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American automakers often take the brunt of the criticism for producing models that are hideous, pointless, or even downright perilous. Ford has had its share of beasts through the years in addition to several winners including the present Mustang for which demand can’t be met. For the thrill of it let’s take a look at some of the Ford models that have been derided down through 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 need so long as it is black” has been traced with the upward thrust of General Motors [who gave its purchasers a choice in colors] which at last unseaetd Ford as the top automaker in the planet. 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 weirdest looking autos. Wearing a “horse-collar” shaped grille - some compared it with a toilet seat - the Edsel line was hyped by Ford and rejected by consumers wholeheartedly. Expecting to build 200,000 Edsels in its first year of production, only 63,000 were built. Other “radical” facets 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 heart of the steering wheel. Even with a quick makeover 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 twinned with a four speed manny tranny, the Pinto was Ford’s answer during the 1970s to the onslaught of Japanese cars flooding the market. The compact rear wheel drive coupe, three door hatchback, or lorry sold fairly well till disaster hit : the revelation that the Pinto’s gas tank was capable of exploding during a rear impact shocked buyers away. Mercifully pulled after the 1980 model year ; replaced by the favored Escort.

Mustang II - Ford tarnished the Mustang name in the 1970s with this forgettable and ugly model. Resembling a bloated and stretched Pinto, the Mustang II was weak, 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, do not forget to recall some actually forgettable models, foreign and domestic. The Toyota Van was panned for its hideous 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 car; the Suzuki Samurai and Isuzu Rodeo - flip over specialists; 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 do not count on it. Perhaps in another generation we are going to see a truly forgettable Ford show up, but for now there is not one in the line up…hooray for that!.

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