In this post, I made some of your dumbest ideas come to life. This post series was requested by @CarSpoilerConsumer.
Beauty is pretty much a personal thing but there are occasions when we can reach a consensus that something is just….well, ugly. Throughout the years, different car manufacturers have come up with different car designs, so there is bound to be one or two that are a miss. To honor these monstrosities, I have made a list of the ugliest cars that were ever made, but actually had awesome names.
1: BMW M635CSI
Looks a tad bit ugly for the first BMW M6 Lineup, but “CSI?” Sounds like this legend of a car from 1984…IS HEADED TO MIAMI! (puts on MLG retro glasses as extremely loud music plays with Doritos and Sprite spinning next to me) Yeah man! Let’s go! 
2: Pontiac LeMans Sport GTO
Take a look at the picture above. The Pontiac LeMans was massively cool when the third generation was introduced, though it looked kinda ugly on the nose. Without a spoiler it looked too close to a basic car than a sports car, but the LeMans’ Sport trim with the optional GTO pack was mad cool. The GTO pack would later evolve into a separate model called the Pontiac GTO.
Jump to the final generation (1978-1981) and it gave people the wrong impression. By the time Pontiac unveiled the 5th generation LeMans (see photo above), it looked nothing like the hip car it was supposed to be. Instead, it looked like it had possibly the greatest race, attached to an utter crapmobile with zero sportiness. But the internet and classic car fans will never forget the legend of this ultra sporty and ugly-cool car and the influence it had on the market.
3: Weber Faster One
Switzerland-based automaker Weber Motors created this disastrous car in a lame attempt to take over the top spot for the fastest street-legal car in the world in 2008, a title held by the Bugatti Veyron. This car was originally called the Weber Sportscar, but Weber Motors ditched that name 4 years later in favor of the name Faster One. Unfortunately, the design team might not have managed to figure out what they wanted with the design before this car’s release, which could explain this failure.
Even though car designs have improved since 2013, it is clear not everyone got the memo.
4: Covini C6W
Despite having an excellent 400 hp engine, this 6-wheeled vehicle is pretty insect-like and this car’s appearance, to be honest, is quite odd. It may have the extra wheels to make braking better and help with balance, but the design of this car is too weird to ever take seriously. Nonetheless, the Covini C6W became the greatest and most widely recognized model of Covini Engineering, so much so that it became its flagship model.
5: Tyrrell P34
See above (4), but fared badly in 1977 and was eventually discontinued.
6: Mitsuoka Orochi
This car made by the Japanese firm Mitsuoka Motors is not a bad bedroom pinup-poster car. The car takes its name from the mythical Yamata no Orochi, an 8-headed dragon in Japanese folklore. Mitsuoka Motors says “Orochi is the car to ride to gather attention from everyone”, and categorizes this car as a “Fashion-Super Car”. But honestly, as much as Mitsuoka Motors wants the public to believe it embodies Yamata no Orochi, it looks far more like a clueless sea creature.
It’s googly-eyes and flabby skin makes it look like a jellyfish perhaps, while the strange markings across the bonnet and the deeply confusing little half-grin gives one the feeling they’re being stared at by the evolutionary coincidence on the underside of a manta ray. A 3.3L V6 from Toyota with 233 hp isn’t exactly going to cushion the mockery you’re sure to sustain from your mates when you come home behind the wheel of a manta ray.
7: Hyundai Tiburon (FD2)
This car has been given several names though its official one is Hyundai Tiburon. In Europe, it was known as the Hyundai Coupe. The name Tiburon is a slight variation of the Spanish word “Tiburón,” which means “shark,” and to be honest, this car looks like a pretty unfortunate-looking shark.
8: Mitsubishi Town Box/T-Box
Whoever came up with the name for this abomination should be recognized for naming it accordingly. The Mitsubishi Town Box, or T-Box, was produced since 1999, and it’s a box-shaped Kei minivan designed for narrow town streets. Honestly, the Town Box is quite an ugly car and it looks like a kid’s 11th attempt at 3D Studio Max. Despite how you see it, this vehicle might be handy in case of an unexpected nuclear war but we have to say that we’ll skip this one.
How could this ugly van’s straightforward name cause any controversies? Well, the problem was that Mitsubishi often used the abbreviation “T-Box” - which also seems fine, at least until you move the space between the words. Because then you’re driving around in a car called Mitsubishi Shit-Box. You decide if that’s actually a more fitting name or just a hilarious fail.
9: Nissan Cube
If you ever wished for a car that resembles an actual cube, then this car is perfect for you. However, you should know that the rest of us don’t want a cube for a car, so we don’t understand why Nissan decided to design this car this way. We have to admit, though, that the name Nissan Cube is very appropriate, but we’re not sure that is a compliment. Even though this car was produced back in 1998, you can still see the occasional Cube on the road to this day.
10: Veritas RS III
Before the year 2010, Vermot AG took a long break from the automotive industry, about 60 years or so. However, they attempted to make a comeback that year, though we really wish they didn’t. The supercar that they created, the Veritas RS III, looked like a scary sea monster. Its hideous design made it look as if someone messed with buttons and accidentally summoned the demon car.
