Malcolm Bricklin was Yugo's old importer in the U.S., and he wants to bring the vehicles back. Malcolm Bricklin also built a vehicle called the Bricklin SV-1 in New Brunswick, and they say that if he ever sets foot in New Brunswick again they will shoot him on sight. Yugos, priced below $4,000 when first introduced, came to America as a great benefit to comedians, and at the expense of value-conscious customers. The GV was Yugo's bread-and-butter model, and owners complained constantly about engine problems, steering problems, problems with the stereo, problems with the floor--basically, everything. What worked in a Yugo worked as poorly and cheaply as possible.
With names like Borgward and Wartburg, some cars made in postwar Germany just seem to shout "junk." The name Trabant carried connotations of greater ignobility; it was a poor man's Volkswagen, and Volkswagen itself used to cater to budget-minded buyers who expected quality problems. Trabants were built of a material called Duraplast, basically because its Sachsenring factory couldn't afford steel. Duraplast was resin reinforced with cotton fibers, and it made the Trabants look, feel and last like Soviet appliances.
you want to know what sank Renault in the U.S., look further back in history than Le Car. The Dauphine, one of the first postwar Renaults, was analogous to the first Hyundai Excel: high volume, newfangled and bad. Renault used to be one of the biggest car companies; the Dauphine, a populist vehicle that sold neck and neck with Volkswagen's Beetle for a time in the late 1950s, started a pattern of unacceptable engineering that almost killed the company. Here are some sample horsepower figures from Dauphines of the 1950s: 19, 32, 38. Folks, we're talking about taking half a minute to do 0-60 mph.
the time Pontiac killed its unprofitable Fiero after a four-year run, the vehicle was quite good. But GM spent a lot of money fixing a car that was billed originally as a fuel-efficient commuter car, when buyers expected it to be a high-end sports car. Whatever they may have been expecting, Fiero customers got a car that was initially unreliable. Pontiac issued 403 service bulletins on the '84 Fiero, plus a recall for engine fires. The vehicle had particular problems with driving in reverse--the gear would engage suddenly, or it wouldn't engage at all, or it would just do it very, very slowly.
GM had two famously bad engines in the early 1980s: one that could operate on four, six or eight cylinders, and an Oldsmobile diesel. While the "variable displacement" engine was a pioneering idea that is just coming back on cars, the worst it usually got was that owners would have to clip undercarriage wires to get away from malfunctioning four- and six-cylinder modes. Oldsmobile's 5.7-liter diesel, which appeared from 1979 to 1984 on the Delta 88, was a bigger problem--a converted gasoline engine that was just a disaster. It would "smoke," demonstrating "rough idle" and "reduced performance," according to service bulletins
There's a good reason that rotary engines never really caught on. Rotaries--which run in circles, unlike pistons, which run up and down--are like diesels; they had major problems early in life, creating a buying populace that to this date does not fully trust them. Mazda's RX-2, one of the first rotary-engine cars, had problems with catching on fire. It also raised the classic problems of rotary engines: bad fuel economy and emissions. Rotary seals would wear out early in an RX-2's life, leaking fuel and emissions along the way.
Early Honda Accord buyers were delighted to have a small car that looked and drove better than comparable American offerings. What they weren't so happy about were young Honda's Fiat-like quality problems; had they remained unaddressed, Honda may have gone the way of Fiat in this country. The first Accord's fenders would rust from the inside out. Pieces of interior trim would change color or fall off. An Accord owner might change his transmission five or six times, as he watched his primitive aluminum engine blow its gaskets.
"You don't want to talk about the Pinto," said a Ford official. "Leave that one in the cemetery." Apparently, Ford has not forgotten the lawsuits and the public relations disasters forged by its Pinto hatchback and sedan. The Pinto's famous safety flaw, of course, was that it was prone to blowing up if rear-ended. When people talk about how bad American small cars created an opportunity for the Japanese to come in and clean house in the 1970s and '80s, they are referring to vehicles like this (and see Chevrolet Vega, second slide).
The Edsel is an automotive punch line, but its mechanical underpinnings were pretty decent; the car just never sold. It was overly laden with features and overpriced; i.e., Ford asked customers what they wanted to see on cars, but not what they were willing to pay for. Then, of course, we have the fact that the vehicle's polarizing styling drove it off the market two years after it appeared. Think of the Pontiac Aztek in an era when cars were mechanically inferior to the way they are now.
For its Strada subcompact, Fiat was issuing service bulletins--instructions that manufacturers send to dealers about recurring problems--before the vehicle ever went on sale. Lawsuits over rust--and that must be some serious rust--helped drive Fiat out of the U.S., and the Strada was a particular stinker in this regard. Its floors, suspension, wheel arches and engine mounts had rust problems--to name a few parts. Not that the engines were even worth saving; the Strada's "range" began at 60 horsepower and topped out at 75.
