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About This Quiz
Not every car is a Volkswagen Beetle, selling over 21 million units the world over. Sadly, some cars just never are a hit. But could you identify these automotive flops and failures? Let's see!
Is it a car? Is it a motorbike? Back in 1913, no one who saw James Scripps-Booth's invention was sure and certainly didn't want to own one!
Ford Model T
Chevrolet C Series
Bi-Autogo
The Bi-Autogo certainly looks impressive, even today. It wasn't accepted back in 1913, however.
Chrysler Newport
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This car was released in the United States between 1987 and 1991 by the Austin Rover Group.
Stirling 800 Series
The Stirling 800 was based on the Rover 800 but proved to be so unreliable and poorly made that it was a massive flop. Rover never returned to America again after 1991.
Ford Focus
Mini Mark 1
Toyota Corolla
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Built in conjunction with Maserati, this American model was expected to sell a heap of vehicles. It didn't.
Ford Fiesta
Chrysler TC
Essentially a Chrysler's K-Car with a Maserati badge and a few additions, this partnership was never going to work. Only 7,000 were shifted in three years between 1989 and 1991.
Ford Mustang
Chevrolet Camaro
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A Japanese car designed by a legendary Italian designer. It doesn't sound as if should work. And it didn't!
Chevrolet Chevelle
Ford Fairmont
Subaru SVX
The Subaru SVX was designed by legendary Italian designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro. His previous designs included the Golf Mk 1, the BMW M1 and the Maserati Ghibli. Sadly, the SVX was not a success. This wasn't a bad car, far from it in fact. It just priced itself right out of the market.
Daihatsu Terios
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A pick-up from the luxury division of one of America's biggest car companies, this vehicle lasted all of two years before the model was scrapped.
Lincoln Blackwood
The Lincoln Blackwood was marketed as a luxury pickup. It was a Ford F-150 zooted up a little. It had a stainless steel cargo box, LED lights and other gimmicks. I am sure you can see where this is all going wrong. Ultimately, those who buy a pickup want it to do pickup type things. The Blackwood couldn't and no one bought it.
Ford F-150
Chevrolet Colorado
Mazda BT-50
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This French car was a massive success in Europe in the '50s. Much the same was expected when it was launched in the United States. It failed horribly.
Opel Kadett
Renault Daulphin
Considered one of the earliest modern economy cars, the Daulphin sold very well in Europe. In the United States, however, it was another matter. You see, the Daulphin was critically underpowered. It took a whopping 32 seconds to reach 60 mph from a standing start. Sales were terrible.
Volkswagen Golf
Austin Healy
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A vehicle from East Germany most have never even heard of, this car is considered one of the worst ever produced.
Audi A8
Opel Corsa
Volkswagen Ghia
Trabant P50
The Trabant P50 was built in East Germany in the 1960s. A poorly made car, it was also underpowered. The West got its first proper view of this monstrosity when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989.
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Named after the son of a perhaps the greatest car maker ever, this vehicle was a massive flop.
Ford Edsel
The Edsel was meant to be ahead of its time. It was meant to be a triumph. The Edsel, unfortunately, just cost Ford a lot of money - $250 million to be exact.
Lamborghini Countach
Ferrari F40
Chevrolet Suburban
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A futuristic '80s design that failed horribly but received its 15 seconds of fame thanks to a starring role in "Back to the Future."
Volkswagen Passat
Opel Meriva
DeLorean DMC-12
Although the DeLorean tanked in terms of sales and pretty much as a sports car as well, it gained a lot of fame thanks to the "Back to the Future" trilogy.
Oldsmobile 442
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By 1920, cars had evolved into what we see today. Windshields, closed cabins, and a roof were the order of the day. Not this car, which exposed the driver to the elements completely.
Model T Ford
Chrysler Newport
Chevrolet C Series
Briggs and Stratton Flyer
The Briggs and Stratton Flyer was essentially a wooden bench that moved. It had no protection for the driver from the elements and no shock absorbers. As cars had already evolved to a point of relative comfort, the Flyer just wasn't what the public was looking for.
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This car from the 1970s was not well received despite it coming from one of the big three American auto manufacturers.
Aston Martin DB9
Rover 800
Hudson Hornet
Chevrolet Chevette
The Chevette regularly makes lists of the worst cars ever produced. It was poorly made and performance wise, there was nothing to write home about.
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This German car was certainly something different. Different, however, is not always a good thing.
