectic, perhaps too eclectic shape - which still looks like parts
      badly put together):

      

      Ungainly Ford Taunus 2000 GXL with a custom front:

      

      A kit car, but no less crime against any design sense ("a dash of
      Corvette, the headlights from a Cougar, tail lights from a Vauxhall,
      powered by a VW engine"), more
      info:

      
      (image
        via)

      The 1977 Volkswagen prototype by Luigi Colani (definitely not the high
      point in the career of the master):

      
      (image
        via)

      It also has some sort of a cancerous growth in the middle of the steering
      wheel:

      

      Many consider Pontiak Aztek to be the ugliest SUV of all time,
      although it did include a full-size tent as part of its back end. Here is
      a customized version, which actually looks somewhat cool:

      

      Unveiled in 2010, Tata Magic Iris may be a great and efficient
      vehicle for India (and may even one day replace the ubiquitous trike), but
      to our eyes it has very unbalanced shape... as though somebody kicked it
      in the back and sent it on its way, wobbling and bouncing along:

      

      Again, it looks better when customized (an artist's rendition; maybe it
      should've been made like this in the first place):

      
      (image credit: Ignacio Brezza
        via)

      Fiat Multipla (1998): this is ugly beyond reasonable level of
        ugliness

      Proof that looks do matter, the Fiat Multipla is an ugly beast that had
      drivers staying away in droves. Less aesthetically pleasing than a
      proboscis monkey, Fiat trumpeted its excellence as a family carrier, while
      families pointed out they wouldn’t be seen dead in it. Given the
      advancements made in car design over the decades, how on Earth did the
      schematics for the Multipla ever get used for anything other than a
      practical joke?

      
      (the ugly dog on the right
        via)

      The dashboard also wins the title of "The Ugliest Car Dashboard of All
      Time":

      
      (image
        via)

      Another Fiat, this time called "Doblo" (left), and a weird Australian item
      (a Lightburn Zeta?):

      

      Strange Tanghua ("A Piece of Cloud") concept car from China, 2008:

      

      What is this?? A customized Tato Nano, that's what:

      

      Fiat Aquila concept (left) and a custom abomination from the 2007 Tokyo
      Auto Show:

      

      Here is a truly outrageous-looking concept car, the recent 2010 Sbarro
      Autobau - more
      info. It may look like it's got teeth and preparing to eat you for breakfast.
      It also looks like it's been hastily put together from LEGO blocks by a
      4-year old. But in any case, the future is here and looks as yellow as it
      can possibly be.

      
      

      Speaking about futuristic concept cars (by the way, check out Rhombus - a
      wildly different concept car), not all of them were nice to look at. The following is 1955 "Astra
      Gnome", the Mars Vehicle, looking somewhat like a cross between my vintage
      hair dryer and the ironing board:

      
      
      (images
        via
        - watch video about this concept car
        here)

      See even more worst automobiles covered in this
      article
      and this huge
      list of ugly cars. As you can see we've only scratched the surface... Well, my eyes hurt
      now from all this ugliness; gotta get some eye-bleach. Stay tuned for the
      next part in this series!

      

      CONTINUE TO "GHOST-LIKE & UGLY CARS" ->

      CHECK OUT THE REST OF "WEIRD AUTO" CATEGORY ->




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YOUR COMMENTS::

49 Comments:

Anonymous Jim-Bob said...

The issue with the engine in a Yugo was not so much a flaw with the design as it was in the owners. The SOHC Fiat 4 that Zastava used (the Yugo was just a restyled Fiat 127) required a cam belt change every 36,000 miles. Most owners didn't do it on time and so most Yugos could be seen in the junkyard with odometers reading some multiple of 36,000. Granted, it was a short interval (my 3 cylinder Geo Metros which were contemporary to the Yugo require it every 60,000 miles) but the owners should have known and taken better care of their cars.

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Blogger Rally said...

