American automakers sometimes take the brunt of the criticism for producing models that are ugly, pointless, or even downright dangerous. Ford has had its share of beasts thru the years in addition to several winners including the present Mustang for which demand cannot be met. For the fun of it let’s have a look at some of the Ford models that have been derided down thru the years.
Model T – What?! How can the car that introduced mass production make the list? Well, the vehicle was fine, but Mr. Henry Ford’s statement, “you can have any color you need so long as long as it is black” has been credited with the rise of General Motors [who gave its buyers a choice in colors] which eventually dethroned Ford as the top automaker in the globe. No, the Model T was fine, but Mr. Ford’s advertising strategy was not.
Edsel – In September 1957, Ford launched a new division – Edsel – and introduced to America one of the spookiest looking autos. Wearing a “horse-collar” shaped grille – some equated it with a toilet seat – the Edsel line was hyped by Ford and defied by buyers fervently. Expecting to build two hundred thousand Edsels in its first year of production, only 63,000 were built. Other “radical” sides of the Edsel included a “floating” speedometer that glowed on reaching a particular speed and an awkward push button transmission with controls attached to the hub of the wheel. Even with a quick makeover completed in time for the subsequent model year, the Edsel limped along only to be pulled one month after the third model year autos were released.
Pinto – Hey, even I owned one! With a 2.3L inline 4 cylinder twinned with a 4 speed manny tranny, the Pinto was Ford’s answer during the 1970s to the attack of Jap autos flooding the market. The compact rear wheel drive coupe, 3 door hatchback, or lorry sold reasonably well till disaster hit: the revelation the Pinto’s gas tank was capable of exploding during a rear impact scared buyers away. Mercifully pulled after the 1980 model year; replaced by the popular Escort.
Mustang II – Ford tainted the Mustang name in the 1970s with this unmemorable and hideous model. Resembling a swollen and stretched Pinto, the Mustang II was weak, poorly made, and an awful competitor against its arch rival, the Camaro. All was forgiven by the early 1980s with the return of a newly designed Mustang. Today’s Mustang, on the other hand, is a sold-out success story as it took its styling cues from a Mustang of another time : the fastback vehicles of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Before you point your finger at Ford, don’t forget to recall some actually unmemorable models, foreign and domestic. The Toyota Wagon was panned for its hideous styling and for having an engine that had to be dropped from the engine bay in order to do a tune up; the Chevy Vega – a Pinto wannabe ; AMC’s Pacer – the Jetson’s car; the Suzuki Samurai and Isuzu Rodeo – flip over experts ; the Yugo – a thinly redone 1960s era Fiat; and numerous other cars not worth the mention. You hope that automakers learn from their mistakes, but do not count on it. Maybe in another generation we will see a really forgettable Ford show up, except for now there isn’t one in the line up…hooray for that!.
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