Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Beat some ugly Italian designs with an ugly stick]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/27/beat-some-ugly-italian-designs-with-an-ugly-stick/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/27/beat-some-ugly-italian-designs-with-an-ugly-stick/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/27/beat-some-ugly-italian-designs-with-an-ugly-stick/#commentsFiled under: ,



Got some time to burn? Of course you do! iMotor Mag has created a game to punish the wayward children of esteemed Italian design houses. Where designers such as Pininfarina and Bertone have penned gems like the Ferrari F599 and the Lamborghini Miura, they have also thrust the Peugeot 1007 and Skoda Favorit on unwary car shoppers (hey, even designers have to eat...).

iMotor (the same blokes who gave us the Bail Out Chrysler game) gives you the chance to beat them, and a couple of Bertone designs to boot. You may not agree with all of them (Subaru SVX?) but the better you wield the ugly stick, the more unfortunate designs you get to eradicate from the (virtual) world. However, as with many ugly-yet-enduring designs, the cars put up a good fight, so good luck getting to Level Two.

[Source: iMotor Mag]

Beat some ugly Italian designs with an ugly stick originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bertoneCitroenDaewoodesignersgameguigiaroHyundaiimotorPeugeotpininfarinasubaru SVXSubaruSvxuglyFri, 27 Mar 2009 14:26:00 EST<![CDATA[Sunmotor to release electric car, beat it with ugly stick]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/08/sunmotor-to-release-electric-car-beat-it-with-ugly-stick/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/08/sunmotor-to-release-electric-car-beat-it-with-ugly-stick/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/08/sunmotor-to-release-electric-car-beat-it-with-ugly-stick/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Click above for more images of the Sunmotor EV

Lovers of good car design: avert your eyes! The Sunmotor Group, an EV hopeful based in Boston, has announced plans to release its first all-electric vehicle before the end of the year. We wish they wouldn't because this sucker is über-ugly. Obviously based on a smart fortwo clone, major modifications were required to allow the use of a large solar array on the misshapen roof, which has created a textbook case of function punching form in the mouth. The windshield has been disfigured along the way in an effort to meet up with the excessively long canopy, while the upper rear probiscis could easily behead someone standing behind this thing when it's backing up. Last joke: SsangYong called, they want their designers back.

Despite looking like a Scion that swallowed a canoe, the specifications of Sunmotor's EV sound decent for a low-speed EV. The company believes it can get 160 miles per charge, though only with a top speed of 25 miles per hour. Plus, with 10 horsepower pushing around 2,600 pounds of mass, the supposed acceleration of 0-25 in 5 seconds sounds rather optimistic.

Gallery: Sunmotor EV


[Source: Sunmotor via AutoblogGreen]

Sunmotor to release electric car, beat it with ugly stick originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>electric carElectricCarsmart fortwo cloneSmartFortwoClonesunmotorsunmotor evSunmotorEvuglyugly carUglyCarFri, 08 Aug 2008 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[We bet they have a great personality - PickupTrucks.com picks the 5 ugliest truck concepts]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/15/we-bet-they-have-a-great-personality-pickuptrucks-com-picks-th/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/15/we-bet-they-have-a-great-personality-pickuptrucks-com-picks-th/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/15/we-bet-they-have-a-great-personality-pickuptrucks-com-picks-th/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Click above to see what else was found hiding behind a rock.

Not to mention any names or anything (*cough* Baja *cough*), but there have been some downright ugly trucks to go from the concept stage straight through to production. Usually, though, consumer reaction is properly gaged and the most egregious styling mistakes are usually swept quietly under the rug. Until, that is, somebody starts digging around for the most grossly misshapen models they can find... which is exactly what PickupTrucks.com decided to do. The results of their efforts have been ignominiously placed up on their website for the whole world to gaze upon in disgust. They are as follows:
  1. Nissan Nails
  2. Rinspeed Tatooo
  3. Nissan XIX
  4. Dodge MAXXcab
  5. Chevrolet Borrego
Though these concept vehicles have been ranked, we hesitate to call any of them winners. See for yourself in the gallery below -- if you must.

Gallery: Five Ugly Concept Trucks


[Source: PickupTrucks.com]

We bet they have a great personality - PickupTrucks.com picks the 5 ugliest truck concepts originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chevrolet borregoChevroletBorregododge maxxcabDodgeMaxxcabnissan nailsnissan xixNissanNailsNissanXixrinspeed tatoooRinspeedTatooouglyugly conceptsugly trucksUglyConceptsUglyTrucksTue, 15 Jul 2008 19:28:00 EST<![CDATA[And you thought the Cayenne looked fugly <i>stock</i>...]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/22/and-you-thought-the-cayenne-looked-fugly-i-stock-i/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/22/and-you-thought-the-cayenne-looked-fugly-i-stock-i/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/22/and-you-thought-the-cayenne-looked-fugly-i-stock-i/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Click the image above for a gallery... if you dare.