Calling the TR-7 one of the ugliest cars is certainly a disservice. Perhaps not as swoopy as one of the earlier Michelotti-styled Triumphs (or the Karmann-massaged TR-6) the TR-7 was truly a product of it's time and still looks distinctive (and fast) today. As a 6'5" tall guy, I fit very comfortably in a TR-7 -- moreso than many more conservative cars such as the Mercedes 190 or Volvo 740.

Besides, any list of this sort that does not include the "designed-by-committee" Pontiac Aztek is rendered moot...

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Blogger miasto-masa-maszyna said...

The car that raised fitness levels of passengers by forcing them to push it, the Yugo GV was actually imported from the Soviet Bloc to a world that really didn’t want them

Yugoslavia was not a part of Soviet Bloc.

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Anonymous Charlie Brown said...

Sorry to say, this post is not the DRB quality we used to know..
Factual errors, exaggerated statements, poor sense of visual style. Most cars mentioned are not even remarkably ugly, some of them are downright cool, stylish vintage/retro ones.

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Anonymous Fabrizio said...

As ugly as it may look, the Fiat Multipla is still a quite common sight on the italian streets. Not a commercial success as the Punto, but not a fiasco as the article would imply AFAIK.
I drove one myself for a couple of days and it's a quite goood vehicle: too bad Fiat never had the marketing power to convince everyone that the Multipla looks cool even if it doesn't - basic principle of marketing...

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Blogger tanburo said...

This really makes a good collection, and reasonably well done, compared to most of the other such lists found on the internet. Most of the cars really ARE ugly, respect there..but, some aren't..Renault Dauphine hardly fits here, and the Peel, I think, is quite cute too, although I've never seen it live...ami 6 is definitely not ugly..it is strange, and unconventional, but that's what Citroen is about, Ami being the finest example..it's just special, and it takes getting used to, opposed to the box-shaped cars that have become standard. As for Yugo(slavia), it was not the part of any Soviet block, at least not after 1968, if ever..but, all in all, nice work..

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

the weird Japanese item appears to be a lightburn zeta. it's what happens when a company that makes cement mixers decides to make a van. no sliding side doors, no rear door, and to reverse you need to stop the engine and then start the engine backwards

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

Six-wheeled cars were a very niche market. Daimler-Benz produced the G4 "heavy personnel car" from 1934 to 1939, with around 150 produced, deriving what popularity they had from Adolf Hitler's choice of it as a personal car because of the impressive showing it presented, which made them a 'prestige' vehicle for high-ranking officials. Although designed to be capable of off-road use, the lack of power to the front wheels limited its mobility, and its 42mph top road speed kept it as a vehicle whose utility was for showmanship, not transport.

The Amphicar resurrected another concept from WWII Germany, the Schwimmwagen, which was a VW Kubelwagen with a rounded displacement body and a shrouded propellor which could be folded down to attach to a shaft from the engine. The Amphicar did have doors, unlike the Schwimmwagen, which required the driver and passengers to clamber over the side, although the fold-up propellor kept it up and away from damage from objects on the ground when not in use, unlike the Amphicar.

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

re: Peel
WTH does TopGear's Jezza know about cars?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJfSS0ZXYdo
Jeremy drives the smallest car in the world at the BBC
TopGear:
Jeremy drives the Peel P50, the world's smallest production car to work and even takes it into the lift in this hilarious clip from BBC's Top Gear. Watch out for cameos from John Humphries when he kidnaps the car and Fiona Bruce in the lift!

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Anonymous AnthonyA said...

The Overland OctoAuto did have a purpose at the time. Remember, in 1911, roads were not paved, except for a few cobblestone streets in cities.

Tires were not steel belted, and were a much softer rubber than is used today, so tires often wore out in hundreds of mines, not tens of thousands.

By having eight wheels, each tire was subjected to much less pressure, and hence, wear. Plus, with a lower ground pressure, the car was less likely to get bogged in the mud that passed for roads at the time.

Finally, with one flat, you could still make it to the garage pretty handily, I'd imagine.

This is some of the reasons why big military wheeled vehicles use six or eight wheels today.