Here was a car that had the potential to be totally awesome. The Citroën SM's half-covered rear wheel prefigured the look of Honda's Insight hybrid coupe, and while the SM's bizarre hydro-pneumatic suspension was years ahead of its time, it was poorly engineered and designed. The suspension would collapse. Its nitrogen and mineral oil would leak, and rubber seals on the suspension would wear down over time. Had you pressed the car to its absolute limits, the SM might have ended up riding on its axles
Early Vegas were poorly designed, and their aluminum engines failed constantly. The first time General Motors tested this car on the track, its front end reportedly broke off from the rest of the vehicle. When the Vega did reach the market, it was one of the most unabashedly no-frills cars in history. Starting at $2,090, the Vega offered little space with its 97-inch wheelbase (the distance from the center of the front wheel to the center of the rear) and had disturbingly little horsepower, 90, out of its four-cylinder engine.
Like the Chevrolet Vega on our list, AMC's Pacer was supposed to be fitted with a rotary engine--but both rotaries had technical problems late in their development (read: after incurring heavy research costs) that prevented them from seeing the light of day. Of course, both vehicles had plenty of problems that did reach production. The Pacer was a dud in terms of quality, execution and particularly styling. Make your own assessment about its bizarre proportions, but don't miss the one door that's bigger than the other
WORST CARS OF ALL TIME
TOP TEN MOST BEAUTIFUL CARS OF ALL TIME
The Jaguar E type, also known as the XK-E, was launched in 1961 and immediately became a major hit on the market. It combined not just performance and engineering excellence, but also a stunning design. An aerodynamics engineer, Malcolm Sayer, is the man to blame for this beauty. Many consider it probably the most beautiful production sports car
This elegant design is a result of a combined effort of Count Carlo Felice Trossi, who bought the chassis of the SSK in 1930, and an unknown English body worker, Wiilie White (coach-builder), who put Trossi's vision into reality. It has surely earned its name, the Black Prince. This magnificent car is in the famous Ralph Lauren car collection.
It is one of the fastest, the most expensive, the most powerful and the most beautiful cars of our time. Veyron holds the Bugatti car making tradition, which never failed in creating beautiful and stylish cars. Its aerodynamically structured body expresses a perfect union of luxurious and sportive elements. Bugatti, or Volkswagen-Audi Gruppe to be exact, wanted to show the world the capacity of automotive industry with Veyron. Such an engineering and design jewel is a phenomenon whose characteristics will not be available in any everyday car, but with its existence, Veyron makes the world a much better place for any automotive enthusiast.
When first describing it, the press used a special expression for this car - goute d'eau, a drop of water. Later it was translated as 'teardrop.' Goutte d'eau was a new term, an acknowledgment that the automobile's speed had crossed an invisible line where aerodynamic drag and stability began to influence performance as much as weight and power. Jaguars William Lyons once said: 'That car is positively indecent.'
It is the beauty and the beast at the same time. The provocative and futuristic Zonda design is the creation of Horacio Pagani, and is a result of the intense search for aerodynamic and ergonomic aesthetics linked to the need to create a sensational and exceptional car. It is wild and raw, and surely won't leave you indifferent. It is interesting that Horacio used his wife for a model during designing this car. And actually, when looked from above, Zonda really has the figure of a supermodel.
This car became more famous than ever after the Gone in 60 Seconds movie, where it got its name - Eleanor. The car in the movie was a modified version of 1967 GT500 and featured extensive external body upgrades. Since it became so popular, and it is obvious why, Shelby started production of Mustang GT-500Es. Everyone just went crazy for it. Even a couple of years after the movie, Eleanor is still exceptionally popular. In USA, there are a couple of workshops that offer outstanding Eleanor replicas with even more power than the original version had.
The name "Dino“ honours Dino (Alfredo) Ferrari, the son of Enzo Ferrari, who suggested his father developed a V6 racing engine for Formula 2 in the early 60s. He died before the car was finished, and Enzo, for the memory of his son, put the V6 into a mid-engined sports car and named it "Dino." Like all beautiful Ferraris, the Dino was designed by Pininfarina. The chief designer, Leonardo Fioravanti, gave Dino a very sexy, low shoulder body which was different from previous Ferrari designs and influenced the future models. By many, it is still the most beautiful Ferrari ever built.
The Mercedes-Benz 300SL is a two-seat, closed sports car with characteristic gull-wing or butterfly wing doors, which, when opened, resembled a bird's outstretched wings. This car definitely attracts attention and has a distinctive and unique appearance, but is not very practical or comfortable. Still, beauty comes first, and this one deserves its' title.
The list wouldn't be complete without the legendary Rolls-Royce. It is massive (the Phantom’s aluminium space frame is the largest of its kind ever built for automotive use) and every line and detail on this car screams power and elegance.
The DB4 Zagato appeared in 1960, and was produced for only two years. During that time, only 19 cars were built and all are still existing in the hand of Aston Martin enthusiasts. It was basically a DB4 GT improved by the Zagato factory, by Ercole Spada. Aston Martin wanted a series of DB4 GT's that would be lighter and more competitive racing against the Ferrari 250 GT's. In 1960 it contracted Zagato to build bodies for 19 chassis. What they have come up with is the most desirable Aston Martin ever - beautiful, yet aggressive. This car marked one of the most memorable chapters in Aston history.