Legendary Car Flops~>Oh `No : )
Legendary Car Flops~>Oh `No : )
provided by
Legendary Car Flops
These autos were the best at being the worst.
By Hannah Elliott
1978 Ford Pinto
The recent news that Consumer Reports put the 2010 Lexus GX 460 on its "Don't Buy" list has already impacted the vehicle's future--Toyota has issued a stop-sale order on the $52,000 SUV and commissioned extensive testing to determine the cause of its failure.
The safety warning could also pose a public relations problem for the beleaguered company--the GX is the only vehicle to receive the "Don't Buy" designation since it was instituted last July. Only 11 vehicles have received the less-severe "Not Acceptable" rating since the list began in 1969.
But it's too early to call the GX a failure. That label could come after a couple of years of poor reception. Think more along the lines of the 1971 Ford Pinto. Or the 2001 Pontiac Aztek.
MORE AT FORBES.COM
The Aztek, GM's first attempt at a crossover vehicle, isn't the only car to elicit such a reaction. The Lincoln Blackwood, the Yugo and the Cadillac Cimarron, in the opinions of the industry experts we sought, also make our list of the worst car flops.
Behind The Failures
In addition to Fisher, who is also a professional driver, Mike Caudill, an automotive expert for NADA Guides, and Karl Brauer, editor-in-chief at Edmunds.com, contributed to our list of the worst flops in history. Each had his own ideas about what makes a vehicle a flop (the cars on our list must have been sold in the U.S. in mass-production volumes available to any buyer)--Fisher says the Honda Del Sol should be on our list because of its odd looks, poor driving performance and short production run; Caudill disagrees about the relative merits of its performance.
But our experts also fingered many of the same vehicles.
The Ford Edsel is one of those models. Along with the Yugo, Edsel is virtually synonymous with the phrase "automotive failure." It was produced from 1958 to 1960, ostensibly as a way to help create a new, up-market division at Ford Motor Company (Edsel cars cost between $2,500 and $4,000, which was more than Ford-branded cars at the time, but less than the Lincoln-branded cars; Mercury cars were priced about the same). But sales were dismal (84,000 total, about half of the projected rate) and critics lambasted its styling (a unique horse-collar grill, among other things), its reliability and overall quality.
The 1982 Cadillac Cimarron is another frequently mentioned flop. Cimarron was Cadillac's first try at making something small--dealers had requested a fuel-sipper because gas prices had become prohibitively high. The Cimarron was built on an economy-car platform and offered either manual or automatic transmission, with some amenities. But it appealed neither to Cadillac's loyal followers, who appreciated powerful V8s and Cadillac's domestic luxury edge, nor to buyers who favored Europe's luxury brands, whose cars out-handled and out-classed the Cimarron in every way. It was discontinued after just six years of production.
"It came at a time when Cadillac was trying to discover itself, and it was one of the ugliest vehicles they ever could have made," Caudill says. "It doesn't look like what you'd expect a Cadillac to look like. If you look at a Mustang now vs. a Mustang then, you go, 'Wow, cool.' But you don't look at a 1982 Cadillac Cimarron and go, 'Man, I need one of those.'"
It Takes A Special Car To Fail
Not just any car can be a flop. Most have a combination of a stinted production run, drastically lower-than-projected sales (at least 50% lower than expected), and critical and/or popular disdain. It will likely also have poor safety or reliability scores, although that's not a prerequisite. One thing is certain: They all end up costing their makers a lot of money. Ford lost $200 million-$250 million (or $1.55 billion adjusted for inflation) on the failed Edsel venture, according to reports at the time. Years later, Ford also lost millions in settlements paid for lawsuits brought over safety complications with the 1970 Ford Pinto.
The Pinto was Ford's first subcompact car and was successfully redesigned to sell hundreds of thousands of units during its 10-year production run. But it earned a devastating and long-lasting reputation after reports of a faulty gas tank that could burst into flames during rear-end collisions. Hundreds were killed in fire-related accidents, and Ford received scathing criticism when investigators discovered that an inexpensive upgrade would have prevented the problem. All told, it cost Ford more to repair all the faulty Pintos than it cost to make them in the first place.
The 1984 Pontiac Fiero, too, had combustion problems: chronically low levels of oil in the car's engine led to roughly 200 reported fires and dozens of injuries, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and GM press releases.
