Fiat Ecobasic

Concept cars seem to offer an endless supply of fugly - going back through the years there's almost too many to choose from. I present to you the Fiat Ecobasic from 2004, an unfortunate concept that seems to draw some of it's looks from the Multipla. But where the Multipla had various beedy headlights poking out all over the front end, the Ecobasic has a gigantic light bar inspired by 1980's era Mercurys.

C-Cactus, F-Fugly

Vive la France. This 2007 Citroen concept continues it’s recent tradition of introducing bloated organic autos for the show circuit and the road. The C-Cactus recipe includes equal parts of Geely Panda and Porky the Pig, with a bit of Porsche Cayenne thrown in for good measure. There’s word it’ll make it to production – thankfully Citroen doesn’t sell cars in North America.

Attack of the Clones: Renault ArEight

The Renault DeZir concept is meant to show a new design language for Renault. Apparently that design language is very similar to the one that spawned the Audi R8.

Bass Ackwards

You may be thinking, "so what exactly is wrong with this car?"

Well, besides looking like a precursor to the the Pacer...

It's apparently been build backwards. The car you see here is the 1959 Renault Studio 900, and about the only details I can ascertain is that it was a concept or design experiment. Even 50 years ago Renault was paving the way for it's future atrocities.

Audi-scious

Not really sure what this is, so I can't really label it as anything. Not up on my European commercial vans. I'm sure it's a Fiat or something French. Whatever it is, it's not an Audi no matter how hard it tries. Also, it seems the Audi injections fave some unfortunate side effects, resulting in multiple headlights and door mirrors.

Le Crap

Fake Renault 5 Turbo anyone? Not sure what the acronym UFAC stands for, but google seems to think it's "Upholstered Furniture Action Council". Sounds about right.

Citreon DS (the new one)

I was such a fan of the original DS, that the new one is a bit of a let down. I mean - they basically replaced a style icon with a cutesy feminine and slightly homely French version of a Mini Cooper. It's everything the original DS wasn't. Original DS = looked like nothing else. New DS = looks like the rest of the lineup. Original DS = a sleek yet simple 4 door sedan. New DS: a two hatchback with pretty standard, chunky proportions - and a bit overwrought in the aesthetics department.

I guess it isn't quite fugly - moreso fugly by comparison. Plus it's weird shark fin B pillar makes the car look really look past the doors. It almost looks like it has bread van proportions (especiall in rear 3/4 view).


And what's with this picture supplied with the press release? Why is this woman going to eat the keys? Is this supposed to be erotic?

Renault Argos

Another unattractive concept with an unattractive name. This car appears to be made of multiple materials, as if made of found objects. The shape is symmetrical front and back, resembling a gell-cap pill or a beetle of some kind. It doesn't appear to have taillights either, and the "innovative" doors are pretty rediculous. Sort of like a minivan but they slide into the bodywork. Sure - it hides the doors, but unlike a minivan whose doors can slide over the rear wheels, the doors on the Argo have to fit inside the bodywork. Giving this 2 seater coupe a very long profile aft of the door openings. Very inefficient.

Renault Be Bop

Renault Design unveilled the weirdly named Be Bop at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show. This bubble like MPV combines large teardrop-shaped side windows with a mish-mash of things going on it's face to create a truly fugly offering that just might be worse than the Fiat Multipla.

2005 Peugeot Moovie Concept

Most people interested in automotive design are familiar with the fact that Peugeot has annual competitions for designing a show car, which they'll actually create and show the coming year. I thought this was very cool when I heard of it, and although I haven't submitted anything I know of people who have.

Sadly, I have no idea who picks the winner - but whoever they are, they have to lay off the drugs. In the 3 (I think?) years they've had this competition, I have to say I was not impressed with their choice of winner. The first year they choose a weird chrome plane/moon buggy called the Moonster (to be featured later), and this year their choice is this monstosity.

I'm not even sure how it works. They have no pictures of it in motion. It basically looks like a hampster ball, for humans. I also don't get the name - Moovie. I can see putting emphasis on the word "move", but why "movie"? And why ad the extra "o"? It baffles the mind...

2000 Peugeot City Toz E-Doll

At the 2000 Mondial de l’Automobile Paris motor show, Peugeot showed a whole range of concept cars, with the "City Toyz" providing one of the main highlights of the show. These 4 tiny cars were "designed with the future in mind". If the future looks like this I might as well take my life now. And don't get my started on the how they replaced the letter "s" with "z". They're tres cool.

The "City Toyz" are based on a study theme - urban mobility for the 21st century. For some reason, Peugeot wanted to show "that it was still possible to dream in the year 2000". Whether or not these dreams were had during acid trips is yet to be known.

The E-Doll is the most "unique" of the bunch. Basically an orange bubble, the concept actually contains two vehicles. The main piece is obvious - the central dome that seats 3 abroad with the driver in the centre. The second is a supermarket trolley with handles and castors, which can be disassembled (yet I'm not sure where in the tiny car this vehicle is located). It’s powered by 2 electric engines, by each rear wheel (in the grey housing).

