Imperfect motors with modern appeal
Think that only the best cars are celebrated? No chance. While the greatest motors rightly get their plaudits, plenty of lemons also have sizeable fan clubs today.
From shonky Iron Curtain cars to British sports machines with suspect build quality, some of history’s least inspiring, most disappointing and, in some cases, down-right rubbish models have dedicated followings.
More than that, a few have achieved full cult status – sometimes precisely because they’re so bad, but in other cases simply because they’re old enough that nostalgia has turned their faults into characterful traits.
Read on for our list of 10 of these cult classics.
Austin Allegro
Widely regarded as one of the worst cars ever to come out of Britain, the little Allegro was plagued by bad build quality, shocking reliability and handling that could send you anywhere – not to mention a woefully inefficient manufacturing process. Somehow, it still sold well in the UK.
Austin Allegro (cont.)
What’s more, as with so many cars considered rubbish in their day, the Allegro has since become something of an icon – possibly because it was so bad.
Just as the 2003 film The Room has risen to infamy for its appalling production, so the Allegro – once voted the worst car of all time – is now something of a cult hit, seen almost affectionately at a nostalgic distance.
DeLorean DMC-12
Not so much rubbish as just plain average – though when you’re trying to be a sci-fi sports car that’s probably just as bad.
Yes, for all the striking promise of its gullwing doors and stainless steel shell, the DMC-12 delivered middling performance, forgettable handling and a notchy gearchange.
DeLorean DMC-12 (cont.)
All of which did nothing to dent its status as one of the most iconic, head-turning cars of all time – and one with a very dedicated following.
Distinct from the die-cast models and die-hard fans of Back to the Future – in which a modified DMC-12 served as the all-important time machine – there are DeLorean owners clubs the world over, all of which proudly celebrate the futuristic, flawed coupe.
Hillman Imp
Far from a failure on the road, the Hillman Imp was the Rootes group’s compact competitor to the Mini. It was also the first mass-produced British car to pack an all-aluminium engine, carried advanced features and offered nimble handling.
All of which makes its fate that much more galling: rushed into production at a new factory in Scotland, reliability woes would severely tarnish its reputation at the time.
Improvements ceased with the Chrysler takeover and the Imp was consigned to history as a car that could have been but never really was.
Hillman Imp (cont.)
Small, cheap to run and, some enthusiasts would claim, with handling to rival a 911, the Imp has since become an understated icon – popular with those who can appreciate its value as a British rear-engine, rear-wheel drive saloon ahead of its time.
Its fans even argue to this day that it’s better than the machine that went on to enjoy greater fame: the Mini.
AMC Pacer
A cartoonish two-door faintly reminiscent of a lunar lander, the AMC Pacer was an innovative attempt to move Americans away from the mantra of ‘big is beautiful’ with a compact car designed from the inside out to be comfortable, spacious and stylish to boot.
Alas, the much-derided machine proved too much for the US buying public: initially equipped with a 3.8-litre engine that could barely get the car moving, the power unit was so heavy it broke the steering on early Pacers – while the car was so hefty that AMC abandoned all hope of economy (managing a mere 18mpg or worse).
Ultimately it suffered from trying to be the future while remaining weighed down by the past – although the poor finish and handling didn’t help.
AMC Pacer (cont.)
Surprisingly aerodynamic, the Pacer might never have hit it big in its heyday, but the Flying Fishbowl has since become a cult hit.
Painted as the classic geek’s car in films such as Wayne’s World, it’s become America’s answer to the Austin Allegro and, bug-eyed, makes a cute reminder of the countless flaws that beset the US motor industry in the ’70s.
Morris Marina
Some of the most memorable cult classics have come from historic companies making major missteps – and nowhere is that more true than with the Morris Marina.
Designed and produced in just 18 months, it became a symbol for the cost-cutting, bodge-job nature of British Leyland (under which the marque was stabled): based on components from the ageing Minor, the Marina was badly built, had wonky wheels and its windscreen wipers went the wrong way.
Morris Marina (cont.)
Probably because it represents everything that British Leyland did to harm the British motoring industry – with its chronic mismanagement, poor quality control and frequent industrial action by staff – the Marina in all its malign glory has gone on to become something of a cult classic.
Much as you can’t blame a puppy for making a mess, so the Marina can’t really be held responsible for its own state of being – but it’s still a byword for terrible cars.
