Chevrolet is one of the most iconic and most popular American car companies. The first-ever Chevrolet was the Series C Classic Six that debuted in 1912.
This car set the pace for all other Chevrolet vehicles that came after it. When the company was founded 109 years ago in 1917 by Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant, there was a dream that Chevy would be the best and biggest American car company in the world.
Today, Chevrolet is General Motors' flagship brand. Over the years, Chevrolet has built and produced hundreds of millions of cars. With this comes the issue of some cars and even at times lineups, falling through the cracks and being lost in time.
10 Chevrolet Citation
To replace the Chevrolet Nova, Chevy built the Chevrolet Citation. The Citation was 800 pounds lighter and 20-inches shorter than the Chevrolet Nova. The Chevrolet Citation was a huge step into the front-wheel-drive market that Chevrolet had been eyeing. However, just like many Chevrolet cars from this era, the Chevrolet citation was not built to last.
It had many flaws that many customers could not overlook. These ranged from locking up of the rear brakes without warning and severe torque steer. Chevy caught on to this early enough to correct the issues and when they were done, they rolled out the Chevrolet Citation II. However, it was too late. The Citation already had a bad reputation and there was no saving it. Chevrolet ended up discontinuing the Citation line.
9 Chevrolet Corsica
The Chevrolet Corsica is one of those cars that made it to the public by mistake. The Corsica made its debut in 1987 and was meant to be sold to car rental companies and fleets. However, a year after it was unveiled, the Chevrolet Corsica found its way into dealerships and quickly became the second-best-selling car in America.
The Corsica also found its way across the pond to Europe where it was a success as well. Despite its success, Chevrolet never bothered upgrading or updating it. By 1996, it was too dated and Chevrolet ended up discontinuing it.
8 Chevrolet Corvair
Car companies like Chevy are known for their successful builds. However, every now and again, they get themselves in a bind. One of Chevrolet's many binds that they are still paying the price for is the Chevrolet Corvair. The Corvair is considered one of the worst Chevy cars in history. This car made its debut in 1960 and was in production until 1969, when it was discontinued forever.
This American atrocity featured a 2.2-liter air-cooled rear-mounted Turbo-Air 6 engine. During the course of its production, Chevrolet dealt with over 100 lawsuits regarding the dangers caused by erratic oversteer.
7 Chevrolet Corvair Greenbrier Rampside
The Chevrolet Corvair spawned a number of vehicles that were built on its platform. These vehicles ranged from coupes to vans, wagons, and pickup trucks. The Chevrolet Corvair Greenbrier Rampside was one of these vehicles. This pickup truck had a weird looking truck bed. Chevy fitted it with a traditional tailgate as well as a side gate that doubled as a ramp.
This truck was used mostly as a work truck and was popular among farmers and anyone who hauled lots of loads. Only 20,000 units of the Chevrolet Corvair Greenbrier Rampside were built. This makes it one of the rarest Chevys built in the 1960s.
6 Chevrolet Lumina APV
The Chevrolet Lumina APV was a car that took a totally different turn from what Lumina cars were known for: sportiness. The Lumina APV was a full-sized minivan that was built to go up against the Dodge Caravan, the Chrysler Town, the Country Chevrolet, and the Plymouth Voyager.
This oddball featured a seven-seater cabin, rust proof plastic body panels, and a power sliding door. However, when it came to the powertrain, the Chevrolet Lumina APV was a big disappointment. It was powered by a sluggish and uneconomical 3.1-liter LG6 V6 engine that didn’t push enough power to warrant its consumption.
5 Chevrolet Lumina Z34 Coupe
The Chevrolet Lumina is an Australian muscle car sold under the Chevrolet umbrella. Before this arrangement was made, the Lumina was sold as a US-spec full-size sedan and coupe for two generations that ran from 1990 to 2001. While the Lumina is not a forgotten name, the Chevrolet Lumina Z34 Coupe is. The Lumina Z34 Coupe was a performance variant of the Lumina.
This ride debuted in 1991 and featured a front-wheel-drive drivetrain, dual exhaust, four-wheel anti-lock brakes, a sports suspension package, and an aggressive body kit. This car was powered by a 3.4-liter LQ1 V6 engine that delivered 210 horsepower when paired with a manual transmission and 200 hp when paired with an automatic transmission.
4 Chevrolet Monza
When Chevrolet rolled out the Vega, there were numerous concerns over the car’s quality, or lack thereof. Some even went further to speculate that the speed at which the Chevy Vega was leaving the production line was a huge concern since they probably were not adhering to safety standards. This resulted in a big financial hit for Chevy seeing that not very many people were buying the Vega. In 1975, Chevy rebranded the Vega and unveiled it as the Vega-based Monza that was built to rival the Ford Mustang II.
The Chevrolet Monza came with a wide array of engine options that ranged from V8s to V6s, and inline-four engines. Five years after the Monza debuted, it was already dying off because of competition from Japanese cars that were becoming popular in America. After 1980, the Chevrolet Monza disappeared never to be seen again on the market.
3 Chevrolet Spectrum
Before Isuzu brokered a deal with GM, the company had a long-standing relationship with Giorgetto Giugiaro, one of the most iconic and prolific car designers. However, when Isuzu joined hands with GM, Giorgetto put an end to the relationship. The Chevrolet Spectrum was the first of many cars that Chevrolet and Isuzu worked on. This car was and still is considered a big letdown from Isuzu when compared to other cars designed by Giorgetto.
The Chevrolet Spectrum was built as a compact hatch and as a sedan. This car was powered by a 1.5-liter motor that pushed 70 horsepower. Later, a 110 horsepower turbo version of the 1.5-liter engine was fitted to the car.
2 Chevrolet Sprint
The early 1980s saw the rise of Japanese vehicles’ popularity in the American market. Many American car companies were trying their best to stay afloat. To compete with these new cars in the market, GM developed the M Platform.
The M Platform was used to underpin compact front-wheel-drive cars. However, it was not as successful so GM gave the platform to one of the fast-rising Japanese companies in America, Suzuki. In exchange, GM got a 5% stake in Suzuki. Under this agreement, Suzuki built the Chevrolet Sprint from 1984 to 1988 when they discontinued it.
1 Chevrolet Yeoman
When Chevrolet started out, they were not at a stage where they could diversify to include different types of cars. As such, most of their models shared the GM B Platform. One of Chevrolet’s best discontinued models was the Chevrolet Yeoman. The Yeoman made its debut in 1958 as a two-door and four-door wagon. This car was built to be a work vehicle, and it was Chevrolet’s entry-level wagon.
The interior was made of washable vinyl and featured a linoleum cargo bay and rubber floor mats. The Yeoman was powered by a 3.9-liter straight-six engine or a 4.6-liter V8 engine. The Yeoman is considered a collector's item and costs a fortune.