Yankee automakers sometimes take the brunt of the feedback for producing models that are ugly, useless, or downright deadly. Ford has had its share of beasts through the years as well as many winners including the current Mustang for which demand cannot be met. For the fun of it let’s take a look at some of the Ford models that have been derided down thru the years.
Model T – What?! How can the automobile that introduced mass production make the list? Well, the car was fine, but Mr. Henry Ford’s statement, “…you can have any color you want as long as it is black” has been attributed with the rise of General Motors [who gave its buyers a choice in colors] which ultimately unseaetd Ford as the top automaker in the globe. No, the Model T was fine, but Mr. Ford’s advertising strategy was not.
Edsel – In September 1957, Ford launched a new division – Edsel – and introduced to America one of the weirdest looking autos. Wearing a “horse-collar” shaped grille – some equated it with a toilet seat – the Edsel line was hyped by Ford and confounded by shoppers earnestly . Expecting to build two hundred thousand Edsels in its first year of production, only 63,000 were built. Other “radical” sides 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 heart of the wheel. Even with a quick makeover completed in time for the next model year, the Edsel limped along only to be pulled one month after the 3rd model year autos were released.
Pinto – Hey, even I owned one! With a 2.3L inline four cylinder twinned with a 4 speed manny tranny, the Pinto was Ford’s answer during the 1970s to the attack of Japanese cars flooding the market. The compact rear wheel drive coupe, 3 door hatch, or wagon sold reasonably well until disaster hit : the revelation the Pinto’s gas tank was capable of exploding in a rear impact frightened buyers away. Mercifully pulled after the 1980 model year; replaced by the popular Escort.
Mustang II – Ford tainted the Mustang name during the 1970s with this unmemorable and hideous model. Resembling a bloated and stretched Pinto, the Mustang II was feeble, poorly made, and a terrible competitor against its arch rival, the Camaro. All was forgiven by the early 1980s with the return of a newly designed Mustang. Today’s Mustang, on the other hand, is a sold-out success story as it took its styling cues from a Mustang of another era: the fastback cars of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Before you point your finger at Ford, don’t forget to recall some actually unmemorable models, foreign and domestic. The Toyota Truck was panned for its ugly styling and for having an engine that needed to be dropped from the engine bay to do a tune ; the Chevy Vega – a Pinto wannabe; AMC’s Pacer – the Jetson’s automobile ; the Suzuki Samurai and Isuzu Rodeo – flip over experts ; the Yugo – a thinly redone 1960s era Fiat; and countless other cars not worth the mention. You hope that automakers learn from their mistakes, but don’t count on it. Maybe in another generation we are going to see a very unmemorable Ford show up, except for now there is not one in the line up…hooray for that!.
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