The Worst Cars From The ‘60s and ‘70s

The ‘60s and ‘70s were two decades full of automotive icons. There is nothing more American than a 1968 Chevrolet Corvette sitting in the garage with a Turbo-Fire 327 V8.

Sadly, not every car of the ‘60s and ‘70s was that cool and there were a lot of cars that looked just plain weird. Whether it was the boxy design of the Reliant Robin, or the crooked roofline of the Ford Anglia, there was something missing in every one of these cars.

Subaru 360

The Subaru 360, released in the late 1950s, marked Subaru’s humble beginnings and its debut in the automotive world. This microcar, while cute, didn’t win any beauty contests with its exterior design. In fact, it was hard to fathom why anyone would want to be seen in one.

Nevertheless, it holds a special place in Subaru’s history as their very first production vehicle. Despite its less-than-appealing looks, Subaru managed to sell nearly 400,000 units during its 12-year production run, and this quirky microcar played a pivotal role in the company’s evolution.

Chevrolet Corvair

The Chevrolet Corvair, introduced in 1960, initially seemed innovative, but it soon turned into a disaster for the automaker. Its exterior design, while not the worst aspect of the car, was far from impressive.

The real problem lay in the decision to place the air-cooled engine in the rear, resulting in handling issues that plagued the first-generation Corvair. GM faced over a hundred lawsuits related to the car’s safety, ultimately leading to the removal of the first-gen Corvair from the market by 1965.

Peel Trident

This tiny one-seater followed the famous Peel P50 and featured a weird exterior design with a large glass top that was supposed to improve visibility. Adding to its quirkiness, the Trident boasts a three-wheel drivetrain.

Thankfully, only around 45 units were ever produced, making it a rare and oddity in the world of automobiles. Despite its funky looks, it remains a fascinating piece of automotive history.

Plymouth Valiant Wagon

While history is filled with remarkable station wagons, the Plymouth Valiant Wagon made its mark as one of the ugliest station wagons ever produced. Debuting in 1960, its exterior design left much to be desired. Its only redeeming quality was its remarkable spaciousness.

This wagon boasted over 72 cubic inches of cargo space and required two feet less parking space than a full-size Plymouth. The first-generation Valiant Wagon met its end in 1962 when it was replaced by the second-generation model.

Trabant 601

In the early 1960s, car options were limited in East Germany, and the Trabant 601 emerged as one of the few choices available. This car was developed by VEB Sachsenring as a response to the Volkswagen Beetle and was designed to be an affordable automobile.

Unfortunately, affordability came at the expense of build quality, and the Trabant’s design was quite ugly. Despite these shortcomings, VEB Sachsenring produced over 2.8 million Trabant 601s during its remarkable 26-year production run.

Reliant Robin

The United Kingdom started producing small cars in the 1970s, and the Reliant Robin was designed as a compact city car with ample rear cargo space. It ended up becoming one of the ugliest cars of its era.

The Robin featured a three-wheel drivetrain that significantly impacted its handling. While its design may not have won any beauty contests, the Reliant Robin has etched its name in the books of British automotive history as an iconic oddity from the ’70s.

Rambler Marlin

The Rambler Marlin holds a unique place in automotive history as a precursor to the renowned AMC Javelin. While the Marlin exudes a sense of luxury and style, its charm takes an unfortunate hit when you set your eyes on its rear end.

The rear design appears rushed and hurried and criticism was leveled at the Marlin’s styling, citing issues like poorly designed pedals and overly soft front seats. Despite these shortcomings, the Marlin remains an intriguing piece of automotive history.

Ford Anglia

The Ford Anglia was the brand’s flagship family car primarily in the United Kingdom and its lineage traces back to the late 1930s, with various generations produced over the years.

As time passed, Anglia seemed to get uglier by the year. The last model of the Anglia arrived in 1962, sporting an unappealing front end design with an awkward grille and a seemingly crooked roofline. Still, Ford managed to sell nearly 80,000 units before retiring the Anglia in 1967, paving the way for the Ford Escort.

AMC Gremlin

AMC is no stranger to less-than-stellar automobiles. They introduced the Gremlin in 1970 and it was a subcompact car famous for its poor handling, bad performance, and various design flaws.

The Gremlin’s underpowered engine delivered terrible fuel economy, and they say hitting a pothole could result in the rear window shattering. Rust was prevalent after a few short years on the road. The most glaring issue with the Gremlin was probably its truly horrendous styling, both inside and out. Despite its flaws (or maybe because of them) the Gremlin holds its own place in automotive history.