However, it’s most fugly feature was it’s clear plastic trunk, inexplicably filled with multicoloured balls. Are future products stored in multicoloured balls? Also - why do you want your trunk see through? For ease of burglary? When I first laid eyes on this car, the first thing that came to mind was a childhood plaything - the Fisher Price pop-corn popper / lawn mower / push toy. Not exactly when I'm looking for in a car.

Coming or Going?

A Renault concept from the '60s, the 900 was sort of a forbearer to the modern minivan, except for the fact that it had a trunk, which made for an unusual backwards looking car.

Giger C2

If H.R. Giger modified cars in the "rice" genre, I think this is what they'd look like.

Many people may not know who H.R. Giger is, but are probably familar with his work. The movie "Aliens" (and sequels) was highly based on his artwork. Also from his Hollywood work with "Aliens", he did some alien designwork for the movie "Species" in '95. Like "Aliens", Giger's work is dark and very organic with sexual undertones. Most features an organic and mechanical mix of elements. For more on Giger, visit his website:

http://www.hrgiger.com/

Anywho, this modified Citroen C2 looks like ground transportation on the Aliens' home planet. With neon jamed in every oriface.

Panhard CD

Another Panhard, this one a coupe from called the CD. I couldn't find too much info on this - I'll add some if I find any more.

This one has a nice amphibious face as well, although this one has a larger "mouth" and appears to be crosseyed.

Panhard - Citroen Fug Remixed

The French are nothing if not creative with their cars. Some of the designs were brilliant like the Citroen DS, some were not like the Ami.

Panhard is another french company with ties to Citroen, and also experimented in aerodynamic designs. But unlike the wedge-like DS, their cars were melted, soap-bar like blobs.

The most graphic case of fug occured in the 1960 PL7. I suppose that it is basically the same car as the Dyna Z that debuted in 1954, and both of which were much more streamlined than cars of the time. But while the Dyna Z was on the edge of fug, the PL7 was truely fugly.

The core of the car remained the same, but the front and rear ends were revised with strangly placed chrome accents and odd organic cutlines. Instead of looking like a bar of soap, it now looked like some kind of amphibian - possibly a salamander. Chrome "eyelids" extended down the side of the body over the wheel wells. The same occured in back with the taillights, but a strange trunk cutline made it look uniquely fugly. Also up front, a small air inlet above the bumper looked almost like a fish's mouth.

Citroen Ami 6/8

The Citroen Ami 6 was introduced in 1961 as the more upmarket version of the 2CV. On the strengthened 2 CV underpinnings a larger and heavier body was placed that offered more interior space and more luxury. The design of the bodywork somehow made the 2CV look an art masterpiece. Not only did the large, close together lights make the car look crosseyed, the rear window placed in a sharp inward angle that is the total opposite of the norm. Well, unless the norm is a Mazda Carol. The thought behind that was that it would keep the rear window clean when driving in rain or snow. It's a "timeless" design because it looks weird at every angle.

Because of the extra weight and the very soft and supple suspension inherited from the original 2 CV chassis driving was sometimes more like sailing. The steering was heavy and direct and cornering at speed caused extreme body roll. On the upside the suspension lay-out made the Ami suitable for driving on rough country roads and even terrain.

The Ami 8 debuted in 1969 with a host of mechanical upgrades, and a slightly different look. The caracteristic reverse-rake rear screen was replaced by a fast back and the frontend got a smoother look. Mechanically the car was much as before although in September 1969, the Ami 8 became the first A series to be fitted with front inboard disc brakes.

Peugeot Feline 607

If you are familiar with SNL, you may be familiar with the Ambiguously Gay Duo - a cartoon crime fighters segment (which may or may not still be done on the show). I think that the Feline looks like the real-life version of their car.

Or a slightly more attractive and sporty version of "The Homer", the car that single handedly brought down the Powell automotive empire.*

*Referring to "The Simpons" of course.

Citroen C6

I really hope CONCAVE rear windows really don't catch on. Yeah - it's a throwback to their past. But it's ugly AND expensive. And the taillights are just weird.

Renault Avantime

The Avantime started out as a rather sleek concept car. Enough so that it gathered enough attention that Renault put it into production. Sort of...

What was retained - and have become an awkward Renault styling - are the "bustle back" (aka - budonkadonk) and strange cutlines. An example is the rear taillights which are made of a couple triangles positioned like an hourglass. And the huuuuuge doors.

In the original, the long doors were for ease on ingress to the 4 seater coupe. However in translation to the production version, they decided to make it more space efficient and change it into a quasi-minivan. So now it's a luxury sedan/sports coupe/minivan. As strange as THAT sounds, Mercedes seems to be trying a similar but not as bizarre route with the new R-Classe.

Renault Twingo

It's like "Hello, Kitty" - in car form.