The 1970s was an interesting decade in the history of cars. Though the gorgeous design style of the 1960s was on its way out, new technologies were on their way in, blending the gorgeous smooth bodywork of the '60s into a more angular form. And while the mid-'70s killed a lot of the fun with the Oil Crisis and new emissions regulations, the interesting new experimentation that arrived because of it made the whole ordeal worth it.
Since people love turning their cars into something that's unique to them, modifications have been, and always will be, a staple of car culture. The same goes for the cars of the '70s. But, while many 1970s sports cars look awesome when modified, plenty crossed the line of good taste straight into the "what were you thinking" ditch.
From the wacky to the downright hard to look at, here are 15 classic sports cars that were modified with strange taste, and ugly results.
15 Jaguar E-Type
A moment of silence, please. What was once described as the best looking car in the world seems to have had an allergic reaction to a bee sting. In reality, the E-Type underneath this questionable custom bodywork was wrecked in an accident. A whole assortment of parts were used to bring this thing to life, including a Ford 5.0 V8, which makes things a bit better, but not by much.
14 Dodge Challenger
The Dodge Challenger has had a prolific production run on par with the Ford Mustang or Chevrolet Camaro. Part of this success was due to the gorgeous body lines of the original generations of Challengers. This Challenger, though, has been covered in psychedelic multi-color lines that ruin any flow the body design possessed.
13 Ford Mustang
When Ken Block debuted his "Hoonicorn" custom Mustang, it was a reminder of just how far a car can be taken with modifications. On the other hand, this Unicorn Mustang is a reminder that some people should stay away from working on cars. The paint is rather reminiscent of the wicked 1970s van art, but the horn and wings look like they were ripped off a carnival prize stuffed toy.
12 Chevrolet Corvette
Speaking of people who should have stayed away from their car, this fluffy Corvette belonged to 1970s legend Farrah Fawcett. While the exterior is a bit weird but still decent to look at, it's the interior where things went horribly wrong. Pointing out the oddly mounted glovebox TV almost seems necessary, as the entire interior is wrapped in fur... That can't be comfortable to sit in during the summer.
11 Bradley GT
Another product of old school celebrity modifications, this 1972 Bradley GT belonged to the one and only Liberace. While these '70s kit cars aren't the best looking vehicles, with their odd body lines and proportions, Liberace's naturally over the top touches haven't done the car any favors. The glitter-filled gold paint may have been cool in the 1970s, but today it just looks strange.
10 A Corvette Or An Eldorado?
Sometimes, you can look at a modified car and understand exactly what was going through the owner's head; this is not one of those cases. More a product of a horror movie than any car maker, this thing is a mashup of a Cadillac Eldorado and a Chevy Corvette. Unfortunately, no one objected to this unholy marriage.
9 DeLorean DMC-12
If you thought celebrities ruining their cars with over-the-top modifications ended in the 1970s, I'm sorry, but you're wrong. This vintage DeLorean had the misfortune of falling into Will.I.am's hands, where it was turned into an abomination he claimed was built from the ground up, but was quickly disproven, as it is obviously a DeLorean under that mess of a body.
8 Bricklin SV-1
The Bricklin SV-1 is a strange car that not many people remember, it looks a bit like a DeLorean with those body lines and gullwing doors, but was actually a revolutionary "safety vehicle" made in Canada by Malcom Bricklin, the man who introduced Subaru to North America. Unfortunately, those interesting body lines just don't work with this low rider style makeover, at least the bright orange adds some safety through visibility.
7 Ford Mustang II
Even the most die-hard Mustang fans turn their nose up at the massively mediocre Mustang II. So in a way, it's better that people try their ridiculous modifications on a Mustang II rather than something like a 1972 Mustang Fastback. On the other hand, as ugly as this off-road-ready Mustang II is, it's pretty damn cool and probably fun to drive.
6 Lamborghini Countach
Look, if you're going to hack apart your 6 figure vintage Italian exotic, you may as well make it as badass as possible. And that's what happened to this Countach. While it may be ugly as sin, at least function was prioritized over form, as it's a fully-fledged drag racer capable of running a 7-second quarter-mile.
5 Porsche 914
The Porsche 914 was a fun little 1970s roadster, and one of Porsche's best budget vehicles of all time. While the looks aren't stunning, this one has been given a horrifying makeover, with the front end off of a Camaro and the rear of a Corvette. Something about the curves is just wrong, almost every body line clashes with each other. It sounds fun to drive but definitely isn't fun to look at.
4 Pontiac Firebird
Have you ever witnessed something so horrible you were lost for words? That's the situation as I try to describe this poor poor Pontiac. Spotted by an RX8 forum member in Turkey, if it wasn't explicitly stated to be a Firebird, nobody may have ever been able to tell what it is. There are just too many questions here, why is the front end so long? Why are there countless fake air vents? Actually, some questions are maybe better left unanswered.
3 Ford Taunus 2000GXL
You may not have ever heard of the Ford Taunus, but you're not missing out on much. Essentially just a 1970s Euro-spec small economy car, the Taunus is nothing to write home about, even in the 2000GXL trim. This custom Taunus 2000GXL, on the other hand, is something you'd write home about in horror. The boxy (supposedly) fiberglass body tries to be curvy in places it really shouldn't be.
2 Chevrolet Monza
The Chevrolet Monza was a fun little 1970s sports coupe, unfortunately, it wasn't the best looking car Chevy ever put out. How do you make it even uglier? Bolt-on the front end from an Oldsmobile Starfire. The resulting size imbalance is awkward to look at, essentially it's a Monza with a mutated chin.
1 Chevrolet Corvette
While most cars on this list are at least somewhat entertaining to observe, this Corvette physically hurts to look at. Vinyl wraps have allowed people to express their creativity through their cars in ways that couldn't even be imagined with actual paint. But, seeing this pizza-wrapped Corvette, we're starting to think it wasn't such a great innovation after all.