Of course, many "flopped" cars have enthusiastically loyal cult followings: '80s-philes love the Back-To-The-Future-famous DeLorean, and collectors pay thousands of dollars for hard-to-find Edsels. Red Bull even fastened large soda cans to the tops of a fleet of bright-red Suzuki X-90s, ugly-duckling two-seaters that sold for just two years, in order to advertise its energy drink.
Other notoriously "bad" cars weren't really that bad, Fisher says: Maybe they just failed to resonate, or perhaps they were meant to spur something even better down the road. The Cimarron flopped--but it might have helped pave the way for Cadillac's 2010 $35,165 CTS, also a compact luxury sedan, which has re-energized the brand and won rave reviews from critics and consumers alike.
The same goes for GM's first potentially mass-produced electric vehicle, the EV1. While there's virtually nothing redeeming about the odd-looking, unreliable and expensive car, it does have a certain value, Caudill says.
"Sometimes in the automotive industry, you have technologies come out that help other automakers learn what not to do, as opposed to what to do," he says. "You have to applaud General Motors. They gave it a shot."
Top Five Legendary Car Flops
Cadillac Cimarron
Production Run: 1982-1988
Total Units Sold: 132,500
Flop Notes: Low sales; poor performance; didn't work coming from a luxury brand.
Ford Edsel
Production Run: 1958-1960
Total Units Sold: 84,000
Flop Notes: Outré styling; low sales.
Ford Pinto
Production Run: 1970-1980
Total Units Sold: Unknown
Flop Notes: Fuel tank problems led to combustion during rear collisions.
GM EV1
Production Run: 1996-1999
Total Units Sold: 1,100
Flop Notes: Expensive and unreliable; low sales.
Lincoln Blackwood
Production Run: 2002 in the U.S.
Total Units Sold: 3,300
Flop Notes: Low sales; expensive; carpeted truck-bed made it impractical.
Click here for the full list of Legendary Car Flops
Member's, post what cars you think belongs on this list ?
Legendary Car Flops
These autos were the best at being the worst.
By Hannah Elliott
1978 Ford PintoThe recent news that Consumer Reports put the 2010 Lexus GX 460 on its "Don't Buy" list has already impacted the vehicle's future--Toyota has issued a stop-sale order on the $52,000 SUV and commissioned extensive testing to determine the cause of its failure.
The safety warning could also pose a public relations problem for the beleaguered company--the GX is the only vehicle to receive the "Don't Buy" designation since it was instituted last July. Only 11 vehicles have received the less-severe "Not Acceptable" rating since the list began in 1969.
But it's too early to call the GX a failure. That label could come after a couple of years of poor reception. Think more along the lines of the 1971 Ford Pinto. Or the 2001 Pontiac Aztek.
MORE AT FORBES.COM
- » Photos: 10 Legendary Car Flops
- » The 10 Biggest Vehicle Recalls
- » Worst-Made Cars On The Road
- » The World's 10 Most Popular Cars
The Aztek, GM's first attempt at a crossover vehicle, isn't the only car to elicit such a reaction. The Lincoln Blackwood, the Yugo and the Cadillac Cimarron, in the opinions of the industry experts we sought, also make our list of the worst car flops.
Behind The Failures
In addition to Fisher, who is also a professional driver, Mike Caudill, an automotive expert for NADA Guides, and Karl Brauer, editor-in-chief at Edmunds.com, contributed to our list of the worst flops in history. Each had his own ideas about what makes a vehicle a flop (the cars on our list must have been sold in the U.S. in mass-production volumes available to any buyer)--Fisher says the Honda Del Sol should be on our list because of its odd looks, poor driving performance and short production run; Caudill disagrees about the relative merits of its performance.
But our experts also fingered many of the same vehicles.
The Ford Edsel is one of those models. Along with the Yugo, Edsel is virtually synonymous with the phrase "automotive failure." It was produced from 1958 to 1960, ostensibly as a way to help create a new, up-market division at Ford Motor Company (Edsel cars cost between $2,500 and $4,000, which was more than Ford-branded cars at the time, but less than the Lincoln-branded cars; Mercury cars were priced about the same). But sales were dismal (84,000 total, about half of the projected rate) and critics lambasted its styling (a unique horse-collar grill, among other things), its reliability and overall quality.
The 1982 Cadillac Cimarron is another frequently mentioned flop. Cimarron was Cadillac's first try at making something small--dealers had requested a fuel-sipper because gas prices had become prohibitively high. The Cimarron was built on an economy-car platform and offered either manual or automatic transmission, with some amenities. But it appealed neither to Cadillac's loyal followers, who appreciated powerful V8s and Cadillac's domestic luxury edge, nor to buyers who favored Europe's luxury brands, whose cars out-handled and out-classed the Cimarron in every way. It was discontinued after just six years of production.
