1. 1956 Buick Centurion
The 1956 Buick Centurion is one of those cars that really makes you question the design decisions of the 1950s. With its oversized fins and extravagant chrome detailing, it looked like a spaceship had landed on Earth and decided to take the form of a car, according to Kenny Norman from HotCars. The car was marketed as a high-performance luxury vehicle, but the design was so over-the-top that it almost felt comical. Its large, imposing shape and the crazy combination of sharp lines and curves made it one of the weirdest cars of its time.
Though it was undeniably eye-catching, the Centurion was also a bit impractical. It was a heavy, gas-guzzling vehicle with an engine that could be considered underwhelming for such a large body. The odd design choices and overall bulk made it hard for the Centurion to compete with more streamlined and efficient vehicles in the same price range. Despite its short-lived popularity, the Buick Centurion is remembered as one of those weird American cars that looked cooler in pictures than in real life.
2. 1957 Chrysler Dart
The 1957 Chrysler Dart was a compact car that came with a seriously quirky design, Ciprian Florea explains in Autoevolution. What really made it stand out were its proportions—Chrysler made it so small that it looked like a toy car next to the rest of their lineup. Despite its size, it featured full-sized car luxury features like plush seats, power windows, and even a V8 engine. The odd blend of tiny size and luxury elements made it feel more like a weird science experiment than a car meant for serious driving.
Despite the compact design, Chrysler marketed the Dart as a performance vehicle, which only added to the oddity of it all. The car was advertised as both a compact and a muscle car, which seemed like a contradiction at the time. This mismatched identity made it difficult for the Dart to gain any real traction with car buyers. It didn’t help that the Dart was discontinued after just one year, with its short lifespan cementing its place as one of the weirdest cars ever produced.
3. 1966 Chevrolet Corvair
The 1966 Chevrolet Corvair is a well-known example of a weird American car that failed to live up to expectations. While its rear-engine design seemed novel at the time, it quickly became a safety nightmare. The handling of the Corvair was notoriously poor, and it even gained a reputation for being dangerous to drive. The car’s suspension system didn’t help, making the Corvair a rolling hazard for anyone who dared to take it on the road.
Despite its mechanical flaws, the Corvair had an oddball charm that garnered attention. Its design was futuristic in a way, with a streamlined body and clean lines that stood out compared to other vehicles of its era, as Paul Niedermeyer explains in Curbside Classic. But the issues with the car’s stability were far too prominent, and it ended up being the subject of lawsuits and criticism. The Corvair was eventually discontinued, leaving behind a legacy of automotive weirdness that’s still talked about today.
4. 1971 Chrysler Plymouth Barracuda
The 1971 Plymouth Barracuda could be classified as a muscle car with some serious identity confusion, as Benjamin Phipps explains in HotCars. It was intended to compete with other muscle cars of the era but ended up looking like it was caught between several different designs. Its massive rear end and bulky proportions made it appear more like a high-performance boat than a car. The car’s strange proportions and awkward lines made it stand out for all the wrong reasons.
The Barracuda also offered a variety of engine options, but none of them truly matched its bizarre appearance. The car was marketed as a performance vehicle, but the design didn’t support that identity. While it wasn’t a commercial failure, the Barracuda’s odd looks and lack of coherent styling contributed to its reputation as one of the strangest American cars ever. It wasn’t until later generations that the Barracuda found a more recognizable and successful form.
5. 1980 Chevrolet Citation
The Chevrolet Citation is a car that many people forget existed, and for good reason—it was weird, underwhelming, and downright awkward, Tom Appel shares in Consumer Guide. The Citation was one of GM’s attempts to make a compact car, but they made the mistake of trying to cut too many corners. Its boxy, unattractive shape didn’t win any fans, and the car was often called “forgettable” by critics. Additionally, its interior was cramped, and the car offered little in terms of comfort or style.
On top of that, the Citation had some serious reliability issues. The car quickly gained a reputation for having a weak engine and frequent mechanical problems. This combination of poor design and poor quality control led to the Citation being heavily criticized. It wasn’t just the weird styling that ruined its chances—it was a practical disaster, making it one of the strangest failures in American automotive history.
6. 1958 Edsel Pacer
The 1958 Edsel Pacer is one of the most iconic weird American cars, partly due to its bizarre design and the company’s massive failure to anticipate the market. Edsel, a Ford subsidiary, was created to be a luxury brand that appealed to a more affluent audience, but the Pacer ended up being a misfire. The car’s front grille, known as the “horse collar,” was polarizing, and its awkward shape only added to the confusion. Buyers simply couldn’t figure out who the Pacer was for, and the design left many people scratching their heads.
