10 CARS THAT EMBARRASED THEIR MAKERS.

 

1. Jaguar X-Type

The Jaguar X-Type was designed to compete with rear wheel drive compact vehicles. The problem is Jaguar, or more accurately Ford, didn’t want to spend the money to develop a new platform. Instead Ford used the Ford Contour platform to create the Jaguar X-Type. Ford upgraded the engine heads and added all-wheel drive in an attempt to appeal to a wider audience. The interior was spruced up with wood veneer and a healthy dose of leather, while the exterior was giving a chrome grille similar to other Jaguar vehicles. Sales in the first year were good, with a healthy 33,018 units sold, but it didn’t last. The X-type was ridiculed for being nothing more than a re-bodied Ford and not a “real” Jaguar. Sales eventually fell off and the X-Type was put to rest.

 

2. BMW 318ti

Introduced in 1995 the BMW 318ti was a three-door hatchback targeted at customers who couldn’t afford the more expensive 3-series. Starting price for the 318ti was $19,900, which was enticing, who wouldn’t want a BMW for under 20 grand? The problem was the car looked cheap inside and out. It looked like an E36 3-series that had the rear end chopped off and replaced with a hatchback. The only engine was a weak 1.8 liter 138 horsepower four-cylinder that took more than nine seconds to reach 60 mph. The interior was covered in mostly tacky plastic and the seats were uncomfortable. Customers stayed away from the 318ti, with only 7000 being sold in the first year.

 

3. 1990 Lotus Elan

At the start of the 90’s Lotus resurrected the Elan nameplate and equipped it with an Isuzu powertrain and front wheel drive. This marks the first and only time Lotus made a front wheel drive car. The handling was great but the powertrain left more to be desired. Two engines were available for the Elan: a 130 horsepower naturally aspirated and a 160 horsepower turbocharged engine. General Motors was behind the funding for the Elan, as they owned Lotus at the time. This explains how an Isuzu powertrain ended up in a Lotus, and how “handling by Lotus” badges ended up on the Isuzu Impulse. The Elan ended production in 1995, when the design was purchased by Kia.

 

4. Cadillac Cimarron

In an effort to get into the luxury compact market during the 80’s, Cadillac rushed production of the Cimarron. They took a GM small car platform and covered it in glitz. Leather upholstery, air conditioning, alloy wheels, intermittent wipers, and anything else that they could cram into the car were added. Customers saw right through Cadillacs ploy and immediately recognized the car for what it was: a Chevrolet Cavalier covered in glitz and glam. The engine was the same little four-cylinder found in the Buick Skyhawk and the Oldsmobile Firenza. Cadillac tried to keep the Cimarron alive, even adding in a V-6 option in 1985, but consumers never took the bait. In 1988 the Cimarron was discontinued. The Cimarron was such a colossal failure that Cadillac product director John Howell kept a picture of it in his office with the caption “Lest we forget” written on it
 

 

5. Triumph Stag

Debuting in 1970 the Triumph Stag was marketed as “A Different Kind of Triumph.” They weren’t wrong, the Stag is different all right, just not in a good way. Previous Triumphs were regarded as handsome, while the Stag was awkward and rather ugly. The Stag was a convertible, but because the chassis was weak, a fat roll hoop was attached to the windshield header in order to give the chassis more rigidity. This took away the convertible look and turned it into something unique and weird. A newly developed V-8 engine was used in the Stag, which was basically two Triumph Slant-4 engines usually seen in Triumphs. Unfortunately the V-8 engine was terribly unreliable. The Stag marked the beginning of the end for the Triumph brand.
 

 

6. Subaru 360

The Subaru 360 was a tiny, adorable, bubble-shaped car that weighed 993 pounds and resembled the Volkswagen Beetle. The wasn’t available in America because the less than 1000 pound curb weight exempted it from federal motor-vehicle standards, that is until 1968. The 360 looks cute, but don’t be deceived by looks, this car is terrible. Less than ten feet long and powered by a 25 horsepower two-stroke engine, the Subaru 360 goes nowhere fast. Top speed of the 360 was 55 mph and it took 37.5 seconds to go from zero to 50 mph. Driving this car was so terrible that Consumer Reports called it a rolling road hazard. If you encountered a vehicle you needed to pass (which would probably be a feat in itself) it took over 30 seconds to go from 30 to 50 mph as well.
 

 

7. Dodge Shelby Lancer

Carroll Shelby has been known to make some of the fastest cars, usually taking Ford Mustangs and loading them up with powerful add-ons. Shelby also modified Chrysler products in the 80s like the Dodge Omni, the Dakota pickup, and the Charger. The black sheep of the vehicles modified by Shelby was the Dodge Shelby Lancer. A 175 horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder was housed under the hood of the Shelby Lancer. While it sounds like a decent motor, it took the Shelby Lancer 7.2 seconds to reach 60 mph. The Shelby Lancers that were unfortunate enough to be built with an automatic transmission were even slower, as the three-speed automatic reduced the horsepower to 146. Few of these Shelby Lancers were produced and for good reason.

8. Maserati Biturbo

The Maserati Biturbo is another example of a luxury car manufacturer trying to build smaller, more affordable cars. In a bold move, Maserati stopped making supercars and focused on smaller vehicles, resulting in the creation of the Biturbo. The Biturbo was an awkward clone of the BMW 3-series, with rear wheel drive and a six-cylinder engine. The engine was equipped with a twin-turbo, the first ever twin-turbo on a production vehicle. If anything, Maserati deserves a little credit for being the first to stuff a twin-turbo into a production vehicle. The Biturbo was not a success in the U.S., resulting in Maserati halting production of the vehicle. The Biturbo is ranked number 28 in the BBC book of “Crap Cars” and in 2007 was selected as Time Magazine’s worst car of 1984.

 

 

9. Aston Martin Cygnet

The Aston Martin Cygnet is so vastly different from what the supercar company usually produces, that when it was announced in 2009, people thought it was a joke. Rather than a big burly V-12 or V-8 engine powered beast, the Cygnet was a rebadged Scion IQ. A tiny 97 horsepower 1.3 liter four-cylinder was housed under the hood, mated to either a six-speed manual or a CVT transmission. The interior was awash with leather and upgraded plastics, giving the Cygnet a better feel than the Scion IQ it was built on. The target audience for the Cygnet was consumers in big cities like Paris, London, or Milan. The Cygnet sold well in those markets and in total 800 cygnets were sold during its 18 month lifespan.

 

 

10. Ford Mustang II

Loosely based on the Ford Pinto, The Mustang II was available as a coupe or hatchback. Two engines were available for the Mustang II: a 2.3 liter four-cylinder Pinto engine and a 2.8 liter “Cologne” V-6. Neither motor gave the Mustang II much power or speed, resulting if Mustang enthusiasts despising the vehicle. Ford eventually released a V-8 engine, but even that motor didn’t top 140 horsepower. To make matters worse, Ford offered “Cobra II” and “King Cobra” appearance packages for the Mustang II; in case you wanted to look fast even though you weren’t. Luckily for Ford the Arab oil embargo had just occurred and the Mustang II sold well due to it’s decent gas mileage