Now, you can slice and dice a list of worst cars a hundred ways,
but I�ve chosen 5 cars that bombed largely because their tech or
engineering innovations did a huge flop.
I�m B.C. with the Top 5
Worst Selling Cars that tried too hard to deliver something we
didn�t want.
5 - Plymouth Prowler: 8.200
The Prowler was advanced for its heavy use of bonded
Aluminum construction but they wasted the technique on those
absurdly overposturing outboard wheels with pontoon fenders --
that�s an Indy car cue, so you better back it up with more than a
V6 and a 4-speed automatic.
4 - Pontiac Aztek: 5,020
Look, I hate to be predictable, but the Aztek was a mess with its
�high tech� look of conflicting body panels.
In fact, the Aztek was
one of the first cars developed primarily on a computer.
Maybe if
they had done more physical mock ups they would have seen
this thing for what it was an killed it.
Being #4 on a list is about
the kindest comment it ever earned.
3 - Studebaker Avanti: 4,600
It pains me to put the Avanti on here, but it was a dud.
The
Raymond Loewy team designed a hot looked with rare front
discs and an optional supercharger.
But the complexity of
fiberglass body production eluded Studie.
Production delays led
to cancelled orders led to the end of the company.
2 - Lincoln Blackwood: 3,300
This ghettofabulous take on the F-150 converted the bed into a
carpeted, power-lidded trunk.
Basically, it neutered the a
perfectly good pickup, offered you one color and charged you 50
grand in the process.
Chevy�s Avalanche sold circles around it
by being oddly innovative in a more useful way.
1 - Studebaker Wagonaire - 940
This oddball was a wagon with a roof that retracted from the rear
to the front, leaving you with a sort of Ranchero with high sides.
Just odd.
What do you carry in there?
And how you you load it
with making your chiro rich?
Add in the fact that the roof leaked
like a rain forest and this was a piece of engineering before its
time.
I�m not sure they could pull it off today.
To stay on top of all the latest on cars, and their hopefully
successful tech innovations, head over to cnet on cars at
cnetoncars.com.
I am Brian Cooley, thanks for watching.