11: Panoz Abruzzi
This is a very good example of what a sports car shouldn’t have when it comes to the design. As if the horrendous exterior wasn’t bad enough, this abomination came with an appalling £330k price tag. The plan was to produce only 81 units of the Panoz Abruzzi. However, this car thankfully never got to see the light of day again, since it naturally died at the prototype stage.
12: Panoz Avezzano
A car that appeared to be a hardtop version of the final-generation Panoz Esperante, this other Panoz car came as both a sports car, and a racecar. This one came close to looking all Lucra—rear and everything—but the keen gearhead’s eye will twitch at the sight of this supercar-ish thing. They call it the “Avezzano,” named after an Italian city, in line with Panoz car naming tradition, but if they had asked for suggestions from the public, something like “Panoz Abruzzi II” or “Panoz L148” would’ve done because it looks like they stuck the nose of a Panoz Abruzzi to the tailgate of a Lucra L148, then came up with a name to “convince” people it’s the closest thing to owning the Panoz Abruzzi—eiowl! Now you see why this car is yet another very good example of what a sports car shouldn’t have when it comes to the design. Strangely, the Italian sports car is still being produced today.
13: Mitsubishi MUM 500 ‘Shall We Join Us?’
The question mark isn’t us questioning Mitsubishi’s poor life choices; it actually stuck a question mark in the name. Aside from that, the grammar is horrendous - and it’s not just a poor translation, the name was actually written out in English. Also, to whom was the question being addressed? Shall We Join Us? Is that some sort of logical conundrum specifically designed to make robots’ heads explode in the 25th century? Well, whatever the fuck that is, it sure as hell isn’t a good name for a car, even a car as woefully ugly as this. The MUM 500 SWJU was just as awkwardly styled as it was named, which resulted in it being one of the weirdest cars around. Period. And coincidentally, I featured it 13th in this list! (That was actually not planned, I just noticed that…)
14: DC Coke
The Coca-Cola company got DC Design to build a car to promote its Burn energy drink. The Burn energy drink never really managed to hold a candle to the Red Bulls. On another note, perhaps the energy drink would’ve had a solid shot if not for the abominable DC Coke Concept accompanying it as its promotional material. We can only thank heavens that the DC Coke never made it to production.
15: Nissan Juke
There are legions of people who absolutely love the Nissan Juke. It’s inexpensive, offers all-wheel drive and has a lot sportier feel on the road that most vehicles in this class. But its two mismatched sets of headlights make it look like an alien wearing Ben Franklin’s glasses!
16: Lamborghini Veneno
There are probably some more recent news items that suggest that money can’t buy class, but the $4.1 million Lamborghini Veneneo still proves the rule. Just five were ever built after its introduction in 2013. It looked like a cross between an origami sculpture and a Transformer.
17: Fiat Multipla
We are truly lost in words when we see this…MPV…ish…thing, and to think Fiat was the one that decided to design and make the Multipla this way. They did this on purpose! In 1998, this car was released and it ran until 2010. Even today, a few of these still roam the streets. Imagine someone holding in a sneeze – this is what the car version might probably look like.
18: Plymouth/Chrysler Prowler
We don’t think it’s just a coincidence that the Plymouth brand died not long after they released the Prowler. It was the brand’s attempt to create an American hot rod that was ’50s inspired, but it just didn’t work. Surprisingly, even with its unfortunate design, a Prowler still cost serious money these days. No wonder, then, was the Prowler rebadged as a Chrysler product, and DaimlerChrysler filing the Plymouth brand for bankruptcy in 2001.
19: Jeep Commander (XK)
Although the first-generation Jeep Commanded looks like an uglier version of Jeep’s iconic Liberty, this seriously ugly CUV is actually Jeep’s 5-7 passenger version of the Jeep Liberty. We will just say this: The Jeep Liberty is a really good car, but this CUV is just straight up unpleasant on the eyes.
20: Stutz Blackhawk
This Stutz monstrosity was first produced in 1972. Christened the Blackhawn, going on forty years later and it is still not clear to us what exactly the designers of this car were going for. The car is almost 6 meters (19 feet) long! Surprisingly, the original King of pop himself, Elvis Presley, actually adored the Blackhawk. Not only is it ugly, but the car was also way too expensive at the time, with an outrageous price tag of $120,000 in 2017!
And that’s the end of this list. Which one was the ugliest? And which ones did I forget? Which ones can be added to Part 2? Comment below! Also be sure to leave a like and follow me for more updates. And be sure to use the given poll to signify which car you think is the ugliest.
- BMW M635CSI
- Pontiac LeMans Sport GTO
- Weber Faster One
- Covini C6W
- Tyrrell P34
- Mitsuoka Orochi
- Hyundai Tiburon
- Mitsubishi T-Box
- Nissan Cube
- Veritas RS III
- Panoz Abruzzi
- Panoz Arezzano
- Mitsubishi MUM 500 ‘Shall We Join Us?’
- DC Coke
- Nissan Juke
- Lamborghini Veneno
- Fiat Multipla
- Plymouth/Chrysler Prowler
- Jeep Commander (XK)
- Stutz Blackhawk
