The American automotive industry has created some of the most unique models from the 50s to the muscle cars of the 60s and 70s that rocked the world. Countless examples show that there were incredible cars in the USA.
However, manufacturers sometimes create cars that are not distinguished by either beauty or performance. Some of these cars were horrendous builds that were life-threatening, while others were disappointing for generations. If you want to buy or lease a car in the near future, it is better to avoid the cars listed below.
1. Chevrolet SSR
This is one of the biggest failures ever made by General Motors. The model was produced between 2003 and 2006. In three years, only 9,000 units were sold out of 24,000 produced. Chevy wanted to build a sort of modern hot rod, so they took an off-road platform and put a Corvette V6 on top of it. In addition to the unattractive design, the car was quite expensive.
2. Ford Edsel
The Ford Edsel is considered one of Ford’s greatest failures. In 1958, the company spent over $400 million developing and advertising this car. The Edsel was supposed to compete with the huge models of Oldsmobile and Buick, but the idea failed miserably. The company was forced to stop production after a year and a half.
3. A.M.C. Gremlin
The Gremlin can be considered one of the weirdest on this list because despite being one of the worst cars ever made in the States, it proved to be very popular. In total, over 500,000 units have been sold worldwide. This car was introduced to the market on April 1, 1970, and it can rightfully be considered an April Fool’s joke.
4. Chevrolet Corvette 305 “California”
Don’t let the beautiful design fool you into thinking this is a really good car. The 305 is considered one of the worst Corvette. The model released in 1980 was equipped with a 5.0-liter V8 engine that produced 180 horsepower. The car was only available with an automatic transmission.
5. Plymouth Prowler
The Plymouth Prowler was produced from 1997 to 2002 and the company managed to sell over 11,000 units. The automaker wanted to create a modern retro roadster, but the 3.5-liter V6 proved to be inefficient. It also only had an automatic transmission.
6. Ford Mustang 20th Anniversary Shelby GT350
The anniversary model was created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Mustang in 1984. However, this car has nothing to do with the legendary Shelby GT350. In fact, Carol Shelby didn’t work on this car, and he didn’t like that the marketing team decided to name the GT350 one of the worst Muscle Cars. This GT350 was powered by a turbocharged inline-four engine. Ford produced only 5,000 units of this model.
7. Cadillac V8 Fleetwood 6-4
In 1980, Cadillac decided to release the 6-4 with a V8 engine. A feature was that the car was equipped with an electronic cylinder deactivation system when driving around the city, this was done to save fuel. When more power was needed, the system activated the other 2 cylinders and so on up to the V8. The big problem was that the system itself worked poorly, and the car itself was unreliable. Most of the time Cadillac hung in low mode and only ran four cylinders.
8. Chrysler TC by Maserati
This car was the result of a collaboration between the two companies at a time when Chrysler was a shareholder in Maserati. The model was introduced in 1989, it was neither beautiful nor fast, but there was a Maserati nameplate on board, so the car was sold as a high-class convertible. Basically, it was a cheap Chrysler, but very well dressed.
9. Ford Pinto
Several Ford Pintos caught fire, people were injured and some died before the company admitted the car was a death trap. In the 70s, Pinto was an absolute hit, because it was inexpensive and had a decent design. However, this car had a serious drawback. Ford engineers placed the fuel tank under the trunk behind the rear bumper. At the first light impact from behind, there was a high probability of car fire. The Pinto became known as the “death car” and Ford had to pay millions to pay off the families of the victims.
10. Pontiac Aztek
This car became famous thanks to Walter White and the popular TV series Breaking Bad. The Pontiac Aztek was created because Pontiac sales were plummeting and the company needed a new model. Unfortunately, the situation could not be corrected. Interestingly, Aztek was developed by the same team that created the magnificent Corvette C7.
