HartBayless255

American automakers at times take the brunt of the criticism for generating models that are ugly, useless, or even downright unsafe. Ford has had its share of beasts through the years in addition to a number of winners including the existing Mustang for which demand can't be met. For the enjoyable of it lets take a look at some of the Ford models that have been derided down through the years.

Model T What?! How can the automobile that introduced mass production make the list? Well, the car was fine, but Mr. Henry Fords statement, you can have any color you want as long as it is black has been attributed with the rise of Common Motors [who gave its buyers a selection in colors] which sooner or later dethroned Ford as the best automaker in the world. No, the Model T was fine, but Mr. Fords advertising strategy was not.

Edsel In September 1957, Ford launched a new division  Edsel  and introduced to America one of the weirdest searching vehicles. Sporting a horse-collar shaped grille some equated it with a toilet seat  the Edsel line was hyped by Ford and rejected by shoppers wholeheartedly. Expecting to develop 200,000 Edsels in its very first year of production, only 63,000 were built. Other radical aspects of the Edsel included a floating speedometer that glowed upon reaching a specific speed and an awkward push button transmission with controls attached to the hub of the steering wheel. Even with a swift makeover completed in time for the subsequent model year, the Edsel limped along only to be pulled one month right after the third model year vehicles were released.

Pinto Hey, even I owned a single! With a 2.3L inline four cylinder paired with a four speed manny tranny, the Pinto was Fords answer for the duration of the 1970s to the onslaught of Japanese cars flooding the marketplace. The compact rear wheel drive coupe, 3 door hatchback, or wagon sold pretty well until disaster hit: the revelation that the Pintos gas tank was capable of exploding in the course of a rear influence scared purchasers away. Mercifully pulled following the 1980 model year replaced by the popular Escort.

Mustang II Ford tarnished the Mustang name in the course of the 1970s with this forgettable and ugly model. Resembling a bloated and stretched Pinto, the Mustang II was weak, poorly produced, and a terrible competitor against its arch rival, the Camaro. All was forgiven by the early 1980s with the return of a newly developed Mustang. Todays Mustang, on the other hand, is a sold-out results story as it took its styling cues from a Mustang of yet another era: the fastback vehicles of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Just before you point your finger at Ford, dont forget to recall some really forgettable models, foreign and domestic. The Toyota Van was panned for its ugly styling and for obtaining an engine that had to be dropped from the engine bay in order to do a tune up the Chevy Vega a Pinto wannabe AMCs Pacer  the Jetsons car the Suzuki Samurai and Isuzu Rodeo  flip over specialists the Yugo  a thinly redone 1960s era Fiat and numerous other cars not worth the mention. You hope that automakers understand from their errors, but dont count on it. Maybe in an additional generation we will see a actually forgettable Ford show up, but for now there isnt one in the line up...hooray for that!