by B. Leslie Baird

Created on: August 13, 2010   Last Updated: September 06, 2010

The automotive industry has turned out some memorable cars. A 1966 Mustang, a Pontiac GTO? These vehicles earned a place in automotive history. There are also quite a few cars that have earned a different place in automotive history and not the place they were hoping to be.

Ford Edsel:

Fortunately this vehicle was only manufactured for three years, 1958 through 1960. It was overpriced, badly styled and poorly built. The Edsel deserves a top position in automotive failures for two reasons. First, the word Edsel itself has become synonymous with failure. Secondly, if by any chance you happen to have one now it is worth a fortune.

Ford Pinto:

You really should not have to ask why the Ford Pinto appears in this list. Cars that suffer from spontaneous combustion have their place in history. Combustion should occur in the engine not in the fuel tank. The fuel tanks of the Pintos exploded during rear end collisions and no matter what safety modifications were made the damage to the Pinto’s reputation was done.

Pontiac Aztek:

Spontaneous combustion problems sunk the Ford Pinto but spontaneous outbreaks of laughter brought down the Aztek. There have always been ugly vehicles but this one took top prize. Unfortunately it did not run or drive well either. What were they thinking?

Cadillac Allante:

General Motors answer to Mercedes Benz. Unfortunately a Mercedes price tag does not make the vehicle a Mercedes and General Motors failed well with this one. The Northstar V8 engine finally gave this vehicle some guts but it was too late.

Volkswagen Phaeton:

How could Volkswagen go wrong, they made the ever reliable and affordable Beetle? The Volkswagen “Bug” deserves a high ranking spot in automotive history. The Phaeton? Unfortunately it is right up on the fail list with the Cadillac Allante. A car for the people is a car for the people. Do not mess this up by trying to copy a Mercedes.

DeLorean:

This vehicle could have matched Maserati or Ferrari but close does just not count when it comes to this price range. A stainless steel body is great but bad aftermarket paint jobs by owners ruins it and a sports cars need to drive like a sports car not a tank.

Suzuki X-90:

The question here should be what was this vehicle supposed to be? It is not a truck, it has no cargo space. It is not a cute little electric car because it is not electric. Perhaps if they added a dozen clowns to pop out and run around at red lights they might have had some success with this.

Aston Martin Lagonda:

Never heard of this one? That is okay, less than 700 were ever made and they were not intended to be an extremely limited edition. While they were well ahead of their time with production beginning in 1976 they just did not work.

References:

http://autos.ca.msn.com/editors-picks/gallery.aspx?c p-documentid=23762889&page=1

http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landin g_pages/983/the-biggest-car-flops-of-the-past-25-yea rs/

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