"It came at a time when Cadillac was trying to discover itself, and it was one of the ugliest vehicles they ever could have made," Caudill says. "It doesn't look like what you'd expect a Cadillac to look like. If you look at a Mustang now vs. a Mustang then, you go, 'Wow, cool.' But you don't look at a 1982 Cadillac Cimarron and go, 'Man, I need one of those.'"
It Takes A Special Car To Fail
Not just any car can be a flop. Most have a combination of a stinted production run, drastically lower-than-projected sales (at least 50% lower than expected), and critical and/or popular disdain. It will likely also have poor safety or reliability scores, although that's not a prerequisite. One thing is certain: They all end up costing their makers a lot of money. Ford lost $200 million-$250 million (or $1.55 billion adjusted for inflation) on the failed Edsel venture, according to reports at the time. Years later, Ford also lost millions in settlements paid for lawsuits brought over safety complications with the 1970 Ford Pinto.
The Pinto was Ford's first subcompact car and was successfully redesigned to sell hundreds of thousands of units during its 10-year production run. But it earned a devastating and long-lasting reputation after reports of a faulty gas tank that could burst into flames during rear-end collisions. Hundreds were killed in fire-related accidents, and Ford received scathing criticism when investigators discovered that an inexpensive upgrade would have prevented the problem. All told, it cost Ford more to repair all the faulty Pintos than it cost to make them in the first place.
The 1984 Pontiac Fiero, too, had combustion problems: chronically low levels of oil in the car's engine led to roughly 200 reported fires and dozens of injuries, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and GM press releases.
Of course, many "flopped" cars have enthusiastically loyal cult followings: '80s-philes love the Back-To-The-Future-famous DeLorean, and collectors pay thousands of dollars for hard-to-find Edsels. Red Bull even fastened large soda cans to the tops of a fleet of bright-red Suzuki X-90s, ugly-duckling two-seaters that sold for just two years, in order to advertise its energy drink.
Other notoriously "bad" cars weren't really that bad, Fisher says: Maybe they just failed to resonate, or perhaps they were meant to spur something even better down the road. The Cimarron flopped--but it might have helped pave the way for Cadillac's 2010 $35,165 CTS, also a compact luxury sedan, which has re-energized the brand and won rave reviews from critics and consumers alike.
The same goes for GM's first potentially mass-produced electric vehicle, the EV1. While there's virtually nothing redeeming about the odd-looking, unreliable and expensive car, it does have a certain value, Caudill says.
"Sometimes in the automotive industry, you have technologies come out that help other automakers learn what not to do, as opposed to what to do," he says. "You have to applaud General Motors. They gave it a shot."
Top Five Legendary Car Flops
Cadillac Cimarron
Production Run: 1982-1988
Total Units Sold: 132,500
Flop Notes: Low sales; poor performance; didn't work coming from a luxury brand.
Ford Edsel
Production Run: 1958-1960
Total Units Sold: 84,000
Flop Notes: Outré styling; low sales.
Ford Pinto
Production Run: 1970-1980
Total Units Sold: Unknown
Flop Notes: Fuel tank problems led to combustion during rear collisions.
GM EV1
Production Run: 1996-1999
Total Units Sold: 1,100
Flop Notes: Expensive and unreliable; low sales.
Lincoln Blackwood
Production Run: 2002 in the U.S.
Total Units Sold: 3,300
Flop Notes: Low sales; expensive; carpeted truck-bed made it impractical.
Click here for the full list of Legendary Car Flops
Member's, post what cars you think belongs on this list ?
Last edited by Space; May 4, 2010 at 06:10 AM.
I like the Prowler, there's one old dude in Florida that has a all Black one & he cruises the Beach.... It looks wild cruiz'in down the road 
They sold 11,700 of them, and I can't believe it's on the list....I think it's a super roadster with a modern powertrain...I'd like to see one with a `Hemi instead of a six cylinder auto trans...Member's, what do you think of above ? Has anyone every drove one..?
I'd love to 4-Sure....
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,483
From: lakeland fl
you also forgot the chevy vega it had the four cylinder at 30k the block will break do to poor engin design. as in no steel sleaves in the cylender walls to help dispers the heat beater but the do to poor design and the amount of rust it will split the car.
I checked auto trader to see what the Prowler was selling for on the Market in my area of Florida...
