Italian manufacturers easily take the cake when it comes to making the most beautiful cars in the world. So whenever most gearheads think of Italian cars, what comes to mind are flowery images of bold, sexy, sporty, and sometimes outrageous designs. With car brands like Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini, the Italian automobile industry produces some of the best-designed cars year in, year out. These well-designed cars are exclusive and unattainable to most people.
One of the major reasons why Italian auto manufacturers dominate the exotic car niche is due to their design prowess. Most of the talented and celebrated automotive designers also happen to be Italian. We can also attribute Italy's success in auto designing to the presence of big design houses like Pininfarina, Bertone, Zagato, and some cool cars by Carrozzeria Ghia. However, as good as Italian carmakers have been with their designs, they are not immune from making horrendous, funny-looking vehicles. Here are some cars that prove that not every Italian car looks good.
10 Fiat 500L Living
One look at the Fiat 500L Living, and you wouldn't believe it was made by an Italian designer. The 500L Living is a subcompact van with three rows of seats inside. Built on the SCCS (Small Common Compacts and Systems) from General Motors, the 500L Living appears small but has a spacious interior. While the car's interior design is decent, we can't say the same for the exterior.
The mini van's front is the height of the bad design. We're not sure why Fiat felt comfortable with releasing this aesthetically unpleasing vehicle. The van's hood stops short and there's not much of a bumper beneath it.
9 Cizeta V16T
Former Lamborghini test and development engineer– Claudio Zampoli formed Cizeta Automobili and he teamed up with Marcello Gandini to build the Cizeta V16T. Marcello Gandini had originally made the design for Lamborghini's Diablo. However, Chrysler took over Lamborghini and they didn't like the design. He then used the design for the Cizeta V16T when he was employed by Claudio Zampoli.
The Cizeta V16T has two pop-up headlights stacked on each other making it a total of four pop-up headlights. Below the headlights, the Cizeta V16T has another two layers of indicators. With this design, the V16T looks rather busy in the front.
8 Fiat 600 Multipla
The Fiat Multipla first debuted at the 1956 Brussels Motor Show and though the minivan has an undefined shape, it served its purpose. During its production timeline, Fiat made three different variations of the 600 Multipla.
The four-seater version has a fixed front bench seat for the driver and passenger. Fitted with an extra row of seats to make a total of three rows, the six-seater variant also has a fixed front bench seat. The last variant of the Fiat 600 Multipla is a taxi with an independent driver seat.
7 Ferrari 308 GT4
When the Ferrari 308 GT4 was first unveiled at the 1973 Paris Motor Show, it wore the Dino badge. For this reason, some critics still argue that it wasn't a proper Ferrari. Under the hood, the 308 GT4 was equipped with a 2.9L V8 designed by Dino Ferrari.
The 308 GT4 is often applauded for its performance but not so much for its appearance. Instead of using Pininfarina, Ferrari contracted Bertone to design the 308 GT4. The entire car was made to be angular in contrast to the curves in most Ferrari cars. Upfront, the GT4's nose is long and thin while the rear is short.
6 Bugatti EB110 GT
The Bugatti EB110 was named after Ettore Bugatti and the number ''110'' signifies the anniversary of his 110th birthday. Bugatti spent a lot of money developing the EB110 GT and it was one of the most anticipated cars of its time. The body panels were designed by Aerospatiale– a French aircraft manufacturer.
In 1991, Bugatti began production of the EB110 GT and placed a price tag of $350,000 on it. The finished product had large headlights on the hood and a rear that was raised too high. Unfortunately, the EB110 flopped because Europe and North America were hit by a recession around the time of its debut.
5 Abarth Grande Punto
Initially, this hatchback was launched as the Abarth Grande Punto at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Later on, it was badged with the Fiat logo. You'll agree with us that this supermini car doesn't look like it's Italian. The hatchback doesn't have defining lines and it almost looks round.
We can't say much about its reliability because the manufacturer isn't exactly known for building reliable cars. Like the Fiat 500L Living, the Abarth Grande Punto was built on the Small Common Components, and Systems (SCCS) platform.
4 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Speciale Shooting Brake
The Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Speciale Shooting Brake is a one-off, remodeled by Carrozzeria Alfredo Vignale. Automotive designer– Luigi Chinetti teamed up with American illustrator– Bob Peak to design the car.
The vehicle is the last Ferrari with a Vignale coachwork. After designing the Speciale Shooting Brake, Vignale remodeled it and displayed it at the 1968 Torino Motor Show. They finished the car with metallic green paint and a metallic gold roof. The vehicle itself looks like two different cars joined together.
3 Abarth 595 Competizione
The Abarth 595 Competizione is a small hatchback with round headlights, and two horizontal slits as a grille. However, the 595 Competizione makes up for its appearance with an outstanding performance. Every Abarth 595 Competizione is fitted with a 1.4-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine that produces 178bhp and accelerates 0-62mph in 6.7 seconds.
The 595 Competizione has impressive features like Koni FSD dampers, four-piston Brembo brakes, and a mechanical limited-slip differential. There's also an available sequential automatically operated manual gearbox.
2 Fiat Multipla
On several occasions, the Fiat Multipla has been ranked as one the ugliest cars ever. The compact multi-purpose vehicle was designed by Roberto Giolito at the Centro Stile Fiat. From 1998, Fiat produced the Multipla before discontinuing it in 2010.
In China, the Fiat Multipla was marketed as the Zotye M300 Langyue under a license held by Zotye Auto. Despite the Multipla's questionable design, it was a practical and affordable car. The Fiat Multipla could accommodate six individuals and still have enough trunk space.
1 Covini C6W
The Covini C6W had the potential to be a nicely designed sports car. Most parts were well-designed but then Covini decided to make the sports car a six-wheeler. The designer is said to have gotten inspiration from the 1976 Tyrrell P34.
In 1974, Covini started developing the C6W, but the project was abandoned. They picked up where they left in 2004 and by 2005, a prototype was displayed at the Salon International de l'Auto. The Covini C6W was built with fiberglass and carbon fiber over a tubular steel frame.