Who makes the ugliest automobile

[FED 387]

is the rope ladder for entry optional or part of the front axle package???

[Ed Fernandez]

It has the optional fresh air mask that drops down from the headliner.

[Dan Bennett]

Classic good news/bad news scenario: You're a pre-teen car nut and your dad finally buys his first new car in your lifetime. Bad news: It's a stripped 62 Dodge Dart four door.

I swear it warped me so bad that I actually bought a 59 Nash Metropolitan for my first car a couple of years later. A picture of our driveway would have no doubt been on the internet had it existed back then.

So there's two cars that should be high on the list.

[BobOrme]

Originally Posted by Dan Bennett

Classic good news/bad news scenario: You're a pre-teen car nut and your dad finally buys his first new car in your lifetime. Bad news: It's a stripped 62 Dodge Dart four door.

I swear it warped me so bad that I actually bought a 59 Nash Metropolitan for my first car a couple of years later. A picture of our driveway would have no doubt been on the internet had it existed back then.

So there's two cars that should be high on the list.

Don't feel bad Dan. I took my first driver's license test in a 1962 Studebaker Lark that my dad bought new.

[Dan Bennett]

Originally Posted by BobOrme

Don't feel bad Dan. I took my first driver's license test in a 1962 Studebaker Lark that my dad bought new.

Nothing wrong with that! I went to school in Indiana and had a couple of friends from South Bend.

When we'd go up there for a weekend I was always amazed at how many Studies were running around. One of my roomates had an early Hawk which I thought was really cool. I remember the dash, with its aircraft-looking gauges and all the cool toggle switches.

Another friend had a Lark, and taught me to check on the trunk lid for the "VI" or "VIII" emblems.

While they made some legitimate grocery getters, I don't think Studebaker gets the respect they deserve. No, they never engineered a small block Chevy or Ford, but they had some pretty creative stuff for the time.

[Randall Klein]

I think Studebaker's were made in South Bend, IN...could be wrong

Quite a few contenders for ug-a-ly champ, but many are fringe models, or very low sales, I think the Aztec remains a lock considering it was from a major mfg and sold a fair amount, but I must admit the field is plentiful....some real lookers

[Dan Bennett]

Originally Posted by Randall Klein

I think Studebaker's were made in South Bend, IN...could be wrong

That's what I was getting at but I didn't do a very good job. Because of the factory, I think there were more Studebakers per square foot than any other place on earth. Bendix was there also so it was sort of motor city but in a 180 degrees out kind of way.

Studebaker always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not many people remember that they joined up with Mercedes-Benz way back when. Yuppies hadn't been invented yet, so the Studie dealers didn't sell many Benzes.

Speaking of which, one of my favorite trivia bets involves Ford and Honda. Hardly anyone remembers that there were Honda step throughs being sold from Ford showrooms. That program didn't last long either.

Originally Posted by Randall Klein

Quite a few contenders for ug-a-ly champ, but many are fringe models, or very low sales, I think the Aztec remains a lock considering it was from a major mfg and sold a fair amount, but I must admit the field is plentiful....some real lookers

I can't argue with the Aztek, but it didn't start out as ugly as it ended up. The concept car was pretty radical but not that much different than a Pontiac Vibe (Toyota Matrix). Of course the beancounters got involved. They signed off on building the car but at the last minute mandated that it had to fit an existing platform. The wheelbase, overhangs, and pretty much the entire proportion of the car got changed and the rest is history.

Funny thing is that the Buick versions are pretty popular around here. Bring the headlights down beside the grill, put a fish mouth on it, and Susie Soccer Mom just can't get enough.

As long as we're talking about styling, Mopar should get some attention too. Before the "Forward Look" and the outrageous cars of the 60s, the man calling the shots was named Elwood Engel. He was a pretty traditional guy and wore a hat wherever he went. Trouble was, he insisted that any Chrysler product be produced so that a gent could get in and sit down with his hat on. That didn't do much for styling.

No wonder Virgil Exner went for the wild side when the chains were freed. Sort of like a preacher's kid, I guess.

[Tom Goldman]

Originally Posted by BobOrme

Don't feel bad Dan. I took my first driver's license test in a 1962 Studebaker Lark that my dad bought new.

I thought all Studebaker Larks looked kool like this. Drake likes them so much he has 2 ,both race cars!