Ugly But Appealing Vehicles

[Kitten]

I find the Alfa Romeo SZ (and RZ) absolutely stunning, whilst others openly mock me in the streets for liking it.

Panel gaps you could lose your wife in, but who cares!

I agree with you

 

[Bopop4]

I really dislike the bugeyed WRX's, but something about this wagon appeals to me.
Having a rally car that's also a wagon is pretty cool.

 

[gamerdog6482]

^That reminds me of this one:

I hate it and love it at the same time.

 

[OHM_fusion]

But I don't think it's ugly, I personally love the styling. It's just that most other people would consider it ugly and lame. I just love those 90s GM wagons.

 

[marluxiaXI11]

But I don't think it's ugly, I personally love the styling. It's just that most other people would consider it ugly and lame. I just love those 90s GM wagons.

I like the Oldsmobile version of these wagons.

 

[Vince]

I really dislike the bugeyed WRX's, but something about this wagon appeals to me.
Having a rally car that's also a wagon is pretty cool.

I can't stand these. They look short and pudgy.

At a recent car show, I found one like this, but painted in a deep metallic purple. I never got to look under the hood, but I couldn't imagine what you can do to something like That.



EDIT: Sorry for all these posts. AT&T isn't working for me. I'm switching to Comcast.

But I don't think it's ugly, I personally love the styling. It's just that most other people would consider it ugly and lame. I just love those 90s GM wagons.

At a recent car show, I found one like this, but painted in a deep metallic purple. I never got to look under the hood, but I couldn't imagine what you can do to something like That.

 

[Mark II Blit]

Mitsubishi Galant Sports.

Kudos to the guy in the marketing department who thought of jacking up a Galant VR4 to make a lifestyle vehicle. That's a good one. Still, the whole package is strangely appealing to me, and the pace of that thing is seriously impressive with 280 PS from the twin-turbo V6.

 

[homeforsummer]

This thread is like therapy...

A few comments:

Funky WiLL Cypha

WiLL makes some fairly "ugly" cars judged by most standards, but I like them too. The WiLL VI is one such thing - a kind of cross between a Ford Anglia 105e, that Toyota Pod concept car and a living room. Based on a Yaris - and I'd have one over a Yaris any day:

And for the BMW 1-series hatchback, I love it!

Like these too.

Unfortunately, the newer 1-series is too ugly for me to like

Even like these.

I personally do not like kei cars. The thought of a small hatchback made of plastic and using a 600cc bike motor isn't appealing at all to me. I like small cars (read: Minis), but kei cars just bore me for some reason. They're so dorky.

While I can appreciate your opinion, I have to correct a few points here:

1) They aren't all hatchbacks
2) They aren't all made of plastic
3) Engine capacity is 660cc, if I'm being pedantic
4) It's also not a bike engine - they're designed specifically for cars

Also, I dunno how clued up you are on Keis in general or whether the first thing that pops into your head is always the Suzuki Wagon R, but if you like that Honda Vamos I'd suggest a few other Keis to you, as some of them are fabulous bits of engineering. The Suzuki Cappuccino, Honda Beat and Mazda AZ-1 in particular, plus some of the classics.

I'm also fond of these:

Blame Gran Turismo. But if you don't think a 3-cylinder, one-seat, retro-style pickup sounds like a hilarious way to travel, then you have no soul

This car is disgusting to look at, but I can't get enough of it

I actually think the Crossfire is improving with age. It's a very architectural car (Art Deco specifically) but I reckon it'll be admired more in the future than it is now. Not quite like the Audi TT is, but it's a nice effort.

 

[analog]

I've always liked this thing:

Me too, but only the Mk1 version with its straight edges, the softer edged Mk2 version completely misses the point.
A car from the same period and from the same market segment which is often regarded as an ugly duckling but which I quite like is the Pininfarina-penned Rolls-Royce Camargue.

And I also have a soft spot for the Bristol Brigand/Britannia.

 

[Vince]

This thread is like therapy...

Isn't it? I can image us sitting in a small recreation room, with fold-up metal chairs, crying and sobbing while we discuss this topic.

