17. AMC Gremlin
Introduced on April 1, 1970, the AMC Gremlin looked like an April Fool’s Day joke. The competitors laughed at its compact dimensions, funny rear end, and diminutive engines, but soon, AMC was the one laughing all the way to the bank. The Gremlin proved to be a sales success as the first American subcompact car.
Even though the Gremlin was successful on the market, it remained a laughingstock because of its design. It was clear the AMC designers created this model in a hurry. They probably intended the Gremlin to be a regular compact car with the rear end chopped off.