Some people might refer to these five cars as “classic”, in some ways they are but in most ways they were just a passing fad. “Vintage” can be defined as old or obsolete, which describes these cars a little better. Everyone has different tastes when it comes to vehicles, but these were known for the designer’s bad styling taste. There will always be funny looking cars that you just shake your head at and promise yourself you will never be seen driving, but to those that drove these unique vehicles, the marketing tactics appealed to them enough to purchase them, drive them, and in some cases keep them around forever.
AMC Gremlin
AMC built some of the funniest looking cars of the era in the United States, they tried to redeem themselves with more high performance versions of most of their cars, but it was not enough to keep AMC going in the car business. The Gremlin was introduced to the United States and Canadian car buyers on April 1, 1970, quite a fitting day for such an interesting vehicle. It actually became AMC’s most popular selling car of its era; AMC’s most popular, so that is not exactly a big accomplishment. Although with the competition at the time, the Ford Pinto and Toyota Corona, it really did not take a lot to outdo them. The 1970’s gas crisis brought about the need for more fuel-efficient small cars, and this was AMC’s answer to the wave of the new subcompact cars. The vehicle was designed in every way to increase fuel economy with its small stature and small 3.8L 6cyl motor, that has an EPA estimated 28 to 30mpg, which is impressive even today. The vehicle was marketed to younger buyer as it was designed with a back seat was only big enough for smaller children, or a two-seater with no back seat at all. The interesting shape of the Gremlin came about due to a lack of funds to create a completely new body style to fit into the size requirements of a subcompact car, so they simply took the body style of an AMC Javelin, and chopped the end off. It would be nice if everything in life were always that simple.
AMC Pacer
Another member of the line of AMC’s unique looking vehicles, the AMC Pacer, resembles more of a terrarium with wheels than a car. The Pacer debuted in 1975 and ceased production in 1980, but the first design for the vehicle actually began in 1971. The demise of the Pacer was blamed on the influx of compact foreign cars that hit the United States in the late 1970’s. The design gets its uniqueness from the way it was designed, from the inside out. AMC was determined to build a futuristic looking car that could accommodate four people comfortably. This led to the look of the first wide, compact car that was designed to seat four adults, but remained fuel-efficient. The body design also allowed it to be one of the safest cars on the road at the time, and was even ahead of its time. Even during its last year of production in 1980, it was still one of the safest vehicles built. The car was originally introduced as an economy compact car, but as popularity and marketing increased internationally, it turned into a luxury compact car. It was marketed in various trims that appealed to everyone as they added leather interior options, power door locks and high performance packages. As odd as this vehicle looks, it is becoming a collector’s item, not for just its unique look, but for all the innovation it brought to the car industry at the time.
VW Thing
The VW Thing or as it was known by its model number, the 181, was originally developed by VW as a military vehicle, and was produced for the military from 1969 until 1983. The vehicle was also marketed to civilians from 1969 until 1980 but was dropped from the American market in 1975 due to it not meeting safety standards. Prior to the Thing being available in the United States, the most popular VW products were dune buggies and the Beetle. Executives felt that the Thing would be popular due to its military feel and off-road capability, so it was essentially a hybrid of a car and a dune buggy. The vehicle was actually built out of leftover parts from vehicles no longer being produced put on the base of a Karmann Ghia. It was made as inexpensively as possible as it was only to be a fill in until the military vehicle, the Europa Jeep went into production for both the military and civilian production. The project which was to be initially sponsored and funded by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), ending up taking too long and costing too much, and was closed. The vehicle was eventually replaced by another model and ended production in 1983. For those lucky enough to find a Thing in running condition today, they own a piece of military history, put together with scrap parts, but still ended up being a popular vehicle.
BMW Isetta
A picture can say a thousand words, and for some people, the first look at the Isetta leaves them saying, “What is that?” This strange little vehicle was one of the first mass produced micro cars, and known as the “bubble car”. This three wheeled, 1 cylindered, 300cc, 13hp “mini” was built by BMW from 1955 to 1962. It actually rose to the top selling 1 cylinder car in the world. Its strange design included a bench seat that could seat two somewhat comfortably, a chain drive and four forward gears and one reverse gear. Entry to the vehicle was gained by opening almost the entire front of the vehicle, including the entire dash and windshield. The steering wheel could be moved out of the way to allow easier entry for the driver. The three-wheel design looks as though it could be unstable, but the limited power did not really allow the driver to win any land speed records. Depending on where the vehicle was registered, in some cases all that was needed was a motorcycle license to drive it. The one major downfall of this little car was the entry design. It did not allow you to park it facing inward into a garage or other enclosure, as you would more than likely have to crawl out the roof to get out of it. This also posed problems if the car was every involved in a front-end crash, as you would hopefully not be injured and be able to crawl out the top. For obvious safety problems, the vehicle was discontinued.
AMC Matador
As you may have noticed, AMC was not on the top of the list when it came to building stylish vehicle. The AMC Matador was built as a mid-sized car and was produced from 1971 to 1978. The body style changed once during this time, but it was not made any less odd looking. The vehicle was designed to appeal to those who wanted a somewhat luxury vehicle, who had “grown up” out of the muscle car era. This was also the first vehicle in the industry to come with a manufacturer’s warranty, which was at the time 12 months or 12,000 miles. Other innovations of this vehicle included some of the first crash absorbing bumpers with the installation of “shock absorbers” between the bumpers and the frame. There was also a larger range of engines available from an economical V6 to a larger and more powerful V8, for those who were not quite ready to give up the entire muscle car feel. The car even was used by the Los Angeles Police Department for a period after they were offered in a four-door model. The styling of the Matador belonged to its predecessor, the Rebel, which was largely ignored, as it was not a muscle car produced in a muscle car era. With the option to create a more family car, and still have some of the muscle car options, the Matador may have not been the most stylish car, but it did follow the trend of the times.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nick is a car fanatic and runs the website http://www.californiaautoinsurancehq.com/ where Californian citizens can compare free California auto insurance quotes that can save individuals up to $50.00 per month!
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