 

[MatskiMonk]

BMW 5GT

I'd have one. Everyone else seems to hate it.

 

[MedigoFlame]

This thread is like therapy...

A few comments:



WiLL makes some fairly "ugly" cars judged by most standards, but I like them too. The WiLL VI is one such thing - a kind of cross between a Ford Anglia 105e, that Toyota Pod concept car and a living room. Based on a Yaris - and I'd have one over a Yaris any day:

Also, I dunno how clued up you are on Keis in general or whether the first thing that pops into your head is always the Suzuki Wagon R, but if you like that Honda Vamos I'd suggest a few other Keis to you, as some of them are fabulous bits of engineering. The Suzuki Cappuccino, Honda Beat and Mazda AZ-1 in particular, plus some of the classics.

I'm also fond of these:

Snip

Blame Gran Turismo. But if you don't think a 3-cylinder, one-seat, retro-style pickup sounds like a hilarious way to travel, then you have no soul

That's pretty cool, I didn't know the WiLLs were based off of the Yaris. Uniqueness > Conformity of blandness.

There were too many Kei cars that I'd love to list, though I probably could have mentioned the Wagon R as well. What about those little Kei off-roaders with their turbo charged engines!

I wouldn't call the Midget II, ugly. I love the way it looks and I don't see anything that would make it seem ugly...to me at least. Gran Turismo is to blame for my love of that little truck.

 

[mazdaman]

My mom owned one, except it was that old-lady gold color.

My mom has the same one

 

[analog]

Another car that won't be winning beauty contests but still has an odd appeal somehow (at least for me, not least because it's the only 4-seater build by Marcos) is the '70 Marcos Mantis, although its looks had probably something to do with only 32 being build.

And speaking of old Volvo's, saw one of these in my street recently (complete with vinyl roof and US-style headlights making it even more 'exotic'), I know it's ridiculously cheesy and quite ugly considering most standards (even my own) but I still like it.

 

[gamerdog6482]

Another car that won't be winning beauty contests but still has an odd appeal somehow (at least for me, not least because it's the only 4-seater build by Marcos) is the '70 Marcos Mantis, although its looks had probably something to do with only 32 being build.

That looks like a Lamborghini Miura!

 

[Jahgee]

 

[Apok]

I've always liked this thing:

*lagonda*

I quite like that one too.
Almost as much as another Aston Martin designed in the late 70's/early 80's. Styled by the same person too!

The Aston Martin Bulldog.

The Bulldog was powered by a 600bhp twin-turbo version of Tadek Marek’s impressive Aston Martin V8 and, unlike any of its production counterparts, was mid-mounted in true supercar style. The car was performance tested before launch and, although it didn’t hit its hoped-for top speed of 200mph, it did manage to top out at 191mph – probably far in excess of where the Countach and Boxer were at the time.

full story

The styling has not aged well. You can tell instantly it's one of those 'hey look this is what the future has in store for us' cars from the 70's.
But I used to have some top trumps style cards and this was the car that I found most interesting.
And cool for some reason.

 

[GranTurismo916]

For whatever reason, I quite like the '96-'00 Ford Taurus. The oval body is just so different, and all those gentle curves and ovals just give it such a relaxing charm to it. I think it's a neat looking car, and the interior looks so nice and spacious. It just seems like a car that would be so nice to just quietly waft along in, but yet you can thrash it whenever, because it's too slow to actually break the law, and it's so old and cheap that it doesn't matter if you dent it up.

I'll be posting in this thread much more in the future.

THANK YOU. I'm not the only one!

I like almost all Japanese family cars/sedans/coupes/etc. from '90-'00.

 

[Slash]

I had too...


Decent handling and a 5.0L V8 (too bad they were all mid '70s smog engines so they were down on horsepower).

The Cobra II Mustangs were too bad, it was the base model's and Mach 1's that look like utter trash.

I'll think of a few more.

 

[analog]

That looks like a Lamborghini Miura!

Sorry but that does look nothing like a Miura, absolutely nothing.