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Blogger Unknown said...

That Sbarra Autobra looks like an enormous Tazer...

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Anonymous Gregoryno6 said...

There was also the Zeta Lightburn, an Australian car built by a firm known for (no kidding) washing machines.
http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/car_info_lightburn_zeta.htm

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Anonymous BillC said...

You missed the Nobel .... had full gearing in forward AND reverse in a sad package, see http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/yourplaceandmine/belfast/A1067988.shtml

BC

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Anonymous Gaspard de Coligny said...

The Renault Dauphine have NOTHING to do in this list. It was a much needed modest car essential to post war-recovery in France. Dozen of lists already included it, that's why it certainly appears here too few years after everybody else. But for young families and working class people this car was a godsend.

And be honest, the racing version called Dauphine Gordini was a kick ass racer. The Dauphine was also the base for the coupe and convertible Renault Floride and Caravelle

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Anonymous Jim-Bob said...

I kinda feel sorry for that poor UAZ 452 truck in the last picture. While Soviet trucks may not have always been the prettiest things on the road, that just looks terrible.

Also, as far as it goes, the Yugo isn't really an ugly car. Like the Trabant 601 or Lada 2101 it's more of an example of plain in the extreme. You wouldn't be aghast as to how ugly it was if you saw it in traffic for the first time like you would the Multipla. No, you'd probably not even notice it was there. If anything it deserves to be on a list of the most bland cars ever designed rather than the ugliest. I actually wish there was a car like the Yugo sold in the US today (but with better switches and build quality). It seems that no one sells a very basic, economical, low priced hatchback anymore.

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Anonymous Some1 said...

It depends too much on the taste and culture. I guess this list was written by an american, cause listing cars like the Dauphine, Yugo or UAZ as the ugliest and worst cars on the world is just simply a joke if you know something of theese cars. Think rather about Pontiac Aztek, AMC Pacer or the Ssangyong Rodius!

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

YOU FORGOT THE NEW BMW 1 SERIES!!!!!

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Blogger Lambert Schlumpf said...

FIAT S76 (and not F) was not a car for the masses but a prototype that did the mile at a top speed of 290 Km/h in Long Island, it sported a 28 litre engine with a power output of 300hp. It's like listing the Wright brothers' plane in the ugliest planes in history post.
Renault Dauphine had instead a brilliant design for the time, remember that in Europe needs were different, and taste different too. In actual fact the Renault 4CV had a very similar design, was very popular too and was also used in motor sport. And I personally love both of them.
Yugo 45 isn't ugly, just really plain, I second Jim-Bob (btw Jim-Bob, are you the same from BaT?)
...overly souped up Porsche is actually a RUF CTR2, that it is unconventional but neither "worst" nor "ugliest".
At 580hp and 4 wheel drive traction I would take it any day, thanks. Yes, in yellow.
Citroen Ami 6 is honestly brilliant. It's a car designed in the 50's by an Italian sculptor (yes, an artist) and it's very well studied. The rear window with the unusual rake was designed like that to have a greater access to the boot/trunk, to leave extra room to the rear passengers' heads, and not to have rain on the window itself limiting the visibility. Same feature was found on the Mercury Monterey and in the Ford Cortina.
At the time were very common in France and best selling car for few years and reasonably well sold in Italy as far as I recall. Being born in 1972 I saw some of them still around when first I could distinguish the different models (quite early admittedly).
As for the Fiat Multipla, I'd +1 Fabrizio. I was working in a Fiat dealer in Italy when it first came out, and I'd say it's like Marmite. I honestly don't like it but many people do, and I admit that it is a brilliant car to drive. Inside it is very spacious, and the dash isn't ugly either. As said it's not my type of car but I wouldn't list it as universally ugly as it has been sold, hence it means that some people paid money for it.

As some1 already said, the list is very much American but on your own side of the pond you have more contemporary cars that are equally bad looking if not worse than some of them cited here.

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Anonymous Jim-Bob said...

