With a $2,000 base price, the subcompact Pinto lacked protection for its rear-mounted fuel tank. It earned a reputation as a fire-prone death trap and Ford paid out millions in judgments. (Associated Press / ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Chevy’s first V-8 could only manage 36 horsepower -- less than the brand’s four-cylinder engine. GM killed it after 1918, and the next Chevy V-8 came a full 37 years later. (General Motors)
As bad as the 5.7-liter Olds diesel V-8 was, the 4.3-liter version was worse. Sold only in the ’79 Cutlass, the 4.3 diesel made 90 hp before shattering into shrapnel. (General Motors)
Shameful, cynical attempt to compete against BMW with a redecorated version of the front-drive, four-cylinder Chevrolet Cavalier. A self-inflicted wound that nearly killed Cadillac. (General Motors)
Ford went hunting for a market niche that wasn’t there with a redecorated Mercury that had been beaten with an ugly stick. The legendary flop of all automotive flops. (Ford Motor Co.)
Shockingly unintuitive to drive and with a stupid interior to match. Kick it and your foot could get stuck in the gaps between the plastic body panels. Easily the second worst car of the 21st century so far.
An engine that couldn’t hold oil, in a car built with contempt for its buyers. It’s the car that invited Americans to buy Toyotas and Hondas. However, it did make a good Pro Stock racer. (General Motors)
A Serbian-made version of the Fiat 127 that people thought couldn’t possibly be as awful as its low price suggested. But it was! (Darko Vojinovic / Associated Press)
Built upon the spindly bones of the Pinto, this shrunken, malformed pony was instantly appalling to Mustang lovers. And, unfortunately, hugely popular with buyers stuck with serial fuel crises. (Ford Motor Co.)
Drive one and you quickly realize that the Aztek’s exterior design is its best feature. It’s the very worst car of all time because it’s the only car on the list to kill an 84-year-old car company. It’s undeniable that the Aztek’s utter hideousness drove the biggest and last nails into Pontiac’s heavily side-clad, plastic coffin. (General Motors)
