With so many cars existing in the market, everyone has certain models they absolutely love, and certain ones that they can't help but hate. Of course, if a car appeals to our desires, tastes, and sensibilities, then its only natural to love it. On the other hand, the opposite is true, and certain cars strike a nerve that makes the mere mention of their name one that inspires mockery and hate.

Manufacturers worldwide have produced cars that end up being hated like this throughout the car industry's history, and America is no exception. Whether they're just downright ugly, dangerously engineered, or an over-hyped disappointment, plenty of classic American cars are remembered with scorn and hatred, even if they don't exactly deserve it.

Hated by most people who know of them, these American classics may not be knock-out examples of a great car, but are far better than the reputation they received makes them seem.

10 Chevrolet Corvair

Chevrolet Corvair
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If a car was dubbed "unsafe at any speed" would you want to give driving it a chance? Probably not, and that's exactly the fate the Corvair was met with, despite its issues being fixed by the time it was branded as such, and it overall being quite an innovative car.

The Corvair Monza Began Life In 1960 Itself As A Two-Door Club Coupe With Bucket Seats And The Fast Uptake Of The Car Made Chevy Realize Its True Potential
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Shifting the tide of American car makers focusing on making big, un-maneuverable vehicles, the Corvair was born from the small car market that European brands like Volkswagen and Fiat helped establish in the USA. First produced in 1959, the Corvair was seriously innovative for the time, using a rear-mounted flat-6 engine made from aluminum, with independent suspension on all wheels (a high-end feature for the time), and unibody construction, the Corvair was a success for several years.

Then, in 1965, Ralph Nadar published his legendary critique of the American car industry dubbed Unsafe At Any speed, taking direct aim at the Corvair's unstable suspension layout in his first chapter. Yet, by 1965 this issue had been fixed with the 2nd generation Corvair's release, but this didn't matter, and the Corvair was forever tainted as a lethal lemon.

9 Ford Pinto

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Similar to the Corvair, the Pinto is one of the most well known American classics, and not for a good reason. Infamous for their explosive tendencies when struck from behind, the Pinto wasn't a great car but was far better at its intended role than people give it credit, and that it was not responsible for as many deaths as publicly claimed.

Ford Pinto
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Much like the Corvair as well, the Pinto was developed to help its brand cash in on the growing compact car segment. And as an affordable compact of its day, the Pinto was rather good. Roomy on the inside, affordable to buy and run, practical, and fairly comfortable, the Pinto helped lay the groundwork for following American compacts.

But, as most people know, the Pinto had one massive flaming fault - the fuel tank could rupture in a rear impact, bursting into flames with the occupants still inside. And that's exactly what happened in several cases, and when it came to light that Ford was aware of this issue, yet produced the car anyway, lawsuits were filed, and the Pinto's reputation was (understandably) destroyed in the public eye. It was found though, that in the Mother Jones article that damned the car publicly, the 500 to 900 estimated fire fatalities from Pintos was a mis-cited number, and that the actual data was just 27 - still horrible, but nowhere near what people thought. Like the Corvair too, the Pinto's main issue was fixed later, but naturally, very few people wanted to take the risk and drive it.

8 Ford Edsel

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Remembered as a case study on failure in the car industry, and Ford's worst sales disaster, the Edsel was met with excitement in development, but on release faced consumer disgust and poor sales.

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Developed with a solid idea, Edsel was named after Henry Ford's son and was created as a sub-brand within Ford that would have sold been higher-end models. Advertised extensively prior to release with claims that the Edsel would have been the greatest American car up until that point, people were excited for it, and the message was spread far and wide, but the actual looks of the Edsel weren't revealed to the public until its release.

Launched in 1957, the Edsel hit dealerships with a grand total of 18 trim levels, a choice that made it seem horribly organized. As well, the Edsel was launched during a recession, and the legendarily ugly grille served as an immediate turn off, with further marring to the Edsel's reputation by quality issues like a trunk that would stick shut. Discontinued in 1959, the Edsel was an utter disaster for Ford and a name that generates no respect. But, the Edsel wasn't actually a terrible car for its time, rather a case of a product being over-hyped by enthusiastic marketing, and failing to live up to those impossible expectations.

7 AMC Gremlin

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A quirky car that is gaining niche appeal today, the Gremlin was one of the single weirdest cars made by AMC and is remembered today either as truly horrible, or lovably unique.

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Debuting in 1970 based on the otherwise normal AMC Hornet, the Gremlin actually came before economy compacts from other American brands, like the Ford Pinto. AMC was unafraid to advertise this and called the Gremlin "the original American subcompact" in its ads. Thanks to its attention-grabbing looks, cheap price, and practicality, the Gremlin was a fairly popular compact for most its production life.

While no fatal flaw caused the Gremlin to be hated, the modern car world looks back on it with an unfair amount of disdain. Mostly focused on its strange, rather ugly looks, and barebones interior, the AMC Gremlin was indeed a cheap car - but that was the point, and something it did well, offering a truly affordable American made compact that could at least partially fight the growing popularity of imports.

RELATED: Everything You Need To Know About The Weird AMC Gremlin X

6 Rambler Marlin

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A car that isn't really hated today, the Marlin escaped the mockery it once faced through a rather sad method - by being almost entirely forgotten by enthusiasts and the industry.