Dodge Charger

The Dodge Charger, an iconic American muscle car, enjoyed tremendous success and acclaim through its first three generations for its performance and design. But something crazy happened in 1975 and the fourth-generation Charger took a dramatic and unfortunate turn.

Dodge stripped away the aggressive design features that had defined the Charger, leaving it looking more like a family car than a powerhouse of muscle. Many fans were disappointed and Dodge took quick notice of their mistake. They replaced the fourth-generation Charger with a fifth-generation model just three years after its debut, helping to restore the Charger’s reputation.

Rambler Cross Country

The Rambler Classic line introduced its all-new second generation in 1963, and while the car demonstrated practicality and great performance, its exterior design left much to be desired.

The station wagon, known as the Cross Country, suffered from an awkward rear end that looked like it had been welded on in a makeshift backyard project.

Hillman Imp

The Hillman Imp was a product of the British Rootes Group (later Chrysler Europe), and was one of the most infamous automobiles of the 1960s. This economical coupe was famous for its unappealing design.

From the moment it hit the streets, the Imp was plagued by tons of issues that contributed to its poor reputation. While some modern enthusiasts argue the Imp was underrated, its undeniable eyesore status in terms of styling remains a historical fact.

Mercury Cougar

Debuting in 1967 as Mercury’s answer to the Ford Mustang, the Cougar distinguished itself by offering a standard V8 engine. The first-generation Cougar enjoyed considerable success.

When the second-generation model arrived in 1971, it was not as popular. It shared many components with the Ford Mustang, but suffered from a boring design. Its underwhelming aesthetic and market reception led to a short production span of only three years for a less-than-stellar chapter in the Cougar’s history.

AMC Pacer

The AMC Pacer’s journey through automotive history is a tale of major glow-up. Initially, this compact car faced a rocky start, and had a poor reputation that led to its replacement after just four years on the market.

Even though the car was ugly, the Pacer etched itself into history. The quirky two-door compact has earned a place of status, even among wealthy automobile collectors who seek out its unique charm.

FSO Polonez

The FSO Polonez may not be a household name in many parts of the world, but it was highly significant in Eastern Europe during the last half of the 20th century. It had a production run that saw over a million units sold because it was positioned as an affordable family car.

The design bore a striking resemblance to the Fiat 125, though arguably less appealing appearance. Eventually, as the 21st century dawned, the Polonez bowed out of production, concluding its chapter in automotive history.

Lincoln Versailles

The Lincoln Versailles remains one of Ford’s biggest mess-ups. This car was introduced in the wake of the 1970s oil crisis, and it failed miserably at reaching its target audience.

The Versailles bears a striking resemblance to the Ford Granada, and for a good reason—it’s essentially the same vehicle, with only minor stylistic changes that did little to enhance its appearance.

To make matters worse, the Versailles had a price tag nearly three times that of its Ford Granada counterpart, even though it offered essentially the same driving experience.

Citicar

The Citicar was one of the very first cars that contributed to the remarkable evolution of electric vehicles since the 1970s.

This car was produced for four years by Florida-based Sebring-Vanguard. This pint-sized two-door subcompact car has a peculiar design. The Citicar’s cabin is so snug that riding with two adults can feel like a tight squeeze.

The vehicle’s electric power plant, producing between 2.5 and 3.5 horsepower depending on the production year, propels it to a maximum speed of nearly 40 miles per hour, which is much different than the high-performance electric cars of today.

Checker Marathon

Checker achieved decent success as a manufacturer and their flagship offering was the Marathon. It was targeted at private buyers and spanned over two decades. Ultimately, the Marathon met its end, and Checker filed for bankruptcy in 2010.

Stylistically, the Marathon closely imitated the glamorous American cars of the 1950s and looked a lot like the Chevrolet Bel Air.

Rolls Royce Camargue

Even Rolls Royce can have a bad day every now and then, and the Rolls Royce Camargue must have been a product of such a day. This car debuted in 1975 and claimed the title as the world’s most expensive production car.

But it wasn’t just known for being expensive, it was also known as being ugly. Though many found the design unattractive, Rolls Royce managed to sell just a little over 500 units before discontinuing the Camargue in 1986.

Datsun F10

The Datsun F10 was basically the second generation of the Nissan Cherry, marking a significant moment for the Japanese automaker as it ventured into the North American market with its first front-wheel-drive car.

