One hit wonders are not exclusive to the entertainment world. Even the auto sector has its fair share of well hyped up cars which went out with a whimper. Though nothing was as hyped up as much as Star Wars The Force Awakens and ended up being that pitiful! Though the car industry has had its share of flops.
Most of these cars tried to redefine the auto industry but failed to make their mark. However, they still contributed a lot to this world through their vision and innovation, so let’s commemorate some of these vehicles here.
1. Amphicar
This amphibious car was built by brothers Herald and Herbert through their Quandt Group. It featured a rear mounted 1.1 litre engine and 4 speed manual transmission. As the name suggests, the car was capable of navigating both land and water.
However, it also entailed heavy investment in the maintenance of the vehicle, making it one of the least desirable cars in the market. The company built less than 4,000 cars during the six years and then the model completely vanished. Too bad Meet the Parents did not vanish after the first movie since the two sequels were atrocious!
2. Aptera 2 Series
It is one of the first electric cars to hit the market. This futuristic looking car featured three wheels and a front driver. It had the seating capacity for two people and was capable of hitting the top speed of 160 km/hour or about 100 mph. The company behind this car started accepting orders in 2010. However, it folded before making a single sale. While the car failed, but the design genius of Apetra 2 Series still deserves to be admired.
3. Ford Pinto
This fuel-efficient car was introduced in the early ‘70s and quickly caught attention in the market. It was the first mass produced car in America to feature rack and pinion steering. The car also drew flak for its supposedly shoddy safety standards.
There were rumors about faulty structural design and the vehicle lost the patronage in the market. However, it still limped ahead to have ten year production run and nearly 3 million units produced.
4. DeLorean DMC 12
Famed for its portrayal in the Back to the Future film series, DeLorean DMC 12 featured a rear mounted engine, brushed stainless steel body panels and very distinctive gull wing doors. With its unique looks and features, the car was an eye-catcher (kind of like Isabel Lucas in Transformers 2?!).
While the car could never become a market darling, its production run still lasted over 30 years and is still in demand by the automotive enthusiasts. The car certainly had a novel appeal about it but in commercial terms, it was not much of a success. If it was not for Back to the Future, it would have even done worse!
5. BMW Isetta
While BMW has produced several mass hits, it has also spawned many cars which failed to make their mark in the market. BMW Isetta belongs to the latter category, but it does not mean that the car lacked innovation and style.
It is one of the most iconic tiny cars of all time. Isetta featured only one cylinder and just one door, which was right on the front of the car. The company produced over 160,000 units before ceasing the production in 1962 which was long before the NBA began helping the Lakers win championships like they did in 2000 and 02 (Lakers deserved the 01 championship). Despite its failure to capture the mass market, BMW Isetta will still be known for its design innovation.