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Monster Autos: These Are The Ugliest Cars Ever Created

Cameron Eittreim April 28, 2023

1965 Rambler/AMC Marlin

The 1965 Rambler/AMC Marlin is one of the ugliest classic cars on the road. We’re not sure what AMC was thinking when this one left the assembly line. The Marlin had a distinctive design with a long, sloping roofline and a sleek, streamlined body. A six-cylinder or eight-cylinder engine produced up to 270 horsepower, which was impressive for a car of its size (via Hemmings).

The Marlin had a comfortable interior with bucket seats and other comforts of the time. It was one of many AMC cars that failed to garner consumer interest. The ugly styling and lack of reliability were major drawbacks of a brand that was already struggling.

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Photo Credit: Hot Rod

1974 AMC Matador

The 1974 Matador was a mid-sized car produced by the American Motors Corporation (AMC). It was a four-door sedan designed to be practical and affordable. The Matador had a simple, functional design with a boxy body and a spacious interior that could comfortably seat up to six people. The Matador had a six-cylinder or eight-cylinder engine producing up to 220 horsepower (via Old Cars Weekly).

The Matador also had power steering, another feature that made cars of this era drive much easier. The car was popular among families and small businesses looking for a practical car. The 1974 AMC Matador had the power to take on other muscle cars of the time, but the styling was just too hideous to ignore.

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1976 Aston-Martin Lagonda

The Aston-Martin Lagonda had a long, angular body with sharp lines and a low, wide grille. The interior had a dashboard filled with digital displays and modern amenities such as air conditioning and power windows. A V8 engine powered the Lagonda and put out up to 280 horsepower, which was enough for solid performance on the road (via Hagerty).

However, the car also didn’t quite live up to the usual high standards of Aston-Martin in terms of design. The Lagonda was a popular car among the wealthy and powerful, and it represented the height of British automotive luxury in the mid-’70s as a result. However, it was also a complex and expensive car to maintain, which therefore limited its commercial success.

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1982 Cadillac Cimarron

Ever wonder what a luxury version of the Chevy Cavalier would look like? In the 1980s, GM had the failed idea of dressing one up as a Cadillac. The Cimarron had a simple and practical design, with a boxy body and a spacious interior that could comfortably seat up to five people. A four-cylinder engine produced only 88 horsepower (via Car & Driver).

Some features of the Cimarron made it a good deal, but it wasn’t enough to justify the cheap design. The 1982 Cadillac Cimarron remains a cautionary tale in the automotive industry, often cited as an example of a poorly executed product strategy. Cadillac had a lot of better-looking cars at the time and the Cimarron was a true eye-sore.

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1990 Chevrolet Lumina APV

The 1990 Lumina APV had a unique and distinct design with a rounded body and spacious interior that offered plenty of headroom and legroom. In theory, the idea was a good one, until you saw the van in person. A V6 engine powered that produced up to 120 horsepower, which gave it decent performance for a minivan (via Autoblog).

Chrysler had a monopoly on the minivan market in the 1990s, and the APV was another attempt at capturing more market share. Unfortunately, consumers just couldn’t get over the Dustbuster styling of the van, and it wasn’t ever a sales success. There’s no denying that the GM Dustbuster vans were some of the ugliest cars of the 1990s.

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1995 Oldsmobile Aurora

The Aurora had a long, sleek body with smooth lines and a low, wide grille. The interior featured leather seats, air conditioning, and power windows. The Aurora was powered by a V8 producing to 250 horsepower, making it decently fast for the time (via Cars).

The Aurora was a popular car for just a short period of time, however. It represented the height of GM luxury in the mid-1990s. The extremely aerodynamic design and the powerful V8 engine made it a pleasurable driving experience. But the styling of the first and second generation were ugly and the car didn’t last long as a result.

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2004 Infiniti QX56

The QX56 had a bold and distinctive design with a high, boxy body and a chrome grille. The idea was to get styling that looked like the Hummer H2 from the same period. The QX56 had a V8 that gave it up to 315 horsepower, a solid amount of HP for an SUV (via Autoblog).

The QX56 was a popular car among families who needed a lot of space in their SUVs. But the problem with the QX56 was that many considered it a paltry clone of the Hummer H2, It had ugly styling and didn’t amount to much in the eyes of car shoppers as a result.

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Pontiac Aztek

The legendary Aztek had a unique and polarizing design, with a high, boxy body and distinctive grille. The interior was equally impressive, with a spacious cabin and a dashboard filled with modern amenities, such as a premium sound system. The styling of the car is downright hideous, which is why it never became a success. The automotive press had a field day with the Aztec over the body cladding and ugly styling (via Car & Driver).

The Aztek was powered by a V6 engine producing up to 185 horsepower. It actually had a good enough performance on the road, but its styling was just horrible. There’s simply no debying that it is one of the most ridicilous-looking cars to hit a raod. However, not all is bad. The Aztek has become a cult classic among car enthusiasts in recent years. Surprisingly the car has become a big success on the secondary market due to is many scenes on the all-time great TV show ‘Breaking Bad’.

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