Prowler Stretch Limo

How can someone have thought this would be a good idea? Besides looking God-awful, it must be the world's most uncomfortable limo (besides the fact that the Prowler was underpowered in the first place).

Clones: Dusty Escort

The Plymouth Duster I was a show car from 1969, whose name went on to signify sporty Valiants. Basically a convertible Road Runner with all sorts of aero appendages, it's front end bares a remarkable similarity to the MK1 Euro Ford Focus, birthed the year prior.

Google Street Fug

Found this gem browsing some streets on Google Street View recently to find a business location.

Dodge Challenged

Take one Dodge Challenger, add one scoop of Vista Cruiser, a dash of Superbird, and voila!

1958 Plymouth Tornado

No - this isn't something someone made in their barn, although it looks it. Apparently this is an official Plymouth made concept from 1958. Thankfully, this is one Chrysler concept that didn't go into production.

Worst Prowler Ever

Behold - the Lonestar Growler. Innovative name! Sadly, it looks very much like the half Jeep test mules Chrysler made up back in the day to test out the mechanicals but keep the paparazzi confused as to the final styling.

On the guessing theme, is this made out of a BMW Z3 or a Miata?

Fug-Masters - 60's Chrysler Group

Something was in the water at Chrysler/Plymouth/Dodge in the early 60's. Nothing else can explain the strange designs from that period.

One such vehicle is the '62 Dodge Dart (top pic). Only was produced one year, it was the last full-size Dodge Dart. However, with it's double headlights and strangely swooping body it seemed like two cars in one. It almost seems Virgil Exner-ish, but it doesn't actually seem cohesive enough.

Next down is a Dodge Lancer, which going from pictures seems to be basically a more attractive re-skin of the same design. Dart wagons looked like this but with the front from the top pic (all Dart wagons I could find images of were abandoned).

Last up is the 1960 Plymouth Valiant, which again uses a similar blobby bodystyle, but this time with a large, angry looking grille (most likely inspired by the 300 series).

Attack of the Clones, Pt. 9

This post covers a multitude of cars: those American cars made in the late '70s through to the late '80s who all lamely tried to copy Mercedes-Benz. Either in pieces or in whole front and rear sections.

I'll start off with the top couple pictures, which are obviously Mercedes cars. The first is the W124 S-Classe (the first) born in 1979. It started the trend of Mercedes' look through the next 2 decades (until 1995 when the 4 eyed E-Classe debuted). Basically, the look was straight forward - a basic 3 block shape, with large rectangular headlights and wraparound turn signals. And of course the big M-B grille. Sadly due to different headlight regulations, most Mercedes of that era came not with the large, flush headlights but with an uglier recessed, split affair. I couldn't find a pic of the S-Classe with them, so I attached a pic of the similar looking 190E of 1984.

Ironically, American car makers choose to copy the bastardized American versions of M-Bs. Although it was most likely because it was cheaper this way.

First of the clones that I can remember is the 1978 Ford Fairmont. It's basically a relatively nice looking car, but the M-B cues are obvious. From the grille pattern to the way the turn signals are placed between the grille and the headlights, it reeks of M-B. Ford ended up making scores of M-B ripoffs throughout their lineup. The 1978 Granada has a M-B grille, but it's vertically staked headlights are different. However, the actually ADVERTISED the car opposite a Mercedes so you could see the similarities. Next, there's a pic of the 1984 Mercury Cougar, with an obvious M-B grille. Strangely, both Mercury and Ford copied the german maker. You think they would keep to one brand.

Worse off though was the 1980 Chrysler K-Cars, which I think are truely fugly. Not only did the spread like cancer to the backbone of every Chrysler product, they're also the most blatant of the M-B ripoffs. Not only that, the car just looks awjward anyway. The 4 doors had a bizarre cutoff rear window that not only limited vision, but extremely limited the amount you could physically roll down the window.