Today, most vehicles look the same. Over 2/3 are either white, black, or gray. Boring. Midsize SUVs have been panned for their painfully similar styling, being virtually indistinguishable from one another.
There may be a few culprits. There is the 1960’s vehicle definitions of being off road capable that can broadly be applied to anything with modest ground clearance and allows for less stringent fuel efficiency standards. Countering that, every president seems to roll out new targets during their administration, pushing vehicle design towards a common blob shape. See Biden’s here. Then there is the homogeneity that comes from trying to run common vehicle platforms and assembly lines. One could also simply claim that we have lost our appreciation for good design
Whatever the reasons, let’s take a moment to celebrate those vehicles that dared to stand apart. Here are the odd ducks that tried something new, were initially mocked for their uniqueness, and ended up becoming completely iconic as a result.
Subaru Brat
The Subaru Brat (short for Bi-drive Recreational All-Terrain Transporter) is a name as elegant as the vehicle itself. An awkwardly shaped vehicle that resembled an El Camino, it was a two seater sedan truck hybrid that also had an option for two rear facing seats in the bed. The car had mismatched proportions, with a too small nose and a bloated bed. But with a 4×4 drive train and a weight of only 1,709lbs, it was a capable, plucky vehicle that could scramble its way off road, and into our hearts.
- Production Years: 1978-1994
- Manufacturer: Subaru
- Key Feature: A 4×4 truck sedan hybrid
Subaru Baja
The clear spiritual successor to the Brat, the Subaru Baja stuck with a losing formula. While it traded the 2 front seats for a more modern, but still extremely unusual 4 seats, the truck sedan hybrid upgraded to all wheel drive, a more robust pickup bed, added a bed extender, and a neato pass through from the bed to the cab. Not content to simply carry forward this unusual style, it was also offered with a manual, a turbo charged engine, and a not-subtle bright yellow paint. It has become a cult classic.
- Production Years: 2002 – 2006
- Manufacturer: Subaru
- Key Feature: An AWD truck sedan hybrid
Smart Fortwo
The Smart Fortwo was a polar opposite departure from Mercedes heavy, plush, and powerful vehicles. The car weighed a paltry 1,609, powered by a variety of tiny engines ranging from .6 -.8l. There are many motorcycles in the world with greater displacement. Even the mini cooper would sneer at these incredibly tight dimensions. But, these proportions enabled a unique design trick, the car could park at a 90′ angle to most other vehicles, fitting two cars in one ordinary space side by side. The Smart Fortwo is either too clever for it’s own good, or too far ahead of the times, as it’s never achieved high volume sales figures, but it always fun to spot.
- Production Years: 1998 – 2024
- Manufacturer: Mercedes-Benz Group
- Key Feature: Could fit in most overhead storage bins
Hummer H2 SUT
Inspired by the military and initially popularized by Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Hummer brand is divisive. But the H2 SUT is downright odd. It’s tough, and capable. but it’s less capable off road than a Wrangler, or 4Runner. It’s a truck, but but a bed less than 35′ deep, not really. Even the Baja mentioned earlier has a larger bed at 42′. With the aerodynamics of a barn door the car almost breaks into the single digit MPGs with 10 city.
- Production Years: 2002 – 2009
- Manufacturer: AM General (General Motors)
- Key Features: A lot of a lot going on
Mazda RX-7
Before Mazda became another ‘me too’ manufacturer of subtly different SUV variants, it made some cool stuff. None more so than the Rx-7. A front-engine, rear wheel-drive, and wait for it… rotary engine sports car. The rotary engine is an extremely complicated high output engine that only Mazda believed it. But the result was a powerful, extremely company, and totally singular sports car that still looks good today.
- Production Years: 1978-2002
- Manufacturer: Mazda
- Key Features: A pint sized powerful rotary engine
DMC DeLorean
The bizarre car made thrice famous. First, by it’s stainless steel design and gull wing doors (long before Tesla did either), then by it’s founder’s drug-trafficking charges, and third by Marty McFly hitting 88mph in Back to The Future. For a car that looks pretty quick, the DeLorean was an extremely underpowered car with poor visibility. Perhaps the wings were to help it pick up speed. The car only lasted two years in production. If you were one of the few who owned one it was also plagued by quality issues and suffered four recalls. Time even named it to the list of 50 worst cars of all time. But here, worst can also mean iconic. We salute the car that looks completely unique, and performs best sitting still.
- Production Years: 1981 – 1983
- Manufacturer: DeLorean Motor Company
- Key Features: Stainless design, and gull wing doors
Pontiac Aztek
The king of all quirky cars. The Aztek is famously cited in business consulting classes as how to NOT launch of product. With a ‘design by committee’ approach, the Aztek did virtually nothing well. It also never sold enough vehicles to break even. The crossover SUV tried to appeal to generation X with edgy (bizarre) styling that has been described as ‘an angry kitchen appliance’. But the but of all automotive jokes had a renaissance as Walter White’s vehicle in Breaking Bad, catapulting it from a forgettable mistake, to a complete icon. In 2015 Edmund’s ranked it top 10 for car buyers age 18 – 34, after it found infamy in irony.
- Production Years: 2000 – 2005
- Manufacturer: General Motors
- Key Features: Survived long enough to make a comeback as an ironic icon
AMC Gremlin
Released in the 70’s, the Gremlin was a compact car with a unique design. It had two doors and at the time of launch was one of the most efficient vehicles sold. But through it’s history AMC managed to stuff a V8 under the hood, and added exciting colors like lime green and orange. In 1973 AMC teamed up with Levis to sell a version with denim seats. Bill Clinton chose a green one for himself in mid 70’s Arkansas campaign for congress as well. The vehicle looked as if a normally proportioned car had the mid section removed, and it was awesome.
- Production Years: 1970 – 1978
- Manufacturer: AMC
- Key Features: Exciting trims, a compact design, and an instant cult classic
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