Reliant Robin
Built from glassfibre and equipped with just three wheels, the Reliant Robin – or Plastic Pig, to give it its proper title – wasn’t technically a car: the featherweight three-wheeler actually qualified as a motorcycle, but that didn’t eliminate its flaws.
Regularly voted one of the worst cars ever, it didn’t roll as much as some would have you believe, but it was underpowered, unreliable and shoddily built. And if you were really unlucky, the steering wheel might come off in your hands.
Reliant Robin (cont.)
Still the butt of so many derisive quips, the Robin has become a staple part of British culture – from appearances in Mr Bean and Absolutely Fabulous to Jasper Carrott’s jokes and, yes, that car show.
While it was actually a Reliant Regal that appeared in Only Fools and Horses, all that exposure has only served to cement the ropy three-wheel wagon’s status as a cult classic. And there are still plenty around today.
Lada Riva
“What do you call a Lada Riva with a sunroof? A skip.” Such was the reputation – and reality – of this Russian-built Fiat-derivative of the ’80s.
A pure Iron Curtain classic, the clumsy Riva was regularly lambasted as spartan, rubbish on the road and unreliable to boot – as well as fearfully unsafe in an accident.
Lada Riva (cont.)
In spite of all that – or, more likely, because of it – the Riva has risen to cult status (as has the whole Lada name), celebrated today for just how unappealing it really was. And, because it was so cheap, tens of thousands were bought in Britain – so it’s not hard to find a story about one.
Intriguingly, while the Riva is remembered for being rubbish, its off-roader Niva cousin is regularly championed as a rugged Russian that just won’t die – as a quick YouTube search will reveal.
Triumph TR7
A futuristic late-’70s wedge, the TR7 undoubtedly turned plenty of heads with its shell – but unfortunately, that was about all it had going for it.
Less powerful than its predecessors the TR5 and TR6, it also suffered from poor reliability and shoddy build quality (as so many of its contemporaries did); those pop-up headlights didn’t always pop up, particularly if it was raining, and the doors were too big to sit flush in the body.
Constant production disruptions thanks to repeated labour disputes were another problem, and even that design wasn't for everyone: when legendary car designer Giorgetto Giugiaro first saw it, he reportedly walked around it and exclaimed, “My god! They’ve done the same on this side as well.”
Triumph TR7 (cont.)
Yet, despite all that, the wedge isn’t universally derided today – far from it. Sure, everyone remembers the bad bits, but the build quality on later TR7s was greatly improved, and the arrival of a drop-top version pleased the design purists.
What’s more, with some 115,000 produced there are still plenty around.
Ultimately, the TR7 has come to be seen as a classic born in unfortunate circumstances – and one worth remembering.
Chevrolet Corvair (cont.)
Few flawed cars enjoy such an enduring reputation as the Chevrolet Corvair: designed in the 1950s as a cheap family wagon, it was called out by lawyer Ralph Nader in his influential 1965 book, Unsafe at Any Speed, as a “one-car accident”.
Why? GM put the engine in the trunk which, paired with swing-axle suspension at the rear, reportedly made the Corvair dangerously easy to roll. In the hands of the general public, it was a potential death trap.
Chevrolet Corvair (cont.)
Nader’s book is credited with single-handedly killing the simple machine, but there’s since been a re-evaluation of this most criticised of classics – not least because in 1972 the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration exonerated it.
There were doubtless flaws inherent in the design – such as the reliance on using low tyre pressures to counteract oversteer – but at the time they were hardly unique to the Corvair.
With low, clean lines and functional ’50s elegance, the Corvair now enjoys a far better reputation: even noted car enthusiast Jay Leno owns one.
Trabant
Where West Germany had the Beetle, East Germany had the Trabant. Which, in a way, is reflective of how things worked out for each side.
By all accounts, the Trabant was a terrible car. Besides the fact that it was made from plastic – sorry, recycled cotton – build quality was astonishingly bad, reliability was nearly non-existent and maintenance was pretty much futile. Oh, and the poky motor was a proper dirt bag, puffing out near-lethal levels of smoke.
Trabant (cont.)
Despite all of that – as well as a spartan cabin, horrendous handling and shocking suspension – the Trabant has become something of a German cult hit, eclipsing even the Beetle as a mid-century icon.
Whether because of its communist back-story (and memories of the diminutive machine crossing the border in ’89) or the fact that western cars became so common on German roads after reunification, the Trabant is arguably the ultimate flawed car with a cult following: there are hundreds of thousands still on the road and countless car clubs in Germany alone.
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