For a Flop
they sure have held their value 4 Sure....If I was rich or won the Lotto, I'd like to get one & put a Hemi or a Short Block Chevy in one
"Dreams R still `free" LOL
$35,900
Used 2001 Plymouth Prowler
View the details of this vehicle
117 miles from ZIP code 32958
Save this car
Private Seller
Email this seller
Get this seller's phone number
$31,500
Used 1999 Plymouth Prowler
View the details of this vehicle
68 miles from ZIP code 32958
Save this car
Private Seller
Email this seller
Get this seller's phone number
Sponsored Results
View All
$31,995
Advantage Chrysler Dodge Jeep
2000 Plymouth Prowler
low price
$31,995
Used 2000 Plymouth Prowler
99 miles from ZIP code 32958
Save this car
Advantage Chrysler Dodge Jeep
1-866-437-1613
View the Free
CARFAX Report
$29,900
Used 1999 Plymouth Prowler
96 miles from ZIP code 32958
Save this car
Elite Auto Sales
1-866-935-8158
View the Free
CARFAX Report
$24,988
Used 2000 Plymouth Prowler
91 miles from ZIP code 32958
Save this car
Lash Auto Sales
1-866-701-9972
For a Flop
they sure have held their value 4 Sure....If I was rich or won the Lotto, I'd like to get one & put a Hemi or a Short Block Chevy in one "Dreams R still `free"
LOL $35,900
Used 2001 Plymouth Prowler
- 22,000 miles
- Orange
View the details of this vehicle
117 miles from ZIP code 32958
Save this car
Private Seller
Email this seller
Get this seller's phone number
$31,500
Used 1999 Plymouth Prowler
- 22,200 miles
- Purple
View the details of this vehicle
68 miles from ZIP code 32958
Save this car
Private Seller
Email this seller
Get this seller's phone number
Sponsored Results
View All
$31,995Advantage Chrysler Dodge Jeep
2000 Plymouth Prowler
low price
$31,995 Used 2000 Plymouth Prowler
- 35,379 miles
- Black
99 miles from ZIP code 32958
Save this car
Advantage Chrysler Dodge Jeep
1-866-437-1613- Internet Coupon Available!
View the FreeCARFAX Report
$29,900 Used 1999 Plymouth Prowler
- 19,354 miles
- Purple
96 miles from ZIP code 32958
Save this car
Elite Auto Sales
1-866-935-8158- Sport Luxury For Less !
View the FreeCARFAX Report
$24,988 Used 2000 Plymouth Prowler
- 58,112 miles
- Black
91 miles from ZIP code 32958
Save this car
Lash Auto Sales
1-866-701-9972- Stop Dreaming & start Driving!
Last edited by Space; May 4, 2010 at 06:41 AM.
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 106
From: Vancouver, BC
I love the prowlers. I'd still love to get one and mod it to look even more retro. Chrome cattle catcher grill etc.
As for the EV1, haven't any of you seen the move "Who killed the Electric Car"? there were tons of people who wanted to buy that car, but GM bowed to the Oil Industries will and destroyed them. I think the EV1 is still on par (or damn near it) with today's electric vehicles. Imagine if they had of kept up with the R&R back then instead of destroying EVERY SINGLE EV1 they could find and erasing them from history.
As for the EV1, haven't any of you seen the move "Who killed the Electric Car"? there were tons of people who wanted to buy that car, but GM bowed to the Oil Industries will and destroyed them. I think the EV1 is still on par (or damn near it) with today's electric vehicles. Imagine if they had of kept up with the R&R back then instead of destroying EVERY SINGLE EV1 they could find and erasing them from history.
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,429
From: Little Rock, AR
prowler.....
..........I liked the Prowler when it came out. I always thought that Chrysler was never going to keep it for very long. I agree though......Put a Hemi in that thing and WOW !
GM did the same thing with the SSR. In my opinion......
GM did the same thing with the SSR. In my opinion......
I remember the Cadillac Cimmaron. It was a thinly disguised, re-badged Cavalier. Bad idea!
I liked the idea of the Prowler. It had great potential as a factory built hot-rod. Too bad they put a weak-azzed engine and automatic tranny combo in it.
Space, couldn't help but notice the MCF Yugo in that list. LOL
I liked the idea of the Prowler. It had great potential as a factory built hot-rod. Too bad they put a weak-azzed engine and automatic tranny combo in it.
Space, couldn't help but notice the MCF Yugo in that list. LOL
