Pontiac GrandVille convertible, 1971-1975
The sudden demise of the Catalina convertible in 1972 left Pontiac with just one capital ship convertible in its inventory - the mighty (but short-lived) GrandVille.
It was basically a two-door version...
Buick Estate Wagon, 1970–1987
Historically, Buick was GM's "discreet Cadillac"—a high-end car without the high-end ostentation. For many years, Buicks were known as "doctors’ cars" for just that reason. Ownership indicated you had money, but...
Five Ford Fails
America's Big Three have had more than their share of bad ideas over the past 20 years.
Let's look at Ford's flops first.
* Lincoln Mark VIII (1993-1998) -
This car snuffed what...
Chrysler 300 convertible, 1969-1970
The largest, most powerful battleship ever made was the WWII-era Japanese Yamato and her sister ship, Musashi. They came late to the war and didn't survive it - in part because...
Chrysler New Yorker, 1955-1982
There's a reason it's known as the Empire State.
New York is outsized and audacious - not a place for the timid. So is the car named after the Big Apple. It's...
Chevy Kingswood Estate wagon, 1969-1972
One of the greatest things about the Great Whales of the past was their names. Today, everything's alpha-numeric. "X" This and 123 that. All the good names have either been taken,...
AMC Ambassador, 1965-1974
American Motors Corporation may have descended from Hudson and Nash—brands whose hallmarks were modesty and efficiency—but by the mid 1960s, AMC began producing battlewagons of truly Bismarckian proportions.
One of the most...
Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser, 1964-1977
Here is a fact that some will find hard to swallow: GM's Oldsmobile division was once the number-three best-selling brand of car in the United States.
Believe it or not.
Given Oldsmobile's consumptive...
Worst Car Names Ever
Naming cars, like naming kids, sometimes comes out all wrong. Striving to be cr8tive, some parents cripple their progeny with appellations guaranteed to result in a lifetime of abuse.
It's the same...
Pontiac Catalina, 1965-1972
Pontiac is most famous for models like the GTO of the '60s, the Firebird of the '70s - and even the Fiero of the 1980s. These cars cemented Pontiac's status as...