The automobile is one of mankind’s greatest inventions. Some of Pininfarina’s designs for Ferrari as well as some of the Aston Martin models of recent years are among the most beautiful man-made things on the planet. Sleek lines that look breathtaking whether up close, from a distance, in motion or stationary are the stuff dreams are made of. But sometimes car manufacturers get it very, very wrong. For a selection of beautiful creations try netcars.com and get yourself a stunning vehicle. Beware though, as there are a handful of cars that were just too ugly for this world.
Photo by: exfordy
1. It may be unfair to pick on the elderly, but the Ford Edsel is a total turkey that sold poorly in its three years of production. At one time the word, “Edsel” was synonymous with failure. The Ford company produced it promising the public something special with an affordable alternative to sexy Cadillacs and Pontiacs but what eventually emerged was a truly ugly beast. Its grille in particular was compared by one newspaper to something unspeakable! More family friendly descriptions of the front end of the Edsel included “it resembles an Oldsmobile sucking a lemon”. Gone but not forgotten, the Edsel is now quite collectible as less than 10,000 survive since production ceased in 1960.
2. Ford didn’t learn from the Edsel apparently as in 1994, the Mark II Scorpio was born. With its front-heavy looks and a front end the French named the “grenouille triste” (sad frog), it had a face only a mother could love. Apparently, a well looked after Scorpio will run forever but why would you want it to?
photo by: johnrobertshepherd
3. There are possibly too many ugly British cars of the 1970s and 1980s to pick one supremely ugly winner but a truly heinous award must go to the Morris Marina. There’s probably a reason why it’s officially the most scrapped British car of the last 30 years. It also says a lot that the car shared many design details with the Ford Cortina Mark II, which was considered the prettier (or less unattractive) of the two cars.
4. A modern beast that brings a tear to the eye in the worst way is the Porsche Cayenne. It’s hard to believe that this SUV belongs to the same stable that gave us the 911 but if you really want a 4-wheel-drive that can do 140mph, you may as well buy one. After all, if you’re driving it, at least you don’t have to look at it.
photo by: Ian Fuller
5. The mantle of ugliest car of all time is probably not one many manufacturers would be proud of. The Pontiac Aztek is a deserving winner though and if you’re going to be ugly, you may as well be the ugliest. GM’s first “crossover” SUV featured “Xtreme” styling and yes, Xtreme does mean hideous. This beast has to be seen to be believed and to maximize its horror, make sure you buy it in metallic orange.
So there you have it – 5 design classics that will haunt you for years after you witness them.