Time Magazine’s Worst cars of 1971-1975
Time Magazine tackled a monumental task by narrowing down the worst of the worst vehicles ever made. They compiled a list of 50 Worst cars of all time broken down by the years they were produced.
Here is the eighth installation of articles targeting the bottom feeders of the automotive world.
Jaguar XK-E V12 Series III 1974
Image from Time
This Herman Munstermobile is Jaguar’s red headed stepchild. This model was built with a 5.3 liter V12 engine to accomodate the restrictive emission controls in the United States.
In true Jaguar style the XK-E was horrible to maintain from an engineering standpoint and the huge engine made the car awkward and front heavy.
In the 60’s the E type was known as a sexy car, making this vehicle all the more atrocious. It took a perfectly good design and stretched it grossly out of proportion.
One look and it is obvious why the XK-E is on the worst cars of all time list.
Bricklin SV1 1975
Image from Time
Like something out of a science fiction movie, the Bricklin SV1 had doors that open upwards instead of outwards, giving it insect-like apperance. Not only are they funky looking, but they weighed 100 pounds each.
SV1 stands for ‘Safety Vehicle 1’ and was supposed to be built in the interest of safety. The reality is this; the bodies were plastic and they couldn’t beat a tortoise off the line.
The man behind the creation Malcolm Bricklin, was perhaps a bit mad, he even omitted ashtrays and lighters in the car to discourage smoking.
Morgan Plus 8 Propane 1975
Image from Time
The fact that it was built by the Morgan Motor Company in Malvern, Warwickshire, should have made the Morgan Plus a great car. Known for their stodgy ways and hand building traditions the Morgan Motor Company takes great pride in the products of their labor.
Unfortunately the United States started cracking down with restrictive emission laws in the 70’s which forced the Morgan Company out of the U. S. market.
Horrified by the idea we could be missing out on the finer vehicles of life, a San Francisco dealer by the name of Bill Fink rigged the Buick/Rover V8 to run on propane. This allowed it to sell legally in the United States, run legally with propane tanks hanging like little bombs behind the rear bumper.
Triumph TR7 1975
Image from Time
One of the last two Triumph models sold in the United States the Triumph TR7 was a sister car to the rarer TR8, which offered a V8 engine.
Let’s face it, this is an odd looking little car, but that isn’t what put it on this list. For such a funny looking car it sure was high maintenance.
A veritable maintenance nightmare, this is one car that mechanics were sorry to see go off the market, because they were getting rich off of anyone who bought one.
Trabant 1975
Image from Time
The Trabant was not just a bad idea, it was a very bad idea. East Germany’s attempt to keep up with the Volkswagen Beetle, the idea behind the Trabant was that it was going to be an affordable vehicle.
Instead it was more of a hindrance than a help if you consider it’s high-emission engine, fiberglass body, and smoky exhaust.
Cutting costs meant eliminating unimportant elements like brake lights and turn signals, making the Trabant almost unmatched in it’s lack of safety.
Truly this car belongs on this list.