Let’s rank the 10 worst redesigns of postwar American cars that, with one partial exception, were only in production for a single year. By “postwar” I mean between 1949-79.
My rankings are obviously subjective, but I do try to back them up with facts and logic. Feel free to share your alternate rankings in the comment thread.
NUMBER 10 — 1970 Buick Riviera
The partial reskinning of Buick’s personal coupe in 1970 was not nearly as bad as that of its corporate sibling, the Oldsmobile Toronado (which you will find below). Even so, the Riviera’s busy grille and chunky rear quarters were arguably a step down from the fairly clean 1969 model.
The changes might have made sense if they had helped smooth the transition to the radical 1971 redesign, but the opposite was the case (go here for further discussion). It would appear that the public wasn’t all that keen on the facelift. Whereas in 1969 the Riviera outsold the Ford Thunderbird for the first time, in 1970 the Buick fell well behind. In this recessionary year, T-Bird output actually went up 2 percent while the Riviera dropped by 29 percent.
NUMBER 9 — 1973 Plymouth Fury
For 1973 the federal government began to phase in new bumper standards. Chrysler Corporation designers responded by giving most of its passenger cars new fascias with beefier bumpers. The Plymouth’s facelift was arguably the least successful of the bunch.
Whereas the previous-year’s model had a unique-looking, double-donut bumper with hidden headlights on top-of-line models, the 1973 Fury was plastered with a dime-store radiator grille that looked bland and derivative. In addition, Plymouth’s traditionally horizontal taillights were made vertical for one year only. Why?
Overall Fury sales were relatively stable for 1973 but the top-end Gran series saw output drop 21 percent while Chevrolet Caprice and Ford LTD production went up by 17 and 19 percent, respectively (go here for further discussion).
In retrospect, it might have been better to stick with the existing look. If the Imperial and Dodge could accommodate the new bumper regulations without major front-end redesigns, why couldn’t Plymouth?
NUMBER 8 — 1966 American Motors senior wagons
American Motors’s mid-sized lineup received new rooflines for its two-door hardtops and wagons. The more squared-off hardtop styling made sense even if it was in production only one year. These were halo models and AMC was trying to catch up with the trend toward broughamtastic styling. However, the wagon redesign is more perplexing.
The Classic and Ambassador wagons were on the small side for intermediates, so stretching the cargo area three inches and widening the tailgate opening made some sense. However, it is hard to see how such a major change could pay off in only one year of production. Nor did it help sales — wagon output fell by 36 percent from 1965 to 1966, which was a roughly 10 percent bigger drop than for the overall senior AMC lineup.
NUMBER 7 — 1968 Pontiac Grand Prix
From 1963-66 Pontiac and Oldsmobile shared a special roofline for personal coupes based on General Motors’ big-car body. Oldsmobile discontinued the Starfire a year after adding the Toronado to its lineup, but Pontiac quite rightly kept alive its Grand Prix.
For 1968 Pontiac could have gotten away with relatively minor updates similar to the rest of its big-car lineup, but instead the rear end was substantially redesigned. The results were uninspiring and output fell by 11 percent despite Pontiac’s big-car lineup seeing output increase by 5 percent. Fortunately, this was a one-year wonder, because for 1969 the Grand Prix was downsized to an intermediate, where it found far greater success (go here for further discussion).
NUMBER 6 — 1961 Rambler Ambassador
For 1961 American Motors CEO George Romney was apparently feeling so confident about the Rambler brand’s growth that he decided to compete more directly against the full-sized Chevrolet, Ford and Plymouth with a reskinned Ambassador.
The main goal in the new styling was apparently to better differentiate the Ambassador from the less-expensive Classic. In the past, the front end was stretched nine inches but it had only minor grille differences. For 1961 the Ambassador received a swept-back fascia and knife-edged bumpers that gave the car a longer look. That certainly made the Ambassador stand out, but the styling was arguably rather ugly. Sales were mediocre, so for 1962 the Ambassador lost its longer wheelbase and unique sheetmetal . . . and production almost doubled (go here for further discussion).
NUMBER 5 — 1970 Dodge Coronet
For the final year of a three-year run, the third-generation Dodge Coronet received a partial reskinning. The new rear styling was fairly benign but the front end was more problematic.
Chrysler designers apparently assumed that slapping on a then-trendy, double-donut bumper would keep the Coronet looking current — and better distinguish the nameplate from its corporate sibling, the Plymouth Satellite. In theory, this wasn’t a bad idea but in practice it backfired.
The new fascia had a rather angry look. Perhaps that would have worked okay today, when vehicles are purposely designed to look menacing (go here for further discussion). That didn’t appear to the be case back then. The Coronet’s output in 1970 fell by 42 percent — 8 percent more than the Satellite’s.
NUMBER 4 — 1958 Buick
The 1958 model year was a particularly bad one for General Motors’ styling, but I would give Buick the top prize for sheer ugliness.