Yup! I am the same person who uses this name over at BaT, Hooniverse, Englishrussia, (formerly I was a regular poster on some Gawker sites under this name too) and a number of other blog sites I visit on a regular basis. What gave it away? Surely there must be plenty of other Geo Metro loving, Eastern European Automobile apologist intellectuals who deliver pizza on the internet...

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

When will you people learn some geography and consider that Yugoslavia was not in Soviet Block ?! And Yugo, as the name says it, was made in Yugoslavia, actually Serbia today. Also, Jim-Bob said, it wasn't that bad, some people still use it today, especially in Serbia.

To Anonymous - I also agree not only BMW 1 series but almost whole BMW range has some serious styling issues, personally - they are very, very ugly !

Greetings to DRB from Croatia !

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Anonymous Zastrozzi said...

To add to the list of bad ideas, the Fiat Multipla had three-abreast seating, and for a car so tall the internal space was ridiculous. I'm 6'3" - tall, but not freakishly tall - and I was physically unable to fit into it because the roof was so low.

On the other hand, Sbarro vehicles have always been utterly bonkers and all the better for it...

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Blogger Dave Walker said...

The Amphicar is quite collectible and two recently sold at Barrett Jackson in the $30-40,000 range.

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

Who made this list? The Dauphine may have been slow, but it is one cute car. I have one that was made in 1963. It has sat outside year around, in Northern Minnesota, since I bought it 1978. The body has minimal rust and it still runs.

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Blogger Avi Abrams said...

Thank you guys! Great discussion - I updated the post, and added some other abominations that we discovered in the meantime. Plus, more of the ugly breed will be covered in the next part of this series.

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Avi,
you definitely need to add Velorex - type into google and see the pictures, this will beat any other car :)

http://img.katalog-automobilu.cz/files/produkty/cz/4/4881/velorex-oskar-54.jpg

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Mohs Ostentantienne is undergoing restoration right now, so it will be ready to collect awkward glances soon :)
http://autorestoration101.com/2011/04/06/the-mohs-ostentatienne-restoration-part-12/

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

Peel cars were made in the Isle of MAN.

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

i drive a fiat multipla...
ok the 2004 restyle without that carlino dog face as front

its realy pratical 6 places 3+3 compleatly customizable and the dashboard too if you imagine it in different colors than the pink in the photo is good, with a lot of usefull space

the concept is realy good but the first external design has made by a heavy druged team

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Anonymous ProCycle said...

Some clever person should photoshop hammers into the fists of all those people standing around the Yugo

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Somebody shoot these wheeled abominations" - Well, gosh darnit, 'lemme get ma shotgun... Them there car designers shouldn't have made them cars so ugly!

Seriously, what went wrong with DRB? What happened to the weird and wonderful concept?

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Anonymous Cras said...

Nice article, some ugly beasts indeed. But why oh why did you put in the Lagonda Shooting Brake? That has to be one of the most awesome vehicles ever to be put on the road. Yes, I know the Lagonda wasn't that good a car, but what a looker... I know there were only a few made and the rarity makes it even nicer. I have to own one eventually!

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Anonymous 666 said...

The photo of the last car (russian UAZ - ural auto) is a fake) It is ugly in real life but not that badly. It has headlights at same level in reality.

Realy noisy because it has engine inside the cabin, slow and unsteady.

PS Sorry for my poor english, DM

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

"the Amphicar wasn’t watertight and therefore only floated for as long as a pump held out or passengers could bucket the rising flood overboard."
Totally untrue. An Amphicar in good condition takes on no more water than an equivalent boat (they too have bilge pumps). It's OK to be snarky—it's true that the Amphi is neither a great car nor a great boat—but you must tell the truth.

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

Most of those are not ugly and several of them actually look pretty cool. I always thought the El Camino (an aesthetic abomination which combined car and truck) was ugly.

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dauphine) considered by many to be "the Slowest Car of All Time"

Obviously they have no clue what they are talking about. I've a VW bus from early 60s that top speed is about 50mph (and you don't want to know how long it takes to reach that, even when empty) and the Beetles at time used at least same 23 seconds to 60mph.