Ford Thunderbird
Zunndapp Janus
The Zunndapp Janus was an interesting car. Probably the most striking thing about it was that the passenger seat faced backward, meaning the those who chose to drive with you, saw all the traffic approaching the vehicle. And they would be approaching the vehicle as the Zunndapp could only travel at 50 mph.
Chevrolet Corvette
BMW M3
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A cool name doesn't necessarily mean a cool car as this American model soon found out.
Ford Model T
Chevrolet Silverado
AMC Gremlin
The Gremlin was designed by Richard Teague. Taking a Hornet, he effectively cut off the back to make a compact car design. Unfortunately, this not only made for a strange looking car, it was also terrible to drive.
Buick Encore
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Just because you are an Italian sports car maker doesn't mean everything you produce turns to gold.
Ford Mustang
Maserati Biturbo
Made by Italian super car manufacturer, Maserati, the Biturbo was horrendous. Not only was it ugly, it was just not reliable.
Fiat Uno
Bugatti Veyron
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A car from Yugoslavia, sold in the United States. What could go wrong? Well, everything really.
Reliant Robin
Audi Quattro
Opel Zafira
Yugo
Based on a Zastava Koral from Yugoslavia, the Yugo was marketed in the United States for a period in the 1980s. It was poorly built, had terrible performance and frankly, was not very safe. It is regularly voted one of the worst cars ever made.
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Although it would later receive some fame thanks to the film, "Wayne's World," this vehicle wasn't very good.
AMC Pacer
AMC was proud of the fact that the Pacer was designed using the cab forward approach. That helped little, however. The Pacer simply wasn't particularly good to look at.
Ford Fusion
Chevrolet Corvette
Dodge Dart
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This Japanese brand was specifically designed to appeal to the American market. That didn't turn out well.
Kia Rio
Suzuki Kizashi
Although the Kizashi was sold in America from 2009 to 2013, and although it was designed with the US market in mind, America simply did not like this model from Suzuki. Just over 22,000 were sold during those four years.
Honda Accord
Renault Clio
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Certainly a looker, that wasn't enough to save this car from the upmarket division of Honda.
Ford F-100
Toyota Corolla
Acura ZDX
A mid-sized crossover, the Acura ZDX certainly looks the part. That failed to translate into sales, however, with only 5,677 sold between 2009 and 2013. Ouch!
GMC 1500
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Manufactured in the Canada in the 1970s, this sports car disappeared when the company simply ran out of funds.
Bricklin SV-1
The Bricklin SV-1 was the brainchild of Malcolm Bricklin. Simply put, there was never enough money to see the project off the ground properly, and although a few cars were made, they did not generate enough revenue for the project to continue.
Chevrolet Chevelle
Dodge Charger
Plymouth Fury
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Another French model introduced into the American market, this vehicle initially did well but quickly faded.
Bugatti Veyron
Renault Alliance
When introduced into the American market, the Alliance, a collaboration between American Motors and Renault, actually performed well. People then realized the car wasn't very good and sales soon stalled. Eventually, the Alliance had practically no resale value.
Morris Minor
Ford Capri
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This American APV, produced by one of the big three US car manufacturers, was famously nicknamed the Dustbuster!
Renault Clio
Pierce-Arrow
Chevrolet Lumina APV
The Lumina was meant to be a stylish APV. Unfortunately, it was ugly and quickly received the nickname of the Dustbuster thanks to its similar shape to the cleaning device. Many also complained about the terrible driving position with the Lumina often making appearances on the Ugliest Cars of All Time lists.
Studebaker Big Six
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Produced at the turn of the century, this vehicle, by an American manufacturer already under pressure, did little to ease their financial burden.
Pontiac Aztek
The Aztek was a strange looking vehicle. And for that reason, it was panned in the press at the time, while it now regularly makes lists of the ugliest cars ever produced. The LA Times named it the worst car ever sold in the United States. Ouch!
Ford Fusion
Chevrolet Cruze
Chrysler 300
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Built by Ford's biggest competitor to rival the Model T, this car was one huge flop!
Oldsmobile 442
Chevrolet Series-C Copper Cooled
Chevrolet needed something to rival the Model T Ford and the Chevrolet Series-C was supposedly the answer. Sadly, it had a tendency to overheat and catch fire. Only 759 out of the initial planned 5,000 were built before the plug was pulled on the project.
AMC Pacer
Chrysler Town and Country
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One would never expect this esteemed British automaker to produce a flop... but it did!