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Built on AMC's Rambler American platform, the Rambler Marlin debuted in 1965 as a luxurious fastback coupe, with its flowing, flashy lines and dramatic fastback designed by AMC's legendary designer, Richard "Dick" Teague. Updated in '67 built on the AMC Ambassador platform, the Marlin ditched the historic Rambler name entirely and was now the AMC Marlin.

With AMC establishing itself as a seller of small affordable cars first and foremost, the Marlin just didn't make that much sense in their lineup, partially explaining why it sold so poorly. On the other hand, despite its performance and luxury virtues, the Marlin's rather unconventional fastback design earned it some mockery, much like the Gremlin. But, it's still a big V8-powered personal luxury coupe, and if you can look past the exterior design it's a sweet car.

5 1974 Pontiac GTO

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Legendary in the '60s, the Pontiac GTO helped kick off the muscle car war that spawned so many iconic models. But, by the '70s, muscle cars were dying, and the GTO was on its last legs.

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The most hated Pontiac to be deemed a GTO, after perhaps the nameplate's brief revival in the 2000s, the '74 GTO did in fact pale in comparison to previous GTOs, but this isn't really a fair comparison to make. Unbridled by heavy-handed regulations and restrictions, the GTOs of the '60s were powerful monsters, making use of rather simple V8s that used pure brute force to throw down power.

By '73 though, the Oil Crisis was bearing down on the car industry, and new stricter regulations were on the horizon. Using the Ventura as a base, Pontiac decided to bring the GTO back for one more year as a more affordable, basic, but fun car. With a 200 hp V8, the '74 GTO was no speed demon, but offered a true muscle car experience at a time when they were a dying breed.

RELATED: Why No One Bought The 2006 Pontiac GTO

4 Pontiac Fiero

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A car that seemed great on paper, the Pontiac Fiero debuted as an affordable American mid-engine sports car. While that was an awesome proposition, many faults with the Fiero caused it to be the butt of jokes, and a car seen as a complete lemon.

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Debuting in a rather dark time for performance cars, especially American ones, the Pontiac Fiero came out for the 1984 model year as basically a "poor man's Ferrari." But, burdened by a lack of budget, the Fiero was filled with compromises. Released with the pathetic Iron Duke engine, the Fiero handled poorly, was slow, and also attracted negative press with several catastrophic engine fires.

Upgrading pretty much everything for 1985, many of the Fiero's issues were sorted out, like the inclusion of a far better V6 engine, and making the chassis handle like an actual sports car. But, that wasn't enough to save the Fiero's reputation, and the affordable American mid-engine sports car still hasn't overcome the hate it once faced.

3 Pontiac Aztek

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According to Nationwide Insurance, a car can be a classic if it's at least 20 years old. Time truly flies, and the Pontiac Aztek indeed debuted 20 years ago, only to be pretty much instantly despised, mocked, and hated - a trend that continues to this day.

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Shown as a concept in 1999, then put into production for the year 2000, the Aztek was designed with a focus on being the ultimate in versatility and practicality. Unfortunately, that design was by committee, causing many questionable decisions to be littered throughout the car - especially when it came to the exterior's horrendous design.

But, if you can look past those strange and fairly disgusting looks, the Aztek actually accomplished what it set out to do. A practical and very capable SUV, the Aztek was actually a fairly good car for its time, packing in plenty of unique features as well - like a center console that doubled as a cooler. Overall though, the Aztek is remembered entirely for how it looks, and not how good of an SUV it was.

RELATED: Here's Why The World Needs More Cars Like The Pontiac Aztek

2 Cadillac Allante

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One of the weirdest, most illogical Cadillacs ever made (aside from the Escalade pickup truck), the Cadillac Allante was a strange Italian-American mashup and decent luxury car.

Via GM Authority

Meant to compete with the growing popularity of sporty 2 seat European luxury cars like the Mercedes SL, the Allante was born based on the existing Eldorado. Cutting the Eldorado's frame to shorten it, the Allante's weirdest feature was its body. Going on sale in 1986, the Allante's body was designed and made in Italy by designer and coachbuilder Pininfarina - the same people who designed legendary Ferrari models.

While this was fairly cool, it caused the Allante's price to rise to double that of a standard Eldorado, while offering very little tangible features to justify that price gap. Hated as a result, the Allante failed to meet its sales goals. But, aside from the initial price, and some quality control issues, the Allante was otherwise a fairly good luxury roadster.

1 Chrysler TC By Maserati

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A very similar car to the Cadillac Allante, the Chrysler TC was a blend of American and Italian cars that simply cost way too much to be accepted by consumers, and ended up as a hated joke because of it.

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Originating out of a connection between Chrysler's then CEO Lee Iacocca, and Maserati's then-owner Alejandro de Tomaso, the Chrysler TC By Maserati was meant to combine the "best" of both brands. Launched at the 1986 Los Angeles Auto Show, the TC By Maserati was based on the Chrysler Q-platform, which in turn was a tweaked and shortened version of the K-platform.

Essentially a shorter Chrysler LeBaron with an Italian leather interior, and Maserati built a 200 hp inline-4 engine, the TC By Maserati had no real glaring flaws, except for its price. Sold with a base price of $33,000 at the time (around $70,000 today), for comparison, a standard LeBaron had a starting price of $12,500 on the TC By Maserati's launch year.

NEXT: 10 Most Hated Cars... That Are Actually Great