It bore a faint resemblance to the iconic 240Z in its exterior styling and the most distinctive feature of the Datsun F10 was its unusually large headlights, which seemed almost oversized for the car’s proportions.

Ford Mustang II

Everyone knows and loves the Ford Mustang. It’s an American icon, and has enjoyed a storied history since its mid-1960s debut. This car combines performance with stunning design, but then came along the second generation Mustang.

The Mustang II is regarded as one of the most regrettable downgrades in automotive history and it shared numerous components with the infamous Pinto.

Austin Allegro

The Austin Allegro was introduced as an innovative and fuel-efficient family car, but the weird styling design set it up for failure. The design team wanted to maximize the interior space, so they sacrificed the other things, like the shape of the steering wheel to improve the leg space.

Though it has a less-than-ideal reputation, the Allegro initially found success, becoming the fifth best-selling car in Britain just six years after its launch.

Volvo 262C

Volvo tried their hand at luxury coupes and introduced the 262C in 1978. This elegant coupe was the result of a collaboration between Volvo and Italian coachbuilder Gruppo Bertone. Italian design is often known to show class and sophistication, the 262C fell short.

Instead of adopting a sleek Italian aesthetic, it retained the boxy styling characteristic of the regular Volvo 200 Series. The 262C still garnered some attention, with approximately 6,500 units produced before it was discontinued in the early ’80s.

Renault 16

Renault was known for its eccentric car designs, and enjoyed significant success with the Renault 16. Over its fifteen-year production run, more than 1.8 million units of this versatile vehicle rolled off the assembly line.

The Renault 16 checked many boxes for an ideal daily driver, with excellent fuel economy and reliability. It even earned the prestigious title of European Car of The Year in 1965.

Its Achilles’ heel was definitely it’s funky exterior design, which lacked the aesthetic appeal that other aspects of the vehicle, such as its efficiency, possessed.

Oldsmobile Omega

The Oldsmobile Omega was a member of GM’s lineup that never quite stood out. As an entry-level Oldsmobile, the Omega may not have been expected to exude luxury, but a more refined design wouldn’t have hurt.

General Motors tried to boost the Omega’s attractiveness by offering features not found on its Chevrolet counterpart, the Nova.

However, these efforts proved insufficient, and the Omega faced discontinuation twice—first in 1984 and then following another bad stylistic update in the early ’80s.

Ford Granada

The Granada finally made its debut in 1975, and it’s safe to say that its design left much to be desired. The vehicle’s appearance seemed rushed and uninspiring, lacking the sophistication you’d expect from an upscale model. It had design drawbacks, but luckily, the Granada managed to find a place in the market eventually offering a range of engine options and a comfortable ride.

Subaru Leone

Despite its enticing name, which means “lion” in Italian, the Subaru Leone didn’t exactly roar with excitement. Instead, this sedan was a rather plain and unremarkable vehicle. It was designed to be a practical and fuel-efficient car, and unfortunately, its lack of character extended to its exterior design.

Despite its unassuming appearance, the Subaru Leone remained on the market for over two decades before being discontinued in the mid-90s. While it may not have been a head-turner, it definitely served its purpose as a dependable and efficient mode of transportation.

Plymouth Fury

The Plymouth Fury was known for its striking road presence and iconic design in its early years, but then it took a nosedive in terms of aesthetics during the early 1970s.

The once-glamorous Fury underwent a series of design changes and each generation seemingly less attractive than the last. This unfortunate transformation eventually led to the discontinuation of the Fury in the late 1970s.

Bristol Type 603

The Bristol Blenheim had an aircraft-inspired name, but failed to impress in terms of design.It was introduced in Great Britain, the Blenheim’s exterior appearance was an odd blend of the BMW E30 3-Series and the Saab 900.

While it may have had a respectable 5.2L V8 engine under the hood, the British automaker has kept production numbers of this vehicle largely undisclosed. The Type 603’s unattractive styling left a lot to be desired, despite its impressive mechanical abilities.

Ford Elite

The Ford Elite was introduced in 1974 amid the aftermath of the oil crisis, and struggled to find its footing in the market. This upscale vehicle, characterized by its unattractive design, was out of touch with the changing preferences of buyers during the era.

It endured a brief two-year stint before being discontinued. Ford’s design choices in the 1970s were often questionable, and the Elite was no exception. Its unappealing appearance and subsequent fate as a predecessor to a less-than-stellar model made it a forgettable entry in Ford’s lineup.