Automotive Eyesores
The automotive world is full of iconic beauties, but some cars are so ugly, we can’t help but wonder what the manufacturers were thinking. Here are 15 cars that made headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Aston Martin Lagonda (1976 to 1990)
The Lagonda was supposed to be luxury addition to the lineup of traditional British sports cars, but its boxy shape and sharp lines left many people shaking their heads.
Alf van Beem, Wikimedia Commons
Aston Martin Lagonda
The car was also long, which combined with its big windows, made it an unattractive sight on the road. Even for the time, people considered it one of the ugliest cars in the world—but it still came with a hefty $150,000 price tag.
Fiat Multipla (1998 to 2010)
Few cars are as unsightly as the Fiat Multipla. Its squat, disproportionate shape was one thing, but the real eyesore was the car’s headlights.
Fiat Multipla
Wanting to give drivers better visibility, Fiat equipped the Multipla with two sets of headlights. Unfortunately, this only made the car’s odd look that much weirder. With the main headlights placed higher and farther back from the smaller ones, the car looked like a strange robotic bug.
Chrysler PT Cruiser (2000 to 2010)
The PT Cruiser took inspiration from the cars of the early 20th century, but Chrysler missed the mark with the final design. Its high roof and round, boxy shape made it look like a bizarre station wagon.
Chrysler PT Cruiser
The Cruiser’s design took on a bad rep with many people saying that it looked like a hearse or a toaster on wheels.
Ford Scorpio (1985 to 1998)
The full-size Scorpio had a hard time wooing consumers. Its bulky shape quickly got is labeled as one of the ugliest cars of the era.
Ford Scorpio
From its oversized grille to the rounded headlights and square-shaped trunk, the design of the Scorpio left much to be desired. The interior was equally boring, with a cheap, dated feel to the design and controls.
Spada Codatronca (2008 to Present)
The Spada Codatronca was first introduced to the world at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. But not everyone was wowed by this high-end sports car, and much of the criticism was centered on its strange look.
Spada Codatronca
The car has a mix of curves and sharp lines that, at some angles, look disjointed rather than meshing together into one seamless body. The huge grille was also a bit of an eyesore, but enough people were willing to splurge on this $300,000 speed demon that it’s still in production today.
SsangYong Rodius (2004 to 2019)
When the Rodius first hit the scene, it made headlines for all the wrong reasons. The car’s bulky, angular design was a step away from the trend of more aerodynamic minivans, making it seem dated and boring.
SsangYong Rodius
Adding to its unsightliness was a huge front grille that took up much of the van’s face. The sharp square shape at the back looks like it doesn’t belong with the rest of the car, and only adds to the bizarre look.
Morgan Aero 8 (2000 to 2018)
The Aero 8 was inspired by the design of classic sports car, but the final product misses the mark. It looks like a souped up golf cart more than a stylish car you’d want to be seen behind the wheel of.
Morgan Aero 8
The main issue with the Aero 8 is that certain features just look too big and disproportionate. The long, oversized front looks like something out of a cartoon and takes away from the overall flow of the car’s shape.
Mercedes A-Class (1996 to 1998)
While the A-Class we’re familiar with today is sleek and stylish, the first generation of the car was anything but. It’s square, clunky shape was a turn-off for consumers and far from the luxurious standards they associated Mercedes with.
Nimda01, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Mercedes A-Class
The A-Class looked like a small, awkward minivan and was a boring overall design for a company like Mercedes. Luckily, the next generations would see the car get a much-needed facelift.
Navigator84, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Pontiac Aztek (2001 to 2005)
With its strange combination of weird shapes and angles, the Aztek looked like something out of a sci-fi movie—and not in a good way. And with such a large, boxy shape, the car instantly stood out as one of the least appealing vehicles on the road.
Pontiac Aztek
Some of the most critiqued features of the design were its asymmetrical headlights, front grille with a huge gap in it, and the aggressive slant of the back window. The car also a had top-heavy feel that made it look like it could tip over.
Subaru Tribeca (2005 to 2014)
While most of the Tribeca’s appearance is sleek and stylish, the front of the car instantly stands out as an eyesore. The grille is big and triangular, which combined with the slant of the headlights, gives the car a bizarre look
Subaru Tribeca
The back window also has a weird shape, with a slant that didn’t just look bad, it also affected drivers’ visibility. When the Tribeca came out, it had a competitive price of $30,000, but the ugly design points probably contributed to it lack of popularity with consumers.
Mini Coupe (2011 to 2015)
The design of the original Mini Cooper is iconic in the car world, but the company abandoned their signature style when they designed the Coupe. Sharp slope of the roofline made the rest of the car look disproportionate.
John C Bullas BSc MSc PhD MCIHT MIAT, Flickr
Mini Coupe
The rear end was also unattractive, looking oversized and bulky in comparison to the rest of the car. Luckily, people didn’t have to pay much for it, with base models starting at $22,000.
Mitsuoka Orochi (2006 to 2014)
While some like the exaggerated curves and strange grille design of the Orochi, most people think this luxury car missed the mark in the looks department.
Mitsuoka Orochi
The most glaring point of the car was the front grille, which looked like a big, open mouth. The headlight design also contributed to the bizarre face of the Orochi and took away from an otherwise sleek, futuristic design.
Rolls Royce Cullinan (2018)
The Cullinan first hit the scene in 2018 and was Rolls Royce’s first luxury SUV. It was meant to be blend of the opulent style the company is known for and the ruggedness of an off-road vehicle. But when it comes to exterior design, many think Rolls Royce leaned a but too heavy into that rugged theme.
Rolls Royce Cullinan
The square look of the Cullinan makes it look a bit like an army truck rather than a top-tier luxury SUV. In general, the vehicle lacks the elegance and sophistication that we’d usually associate with a Rolls Royce.
Nissan Cube (2008 to 2014)
The Cube has been an odd sight on the roads of Japan since 1998, but the car didn’t hit the American market till 2008. By that time, the Cube was in its third generation—but it still didn’t look much better than when it first came out.
Nissan Cube
The car very much lives up to its name, and some people find the exterior design to be charming or unique. Most people, however, aren’t so enthusiastic about the bulging headlights and awkward mix of straight lines and curves.
Plymouth Prowler (1997 to 2002)
The Prowler was meant to be inspired by classic sports car, but the final result was something that looked cartoonish. The first put-off were the proportions of the car—the long, curvy front end looked awkward attached to a short cabin.
Plymouth Prowler
The big grille added to the mismatched look, as did the oversized wheels. They were meant to remind people of the hot rods of the past, but ultimately made the car look more bizarre.
