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American automakers often take the brunt of the criticism for producing models that are ugly, useless, or even downright dangerous. Ford has had its share of beasts thru the years as well as many winners including the present Mustang for which demand can’t be met. For the joys 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 car that introduced mass production make the list? Well, the vehicle was fine, but Mr. Henry Ford’s statement, “…you can have any color you want as long as it is black” has been ascribed with the rise of General Motors [who gave its clients a choice in colors] which eventually dethroned Ford as the top automaker in the globe. No, the Model T was fine, but Mr. Ford’s marketing strategy was not.

Edsel – In September 1957, Ford launched a new division – Edsel – and introduced to America one of the spookiest looking cars. Sporting a “horse-collar” shaped grille – some equated it with a toilet seat – the Edsel line was hyped by Ford and rejected by buyers resolutely. Expecting to build two hundred thousand Edsels in its first year of production, only 63,000 were built. Other “radical” aspects of the Edsel included a “floating” speedometer that glowed upon reaching a particular speed and an ungainly push button transmission with controls attached to the hub of the steering wheel. Even with a quick refresh finished in time for the next model year, the Edsel limped along only to be pulled one month after the 3rd model year vehicles were released.

Pinto – Hey, even I owned one! With a 2.3L inline four cylinder paired with a four speed manny tranny, the Pinto was Ford’s answer in the 1970s to the onslaught of Eastern automobiles flooding the market. The compact rear wheel drive coupe, three door hatchback, or truck sold reasonably well until disaster hit: the revelation that the Pinto’s gas tank was capable of exploding in a rear impact shocked buyers away. Mercifully pulled after the 1980 model year; replaced by the favored Escort.

Mustang II – Ford tainted the Mustang name during the 1970s with this forgettable and hideous model. Resembling a swollen and stretched Pinto, the Mustang II was puny, poorly made, and an awful rival against its arch rival, the Camaro. All was forgiven by the early 1980s with the return of a recently 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 age : the fastback autos of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Before you point your finger at Ford, do not forget to recall some really unmemorable models, foreign and domestic. The Toyota Truck was panned for its hideous styling and for having an engine that had to be dropped from the engine bay in order to do a tune up; the Chevy Vega – a Pinto wannabe ; AMC’s Pacer – the Jetson’s car; the Suzuki Samurai and Isuzu Rodeo – flip over specialists; the Yugo – a thinly redone 1960s age Fiat ; and numerous other vehicles not worth the mention. You hope that automakers learn from their mistakes, but do not count on it. Perhaps in another generation we will see a really unmemorable Ford show up, except for now there isn’t one in the line up…hooray for that!.

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