It is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If the concept of beauty is relative, and tastes are debatable, it is also true that, by placing as common denominator criteria such as style, design, the balance of forms and proportions, automotive companies, in the past and more recently, have churned out real Frankensteins.
However, if some cars appear as a punch in the eye of the observer for aesthetic reasons, or are decidedly lacking in performance, this does not mean that there is not something to save in them.
A great Dutch humanist of the 16th century (Erasmus of Rotterdam) wrote The Praise of Folly: there is like a spark that should be admired and understood, even in what at first glance seems absurd and far from our tastes and habits. The "madness" that led to building these cars is certainly not responsible for religious disagreements or civil wars: even in it, however, something is interesting. In fact, the interiors of these ugly cars are often visionary, incredibly modern, and futuristic, and it's worth taking them into account.
8 Chevrolet's Pickup: A Weird Mix Nobody Understood
No one has asked why two-seat pickups hadn't been produced since 2003 when Chevrolet produced this model (SSR). Although this car has a 300-hp V8 engine, it's hard to get used to the front end - it really looks like someone took a piece of Volkswagen Beetle and glued it to this car.
However, the interior looks comfortable, enveloping, and able to make the driver and passengers feel in another world.
7 Nissan Cube: An Unexpected Futuristic Design
This Nissan model was incredibly produced for more than 20 years before its final stop in 2019. Not bad for a car that looks like a rolling cube.
The awkward, boxy look of the bodywork, however, is transformed inside: it feels like you're in a moving power plant, where anything seems possible, far beyond the simple driving experience.
6 Hyundai Tiburon: A Spider Prowls The Streets
Arachnophobes everywhere keep your distance: the four-wheeled mechanical spider is in town. So might sound like a civil defense warning that would describe this Hyundai model well.
Again, you easily forget about the body once you're inside, and driving this car, though. In fact, the interior design is smooth, harmonious, and gives a great driving experience.
5 Plymouth Delivers A Road Submarine
Here's one of those engineering experiments that could be used for Halloween or to surprise a bridesmaid on a first date. This car is not lacking in style if you are eccentric, nor in performance, as it reaches 100 km/h in less than six seconds.
The interior of this Plymouth Prowler is full of gauges: ammeter, oil pressure, fuel, water temperature, and clock. It feels like you're driving more than just a car we're used to.
4 Chrysler Style Is To Be Found Only In The Interiors
This machine was actually quite popular in the early 2000s. In fact, it had something that made it desirable: a good-performing Chrysler that was also perfect for city life. The strange mix that forms this PT Cruiser, however, is not convincing: it seems as if it was a collage of totally different cars or ideas.
Only the interior seems coherent with the Chrysler style and remains faithful to the first models of this car company: however, the contrast with the exterior is evident.
3 Bufori Produces A Luxury Living Room On The Go
This luxury car is still being produced. However, the exorbitant costs are not justified by a real effort by the engineers to create a classy and unique car: in fact, this Geneva turns out to be a bad copy of the 1999 Jaguar S on the front, which was simply attached to the pre-existing rear.
The interior richly deserves the appellative of a luxury car and is comfortable and offers a great driving experience. The leather seats, space, and quality of materials make the time spent inside this car truly enjoyable.
2 Citroen Has Always Been A Symbol Of French Luxury
It is known that since the days of Leonardo da Vinci, many scientists and engineers have been trying to imitate nature to create revolutionary objects that can change people's lives. Surely for this Citroen DS, it was the same, but the results were quite disappointing: looking like a crocodile, this car looks clumsy. Instead of achieving a high level of luxury and conveying seriousness, it communicates hilarity.
The interior, on the other hand, is a great touch with its vintage look and its proportionate and balanced aesthetic. With the dashboard equipped with numerous gauges, such as oil pressure, water pressure, outside temperature, fuel level, ammeter, and so on, this car gives the feeling of driving back in time while remaining comfortably tied to your present.
1 Renault Vel Satis: When Just Enough Is Not Enough
The expression Vel Satis comes from Latin and means just enough. However, once again the French have failed to make simplicity accord with beauty, but rather with brutality, given the clean cut of the body shapes.
This Renault looks like a car that needs to be repaired after an accident. Only the interior keeps the promises of style, class, and elegance of French technological culture. With a finely polished dashboard and an interior equipped with excellent raw materials, the driving experience becomes truly enjoyable.