Like driving skills, the unfortunate reality is that good taste doesn't always accompany wealth. There are just too many people out there looking to make the flashiest splash, and it is now confirmed that one more of those yahoos is living in Moscow, Russia. We don't know much about this frightening conversion of a Porsche Cayenne, and we're not sure we really want to. To paraphrase Fiddler on the Roof, we hope and pray the czar keeps this one far away from us.

Thanks (we think) to Graham for the unfortunate tip. If you're a real glutton for punishment, you can hit the gallery below to see the monstrosity from all angles. Just be careful if the driver's backing up while you're checking out the tail and standing in the enormous blind spot, which shouldn't be too big a hindrance on Moscow's busy streets.

[Source: CarsGuru.ru via English Russia]

Gallery: Unfortunate Porsche Cayenne

And you thought the Cayenne looked fugly stock... originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>conversionmoscowporsche cayennePorscheCayenneretrofitrussiauglyyellowTue, 22 Jan 2008 18:25:00 EST<![CDATA[Ugliest Car Ever: The Aurora (no, not <i>that</i> one)]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/24/ugliest-car-ever-the-aurora-no-not-i-that-i-one/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/24/ugliest-car-ever-the-aurora-no-not-i-that-i-one/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/24/ugliest-car-ever-the-aurora-no-not-i-that-i-one/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


click above image for gallery of the Aurora Safety Car

"We pass the basket for a second collection this week at Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration so the parish project car can be finished." It didn't go down quite like that in the Branford, CT parish of Father Alfred Juliano back in the 1950s, but the priest did build a car of his own design that was partially funded by parishioners. I remember rifling through a stack of musty Mechanix Illustrated backissues in my misspent youth and coming across a feature on this vehicle, called the Aurora. A lot of people have declaimed the hideousness of Juliano's "safety car" throughout the years. It certainly has a peculiar reverse rake to its stance, while the flowing, organic form of the fiberglass body give the Aurora the appearance of a quickly departing Sea Ray , rather than an automobile headed at you.

Father Juliano had a lifelong automotive avocation and studied art before entering the priesthood. His intent with the Aurora was to create the world's safest automobile atop a salvaged Buick chassis. The body was hand-laid fiberglass and the bubbilicious daylight openings are rendered in plexiglass. Despite his efforts, things did not go well for Fr. Juliano. The car's press unveiling was a disaster, and Juliano ultimately ended up in financial trouble and was forced to leave his order. The Aurora was given to a garage to settle a debt, and that's where England's Andy Saunders tracked the vehicle down. Andy runs an auto import and customization business, and relishes a challenge. Restoring the Aurora was an arduous process, but as you can see, it's risen like Lazarus from the very disintegrated state Andy found it in. Since its restoration, the car has appeared at several events and museums, including Goodwood. Quite the resurrection.

[Source: NY Times, Photo: Andrew Saunders / NYT]

Gallery: Aurora Safety Car

Ugliest Car Ever: The Aurora (no, not that one) originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Dec 2007 14:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>1950sauroracarhistorysafetyugliestuglyMon, 24 Dec 2007 14:06:00 EST<![CDATA[Gremlins, Pinto and Pacers to become the new auction darlings?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/25/gremlins-pinto-and-pacers-to-become-the-new-auction-darlings/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/25/gremlins-pinto-and-pacers-to-become-the-new-auction-darlings/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/25/gremlins-pinto-and-pacers-to-become-the-new-auction-darlings/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Anyone worried about their legacy would do well to pay attention to the rise and fall of automotive punchlines. More like fall and rise. Cars that were once four-wheeled jokes are gaining in value, demonstrating that history usually plays out far differently than you'd planned. Insurance man McKeel Hagerty noticed that cars once sneered at were increasing in value. Hagerty's insurance company is the number one insurance provider for collector car owners, and the values of the vehicles were suddenly climbing. Hagerty polled his customers and asked them to vote on the worst car designs of all time; a way of researching what's primed to increase in value.

AMC was the big winner of the dubious honors. Consistently undercapitalized compared to the big three, AMC had to be very creative and clever with their resources. The company made it as long as they did by taking more risks, so it's not that much of a surprise to see the Pacer, Gremlin, and Matador honored. Ford's Pinto must be charming a new generation of buyers with its firey personality, because we can't imagine that rampant nostalgia has started to take hold of the rolling jokes yet. Then again, many Boomers might fondly regard what may have been their first car. Prices for musclecars have gotten stupid, are we going to see a three-million dollar Bobcat in the next five years?

[Source: Business Week via TTAC]

Gremlins, Pinto and Pacers to become the new auction darlings? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 25 Aug 2007 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>70samcbaddiscofordgremlinmatadorpacerpintouglyworstSat, 25 Aug 2007 16:56:00 EST