Land Rover Defender
Rolls Royce Camargue
The Camargue was designed to appeal to a younger set of clients. They even roped in the legendary Italian designers, Pininfarina, to design the car. But the car was not well received and Rolls Royce made it their most expensive model ever. Only 531 were sold over 11 years.
Willys Jeep
Mini Mark 1
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Although this vehicle from one of America's big three manufacturers was initially a success, the car was poorly made and sales quickly dropped away sharply.
Chevrolet Citation
More than 800,000 Citations were sold during the first year of production in the early '80s. But this car was poorly built and as customers started having problems and the word spread that the Citation wasn't all it seemed, sales dropped dramatically.
Ford Mustang
Opel Astra
Rover 800
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This model was produced by a luxury American brand to thwart the influx of European models. It was a massive flop.
Morris Minor
Chevrolet Silverado
Ford Fusion
Cadillac Cimarron
The Cimarron was introduced by Cadillac in the early '80s to try to fight off the impact of luxury German cars from BMW and Mercedes. All they did was rebadge a Chevrolet Cavalier and charge an exorbitant price for it. The American public never bit.
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One of General Motor's smaller marques, this vehicle is not a rebadged Chevy or Pontiac but actually designed for the brand. After initial promise, sales fell away and the marque was eventually scrapped.
Chevrolet Camaro
Oldsmobile Aurora
Oldsmobile was already in financial difficulty by the time the Aurora hit the market. Although it initially did very well, a later redesign was not well received and the Aurora tanked.
Ford Flex
Fiat Uno
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A bestseller in Europe, this vehicle was brought in by one of the biggest car makers in the US to replace the aging Tempo. Its European sales didn't translate into US sales.
Chevrolet Camaro
Oldsmobile Alero
Ford Contour
The Contour was based on Ford's Mondeo model, a successful seller in Europe. It was too small for the American market, and frankly, overpriced. Sales were poor.
Chrysler Pacifica
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When Ford owned this renowned British marque, they saw the need to introduce a model to rival the BMWs of the early 2000s. It failed miserably.
Mini Mark 1
Jaguar X-Type
Although Ford had good intentions to try to fight the BMW dominance in the early 2000s, they probably didn't choose the right platform. The X-Type was based on a Ford Mondeo. And it cost a lot more.
Reliant Robin
Austin Healy 1100
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Although this German manufacturer's entry in the luxury market in America was not a bad car, it was expensive and people just could not associate the brand with those high prices.
Volkswagen Phaeton
The Phaeton was Volkswagen's attempt to compete with luxury brands on the American market. Although this was a great car, it never sold well at all.
Opel Adam
Rover 800
Land Rover Defender
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Essentially a Nissan, with a Suzuki badge, this pickup was marketed in America but did not sell in large numbers.
Isuzu KB 250
Mazda BT-50
Suzuki Equator
The Equator was marketed with a Suzuki badge, although it was essentially a Nissan Frontier which was also for sale in the United States. Strange, yes indeed. Just over 8,000 were sold from 2008 to 2012.
Opel Corsa Utility
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This station wagon was a massive flop during the '60s.
Morris Minor
Mercedes Estate
Studebaker Wagoneer
Built between 1963 and 1966, the Wagoneer wasn't particularly popular. In fact, in the final year of production, just 618 were sold.
Chrysler Town & Country
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This vehicle, from the luxury brand of Toyota, sold extremely poorly.
Lexus IS 300 SportCross
Although today everybody would probably love a rear wheeled drive car such as this, when the SportCross was released in America, no one was really interested. OK, 3,078 people were but that just wasn't enough.
Honda Civic
Nissan Almera
Ford Focus
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In the early days, inventors were not scared to try out new things when it came to cars. This model from 1910 had EIGHT wheels. The buying public, however, was not impressed.
Ford Model T
Overland OctoAuto
Built by Milton Reeves, the OctoAuto was a modified 1910 Overland. Reeves added two more axles and four more wheels. The public, however, didn't see the need for eight wheels and not one order was placed.
Chevrolet C Series
Chrysler Newport
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A small car built in your home and powered by a 9 horsepower engine. Sounds great. It wasn't!
Chevrolet Spark
King Midget Model III
This company had been trying to make the perfect mini car for years. Their third attempt in the '50s still wasn't much better than their earlier attempts and eventually, safety regulations enforced by the US government put an end to the Midget models.
Fiat Uno
Ford Thunderbird
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