Also there was something called World War 2 which left France in ruins and everyone very poor: Even a very small car was a luxury, similar than a Cadillac would be in US at same time.

Obvius US bias also here: winged monsters from late 50s and early 60s are totally missing, esp. Cadillac.

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Hilariously, the back seats were rear-facing so the red-faced passengers could watch congestion build up behind them while being serenaded with an irate cacophony of car horns."

This is BS to anyone who has slightest idea of situation in Europe in 1958.

50mph wasn't a lot but adequate at that time and it's painfully obvious that the list maker has no knowledge at all about conditions in post-war Europe but thinks that everyone in the world was driving 390ci V8s with 300hp and 125mph top speed.

It's OK to be stupid and ask things but it's not OK to be stupid and assume things instead of finding out.

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

"(Amphicar) here was a certain sinking feeling about this bizarre concept car, seemingly thought up by a drunk car designer who had watched far too many Bond films."

Yeah. Except the first Bond film was made in 1962. And it took about 5 seconds to find that out: Obviously too much for you, eh?

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

"The 1977 Volkswagen prototype by Luigi Colani (definitely not the high point in the career of the master):"

Lack of knowledge shows again: Colani has constantly drawn "fun" cars, designed to be ridiculous looking. On purpose.

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

Multipla yes: That's hideous.

But no wonder, the designer is Mr. Bangle, native US citizen, lately doing design for BMW.

I've no idea why either Fiat or BMW hired this monstrosity.

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

(Yugo) "unwelcome box-shaped eyesore on the side of the road "

Actually much less boxy than most of the US cars at time. Which is easy to see if you bother to look.

Basically a Fiat 127 like the others noted: Reliable family car if maintained but "maintenance" is something unheard of in US, isn't it?

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

before drawing car, fiat become drunk

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Blogger Von Strangeduck said...

What about the Ssangyong Actyon. Ugliest car ever.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/SsangYong_Actyon_front_20080303.jpg

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://www.shorey.net/Auto/Italian/Fiat/1972_Fiat%20X1-23.jpg

http://www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/amc-pacer.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_hVOW2U7K4-M/SKseXlITxWI/AAAAAAAAZT8/MHjPITxLXL0/s800/1003.jpg

I am Sayling,
Stils to saylink,
Mirrors?
ok.

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Amphicar, Ami 6 and Peel are funny cars out of the box.

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm surprised Nissan Nuke (Puke) didn't make it to this list.

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

or maybe it's Nissan Juke, never mind

___  
Blogger Graham Clayton said...

Five years prior to the Reeves, Charles T. Pratt of Frankfort, New York also produced a six-wheeled car:

http://assets.blog.hemmings.com/wp-content/uploads//2010/01/prattsixwheeler_resized.jpg

The Fiat S76 "Beast of Turin" has been restored and is in running condition:

https://youtu.be/bsdWgmp4TaQ

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Blogger Unknown said...

I take exception with a couple of the "Choices" here, in full recognition of course that "Beauty" is in the eye of the beholder.
I own a 1962 Amphicar model 770 and while true, a novelty vehicle, it is a very fun car to operate. It IS fully water tight, in fact I have been in waters so rough with it that patrol boats turned back.
I also own a 1971 Bond Bug, a daily driver in fair weather I will add. As a commuter car it is both nimble and economical and as an oddity, a head turner.
Lastly, a Vanguard CitiCar, oh hell, on this one your completely right. It is a doorstop, at best a golf cart with doors, terrible little creature.

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Anonymous Sonny Fabich said...

The Lightburn Zeta was produced by an Australian company that mainly made washing machines - industrial grade jobs that looked like cement mixers. The Australian Army bought heaps of them, you could throw in your fatigues, web gear and boots and let it rip and they'd come out sparkling. The cars died a quick death but if you've got one still behind the shed, they're worth plenty from collectors!

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