The Oldsmobile was almost as bad, with its brutalist look, but the Buick’s toothy grin was downright macabre. Meanwhile, the Olds’ rear end looked normal compared to the Buick’s weirdly thick and chrome-dripping rear fins.
Oldsmobile, which for years had been outsold by Buick, switched places in 1958. This Buick was a one-year-only design because GM reportedly got spooked by Chrysler’s low-slung 1957 cars and expedited a full response for 1959.
NUMBER 3 — 1956 Hudson
The 1956 Hudson has already earned Indie Auto’s Ugly Car of the Year Award for extraordinarily bizarre styling. As we have discussed here, the so-called “V-Line” grille, trapezoid side trim and tacked-on fins added up to a masterpiece of ugliness that killed what was left of Hudson’s already shaky viability.
Technically, this wasn’t a single-year redesign. Hudson’s basic styling was largely carried over for one more model year, but output was so low that American Motors might as well have pulled the plug at the end of 1956.
NUMBER 2 — 1970 Oldsmobile Toronado
The original Oldsmobile Toronado may have been a bold design, but it didn’t sell all that well (go here for further discussion). As time went on and the broughamization of Detroit accelerated, the Toronado lost even more altitude.
In theory, it made sense for Oldsmobile to give its personal coupe a partial reskinning in 1970 as a transition to the 1971 model — which was much more conservative and boxy. Alas, the 1970’s front end was an aesthetic disaster that had little in common with its baroque successor. Ditching the fuselage styling around the C-pillar for traditional rear-fenders shoulders was a better move, but the new “clown pants” wheel-opening blisters were too massive.
NUMBER 1 — 1965 Ford Fairlane
The 1965 Ford Fairlane did not land in first place because it was uglier than other cars mentioned here. As a case in point, the front ends of the 1970 Toronado and 1956 Hudson were arguably much more horrifying. What makes the Fairlane so ignominious is that this redesign so utterly failed in its mission.
Ford wasn’t planning to give its aging intermediate a major redo until 1966, so a quick reskinning was deemed necessary to keep the nameplate competitive. It didn’t work very well.
Although the slab-sided sheetmetal was more in sync with the new-for-1965 big Fords, it was so poorly executed that the car arguably looked even more old hat than the previous-year’s model. Despite 1965 being a banner year for car sales, Fairlane output fell 19 percent . . . and was even surpassed by American Motors’ struggling mid-sized lineup (go here for further discussion).
NOTES:
Production data was calculated from the auto editors of Consumer Guide (1993, 2006) and Gunnell (2002).
RE:SOURCES
- Auto editors of Consumer Guide; 1993, 2006. Encyclopedia of American Cars. Publications International, Lincolnwood, IL.
- Gunnell, John; 2002. Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975. Revised Fourth Ed. Krause Publications, Iola, WI.
ADVERTISEMENTS & BROCHURES:
- oldcaradvertising.com: Rambler Classic (1966)
- oldcarbrochures.org:Â Buick (1958); Dodge Coronet (1970); Ford Fairlane (1965); Hudson Hornet (1956); Oldsmobile Toronado (1970); Plymouth Fury (1973); Pontiac Grand Prix (1968); Rambler Ambassador (1961)
The 1965 Fairlane, if the rear tailights and the front end was designed to look like its bigger sibling Galaxie with its stacked headlights, we could wonder if things would have been different despite the GM intermediates who continue to take some market share and Chrysler’s “plucked chicken” Polara/Fury morphed into Belvedere and Dodge rectified a mistake by reviving the Coronet monicker?
As for the 1970 Oldsmobile Toronado, did the designers was inspired by the front end of the customized Toronado roadster done by George Barris who was used during the first season of the tv show Mannix?
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2017/08/24/mannixs-puller-barris-built-oldsmobile-toronado-roadster-heads-to-auction
Worst single year redesigns of postwar cars. Notably missing was the absolute bizarre 1961 Plymouth. Weird, ugly, no redeeming value to the large front eyebrows. A back end that came from nowhere. What were they thinking? Presumably the early sketches were more attractive but the translation to sheet metal was horrific.
Yeah, I agree on the Plymouth’s ugliness. It had slipped my mind that the 1961 models were given a reskinning that was only used for one year.
I nominate the 1958 Ford, which managed to totally screw up the nice 1957 styling.
Then you may not like this story, which offers a counterpoint to Jim and Cheryl Farrell’s critique of of the 1958 Ford. Not that I think the 1958 was so great, but their story had some holes in it.