Sometimes car styling is an odd thing, I absolutely despise the styling of the BMW Z3 but by making it even more awkward by adding a closed rear section which is much more upright in angle than you'd expect from a coupé it suddenly transforms it into a cool looking machine (okay, I'll admit the widened wheelarches help a lot too but still).

 

[gamerdog6482]

 

[Vince]

I had too...


Decent handling and a 5.0L V8 (too bad they were all mid '70s smog engines so they were down on horsepower).


The Cobra II Mustangs were too bad, it was the base model's and Mach 1's that look like utter trash.

I'll think of a few more.

All it is. Ever. Ever was. To be, ever.
Twisting. Turning. Through The Never.

But seriously I don't see enough of these things. Even for a 5 L. engine.

 

[Vince]

That 1970 Marcos
Pretty crappy, though. 4th gear, 120 Mph? Now their rally car... 👍

I like your podcast, btw.

 

[analog]

Again, they don't even have a small resemblance other than both having a small grill on their bonnets perhaps.
If that to you makes these cars similar than I'm afraid I can't help you.

 

[gamerdog6482]

Again, they don't even have a small resemblance other than both having a small grill on their bonnets perhaps.
If that to you makes these cars similar than I'm afraid I can't help you.

Same position of headlights, same downward slanting nose, similar rims, etc.

 

[Slash]

@Pinkintron

A good friend of mine's mother has a '77 that is blue with white stripes and decals, and has a 302 in it (for now, 351W next). Pretty heavily built at that. Fun litte car, people don't give them enough credit (at least the Cobra's).

All they really need is dual exhaust (no cats, no single pipe, no mufflers), wide(r) tires, A/C and smog removal and a few bolt on parts and you've got a pretty stout car. Now, 140rwhp and 250ft-lb of torque is really sad for a V8...

Knab a set of GT40 heads (porting them would work wonders, they are eons better than those ****** ass stock heads, and even GT40's aren't real great, from what I've heard they are equivelant to early 351 Cleveland Heads), headers and full exhaust system, intake, 4bbl carb and a mild cam and watch those numbers rise to about 210-250rwhp+ (if not more), low compression kills this engine) and 350ft-lb-ish of torque (don't quote me on these figures, just a guesstimate). That will easily roast the tires. On paper it doesn't seem like much, but when you are in the car kicking out the rear end around corners is when you have a blast. In stock form, a 302 paired with a 3 speed runs a 9.6 0-60 and a 17.5 1/4 mile. Those basic mods I listed should get you into the mid to high 13s. Decent numbers for the '70s. It actually beats the Corvette of the same year in stock form, which ran a 18.1 1/4 mile. Doing these simple mods would easily dust any other stock '70s "muscle" car. The engines in this car are notoriously easy to make power, even in stock form they are nothing, especially after the ratings the same thing got a few years before. Since they dumbed down this years.

Now a Pontiac Trans Am would blow that away....6.5 0-60 and 15.3 1/4 in stock form of the same year. But we aren't talking about that car.


It's not a "bad" car by any means, despite popular beleif. Having worked on restoring one with a friend, it changed my opinion that most other people still have about this car.

 

[DavidtheGT20]

Ah, the RX-8. They say the RX-7 is better, but I disagree. I've liked it since it came out, and I'm still thinking it's BA today. I think I'm such an RX-8 enthusiast that I'll make their RX-8 sales go up It was agreat rotary car, it's very unique. It's like a Japanese Mustang V6, only with less horses and a rotary engine to top it off.

 

[gamerdog6482]

Ah, the RX-8. They say the RX-7 is better, but I disagree. I've liked it since it came out, and I'm still thinking it's BA today. I think I'm such an RX-8 enthusiast that I'll make their RX-8 sales go up It was agreat rotary car, it's very unique. It's like a Japanese Mustang V6, only with less horses and a rotary engine to top it off.

Didn't they stop production in 2010?

 

[Slash]

I've seen a few of those recently^^

 

[1241Penguin]

Lame? Definitely not. Ugly? Possibly. Appealing: Oh yeah.

I like the Juke R. It's very ugly yet I find it cool at the same time.