Welcome to Pixel Car Art

[civicfan14]

Like it says, its only for fun, nothing else-don't get offended. Cars are on the list for various reasons, including looks, quality, performance, and even stereotypes. Some are cars that often end up on these lists and some are a little bit surprising.

Lets start with the top 20 worst American cars...

20. Ford Explorer
(IMG:http://www.7passengervehiclesreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/FOrd-Explorer.jpg)
Forget about the Firestone tire controversy-the Explorer launched a huge obsession with oversized SUVs. In the 1990's, Ford placed a station-wagon style body on the F-series truck platform. The Explorer was a instant sellout, causing Detroit to put out more and more large SUVs and Pickups into the market and neglecting the small car market. It worked well until gas prices rose to $4 a gallon...we all know what happened after that.
19. Edsel Corsair
(IMG:http://allencarswell.com/estore/images/1959%20Corsair.jpg)
The Corsair (ok, whatever, all Edsel models) wasn't really a bad car design itself per se, however several factors caused it to be the biggest automotive flop ever. Buyers hated the "horsecollar grille" and the push-button controls on the steering wheel, which meant you ended up shifting gears while honking your horn. Also, all the Edsel models were large cars that arrived right in the middle of a recession...which certainly didn't help.
18. Chevrolet Corvette C6
(IMG:http://images.loqu.com/contents/652/673/image/3/jc/Police%20Cars%2016.jpg)
The Corvette is a excellent track car, but it really isn't a good road car. Huge panel gaps, a interior that is made mostly of plastic, extreme rattling and the thinnest leather ever seen in a car. And why doesn't it have pop-up headlights?
17. Chevrolet Corvette California Edition
(IMG:http://www.rpmgo.com/images2009/Top-50-Worst-Cars-In-All-History-PART-3-10.jpg)
Probably the lowest point of American motoring, the Cali Vette was nothing close to a performer. Sold only in CA during the 1980 model year (thank goodness!), the 350 small-block V8 was mated to a 3-speed slushbox made (barely) 180 hp. This is the Corvette that even most diehard Corvette fans hate.
16. Chevrolet Iron Duke Camaro
(IMG:http://www.gmphotostore.com/images/53219354_pr.jpg)
Back in the 1920's, 90 hp was a lot of power. 60 years later, 90 hp is laughable. So why did GM decide to stick the 90hp 2.5 Iron Duke 4 in the Camaro, the symbol of Chevy performance (ok, the Corvette is, but still...) and the ultimate Mustang fighter? Better yet, just like the CA Vette, the Camaro's engine was connected to a 3-speed slushbox, which made the whole package amazing...ly s**t. 0-60 in 20 seconds must be fun...

To be continued...

This post has been edited by civicfan14: Mar 4 2011, 12:55 AM

[civicfan14]

Ok, the next 5....
15. Plymouth Prowler
(IMG:http://www.carbuyersnotebook.com/PlymouthProwler1.jpg)
There's a reason automakers shouldn't make their own mass-produced hotrods, and this is an excellent example of why. Inspired by a roadster design by Chip Foose, the car had all the looks of a early 50's SoCal dry lakebed speedster. Too bad the power didn't match the looks; the Prowler got the standard issue 250hp V6, which wasn't very inspiring. To make matters worse, they forgot to add a manual transmission, making tire-burning on the drag strip impossible. It was a light car so handling was generally good, but really, the Prowler adds new meaning to "all show, no go."
14. Lincoln Blackwood
(IMG:http://www.autos-concept-review.info/images/lincoln-blackwood.jpg)
A luxury truck, that must be good, right? The Blackwood was built to give Lincoln a piece of the luxury truck market. Too bad the Blackwood was useless for hauling anything that trucks are known to haul. Lack of a 4WD option meant it wasn't capable for any construction work, and the truck bed had a (quite troublesome) heater of all things-useful for carrying the latest fashions from Neiman Marcus, and really not much else.
13. Chrysler K-Cars
(IMG:http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/2861/1601/32150800001_large.jpg)
In the 1980's, Chrysler was broke. Chrysler was so close to collpase that even GM and Ford didn't really see them as much. The solution? Enter the K-car. The most overused platform in automotive history, Chrysler used the platform on everything from sedans to minivans. They all looked boring as hell, they all were poorly put together and the car belched black smoke wherever it went. Apparently terrible cars do sell...well...
12. General Motors/Saturn EV1
(IMG:http://www.aa1car.com/library/ev1.jpg)
The EV1 was the result of a CARB (California Air Resources Board) zero-emissions mandate that required each major automaker that sold cars in California to make a certain amount of zero-emissions cars; Ford responded with the Ranger EV, Toyota came up with the RAV4 EV, Honda came up with the EV plus and GM came up with the most famous with them all-the EV1. The EV1 was the best electric car of its time; too bad that isn't saying much. Problem was, battery technology was nowhere near ready to become a viable power source; the first generation had a range of 60 miles per charge on a good day, and charging took 3 hours. Good for city driving, but useless for almost anything else. The second gen got a 100 miles per charge, and each charge took 8 hours...wait, that's worse. GM sued CARB, and CARB then changed the mandate to building at least 250 zero-emissions cars by 2008. As no EV1s were ever sold and only leased, GM then took back the EV1s and then...crushed nearly all of them. That would soon prove to be a terrible decision, as environmentalists and EV lovers deemed GM to be the brand that "killed the electric car." At least Toyota sold its RAV4 EVs to customers that wanted to keep them after lease period was over; GM just forced its customers to surrender their cars.
11. Toyota Cavalier
(IMG:http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2202/2512977332_749b4d7cac.jpg)
The second-generation Caddy Cimarron exists, but under a different name in a different country. As part of a Toyota-GM partnership that brought you the boring but always reliable Toyota Corolla/Geo Prizm, this is what the lucky folks in Japan got; the Toyota Cavalier. Yeah, it was only sold in Japan, but other than trim pieces and a Toyota badge, it was the same crapbox sold in the US. (And yes, it was built in Lordstown, Ohio-same plant where all the Chevy Cavaliers were built.) This sad "luxury car" was sold with the same quality control that Cavaliers are known for; in other words, the worst reliability of any compact on Earth, huge panel gaps and interiors made of plastic and put together by super glue. Extras that we didn't get include...leather shift knobs?!! Best of all, the whole package cost as much as a Audi 80...which sold like crap, err, hotcakes. Oh well, at least there's that TRO bodykit, which made your Cavalier look like a drift car. Oh wait, nevermind, the Cavalier is FWD so you can't drift and it still looked like a piece of s**t that someone tried to tune up. No wonder why visiting a J-Body meet is not very different from visiting the scrapyard.

This post has been edited by civicfan14: Mar 5 2011, 01:09 AM