My top 10 post-war uglies, and I realize that there are a few included that are not single-year restyles: 1. The 1956 Hudson “V-Line”; 2. The 1970 Buick Riviera; 3. The 1965 Ford Fairline; 4. The 1961 Plymouth; 5. The 1960 Plymouth; 6. The 1958 Packard; 7. The 1958 Studebaker; 8. The 1961 De Soto; 9. The 1967 Oldsmobile 88-98; and 10. The 1973-1974 Ford (“E.S.V.”) full-size cars. Coming in at 11. The 1963 Dodge 330-Polara; 12. The 1967-1968 Dodge Polara-Monaco; 13. The 1971-1974 Javelin; 14. The 1974-1978 Matador four-doors, wagons and Ambassadors; and 15. The 1961 Ambassador. I did not find the 1973 Plymouth full-size car even worthy of this list, but one cannot argue taste or perceptions. While the 1958 Buick was, in my opinion, was Harley Earl’s over-wrought swan-song as were all of the 1958 G.M. cars, but not among the worst. The 1968 full-size Pontiacs should not be on the list, although it was the final iteration of the 1965 platform, a slight retrenchment from 1967’s styling and continuity for the 1969 facelift.
I do not know if it is fair to include designs prior to 1952, but the only bulbous “bathtub” designs that looked right to my eyes were the 1948-1954 Hudsons, with the ’54 final “Step-down” my favorite. The 1948-1950 Packard using envelope sheet metal to disguise the 1941 Clipper body looked the worst with the Airflyte Nashs and the “cross-eyed” Lincolns somehwere in the middle. I don’t know what to think about the 1950-1951 Studebakers…The definition of a polarizing design !
It’s strange that while a year is such a short slice of time, US automakers seemed to for so long been determined to make a visible change every year – even when the result looked awful. Sometimes I have to wonder whether the economic cost of designing and implementing these changes was worthwhile. On the rare occasions we had a yearly change in Australia, it seemed like we’d just got used to the ‘new’ Holden (or Falcon, or Valiant) and it was old already!
Of your top ten, we only got the Ambassador down here (I’ve only ever seen one in a magazine test) and perhaps a Hudson or two, but I’ll throw in some brief thoughts anyway.
’70 Riv – That chrome side body trim looked straight out of 1957. Heavy and obsolete.
’73 Plymouth – Hood doesn’t match grille, headlights look weak. Just messy. This was the best they could do?
’66 AM wagons – Taillights look like they were swiped from something else and just balanced there. Otherwise okay.
’68 GP – Pontiac stylists: Wrong way, go back.
’61 Ambassador – Looks like details from about five disparate designs welded into one.
’70 Coronet – Those guys were serious? Great as an R/T or Super Bee, weird on a sedan.
’58 Buick – My one point of disagreement; the Oldsmobile was uglier. It looked like two different cars cut and welded at the B-pillar. At least the Buick looks like it was designed as one car.
’56 Hudson – No argument from me. What WERE they thinking?
’70 Toronado – Peculiar. In a word, Peculiar. Front end seems to have inspired the TIE fighter in Star Wars.
’65 Fairlane – Front and rear just didn’t look right, and chrome side trim like that was out of fashion.
The Fairlane could have looked decent with some relatively minor fiddles; some of the others were beyind redemption. Personally I’d have put that Ambassador as #1, PLymouth in second and Hudson third.
The Riviera is an interesting case since it looks almost identical to a GM customized show car- The Silver Arrow II. This was a ’67 Riviera that ended up looking like the production ’70 model. From what I’ve read, Bill Mitchell wanted his stylists to “put some Delage into it.” I think that Mitchell wanted to preview his Neo Classic look that was best showcased by the upcoming ’71 ElDorado. The ’71 Boat Tail was such a change of appearance that did reflect any traditional Riviera design cues. While it’s amazing that GM would make this a single year model, but remember the entire GM line up of 1958 was for one year only.
I remember the 61 Ambassador. It looked like it had the mumps. A neighbor of ours owned a 56 Hudson. For some reason the front end reminded me of a juke box.
Re two of the American Motors models mentioned, it may be interesting to note that the “unusual” new ’61 Ambassador front clip/grille was the first AMC design assignment for Dick Teague…
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1961_Rambler_Ambassador_sedan_in_black_1of4_at_Rambler_Ranch.jpg
…who came from Chrysler where he had recently worked on a new front for the ’60 Imperial.
https://notoriousluxury.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/lebaron-3.jpg
Some similarities can be seen.
Similarities can also be seen in the continuing sedan-to-wagon conversions for the [revised] “new” ’65-’66 Rambler Classic and Ambassador and the [really] “all-new” ’67-’78 AMC Rebel/Matador and Ambassador roof, tailgate, taillight, side and rear window wagon design — maybe even with some shared stampings in places unseen. Therefore that “single-year” spending surely was amortized in some ways during the first few years, and it definitely increased profit over an incredibly-long life of the last mid-to-large-size AMC body.
The new ’66 vertical taillight was something of a nod to the best-selling wagons in America as well as an “upscaling” of Classic to look more like Ambassador. At least at the rear.
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1965_Rambler_Classic_770_Cross_Country,_rear_right.jpg
https://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A211613
And vertical lights still seem to signify “upscale style.”
Roadmaster, I appreciate the effort you put into your comment. I edited out photographs that were likely to be copyrighted.