Beyond the peculiar looks, the Edsel Pacer was also plagued by quality issues. Ford was in a rush to get the Edsel line to market, which resulted in a car that didn’t meet customer expectations. The Edsel Pacer quickly became a symbol of what went wrong during a time of overconfidence in the automotive industry. Ultimately, the Edsel brand was discontinued, and the Pacer was one of the cars that made it a memorable failure in American car history.
7. 1973 AMC Gremlin
The AMC Gremlin was one of the weirdest American cars to come out of the ’70s, and it wasn’t just because of its peculiar name. It was a compact car that looked as though someone had tried to shrink a full-sized sedan down into a quirky, oddly proportioned vehicle. The Gremlin was short and squat, with a chopped-off rear end that made it look like it was still in the design phase. The strange styling made it one of those cars that you either loved or hated, with few people in between.
Despite its looks, the Gremlin had a loyal fan base who appreciated its affordable price and simplicity. However, it was far from a beauty queen in the automotive world. With its quirky design and lackluster performance, the Gremlin couldn’t shake the image of being a “cheap” car. It was more of a punchline than a prized vehicle, and that’s what makes it one of the weirdest American cars ever produced.
8. 1960 Chevrolet Corvair Rampside
The 1960 Chevrolet Corvair Rampside was a pickup truck built on the rear-engine Corvair platform, and it had one of the strangest configurations in the history of American trucks. It was essentially a compact truck, but with an engine in the back and a ramp instead of a traditional tailgate. This rear-engine design made it look like a bizarre hybrid of a car and a truck, which was both unusual and impractical. It was marketed as a practical work vehicle, but the design didn’t really serve that purpose.
Despite its weirdness, the Corvair Rampside had some advantages in terms of carrying capacity. The ramp allowed for easier loading and unloading of materials, and it was a unique feature in its time. However, its limited sales and odd looks meant that it didn’t last long on the market. The Corvair Rampside remains a strange relic of automotive experimentation, proving that sometimes practicality and design don’t mix well.
9. 1961 Chrysler Newport
The Chrysler Newport wasn’t necessarily a bad car, but it had one major design flaw that made it stand out for all the wrong reasons. The car was designed with a wide, heavy grille that looked more like a front bumper than a stylish element. This design made the Newport look bulky and awkward, especially in comparison to the more sleek and refined vehicles Chrysler was producing at the time. It’s hard to pinpoint what the designers were thinking, but the result was an awkward vehicle that wasn’t well-loved.
Aside from the odd front-end design, the Newport had some other design issues, such as a heavy body and an underpowered engine. While it was intended to compete with other full-sized cars of the era, it never quite matched the competition in terms of style or performance. This strange combination of a clunky appearance and lackluster performance doomed the Newport to relative obscurity. Today, it’s a reminder of how not to design a car that should have been a hit.
10. 1970s Dodge Dart Swinger
The Dodge Dart Swinger had an identity crisis that resulted in a vehicle that made little sense. It was a sporty compact car, but it was marketed with a funky, retro vibe that didn’t quite match its performance. The Swinger had a strange design, with short proportions and an odd mix of sporty and suburban styles. It wasn’t a true muscle car, but it was made to look like one, which made it awkward to classify.
Despite the design mishaps, the Dart Swinger was a surprisingly popular car for a time. It didn’t have the speed or power of a muscle car, but it was still fun to drive. Unfortunately, its unusual looks and mismatched marketing led to confusion among buyers. Ultimately, the Swinger faded into the background of American automotive history, proving that sometimes too much personality can go wrong.
11. 1975 Ford Mustang II
The 1975 Ford Mustang II is widely regarded as a low point in the Mustang’s long history. After the original Mustangs gained fame as muscle cars, Ford made the odd decision to shrink the Mustang into a small, compact vehicle. The Mustang II had none of the power or style of its predecessors, making it an awkward transition in the car’s legacy. It was less of a muscle car and more of a small, fuel-efficient vehicle that didn’t seem to make sense.
Though the Mustang II helped Ford stay competitive during an oil crisis, it wasn’t the kind of car that people had come to love. The Mustang’s muscle car appeal was sacrificed in favor of practicality, and that led to a loss of the car’s identity. Ford would later try to restore the Mustang’s legendary status, but the Mustang II remains a reminder of when the American car market took a strange turn.
12. 1996 Buick Century
The 1996 Buick Century is a car that didn’t leave much of a mark on automotive history, primarily because of its incredibly bland design. It looked like an uninspired sedan meant for getting from point A to point B without any flair. The Century wasn’t built for speed or style, making it one of the least memorable cars of the ‘90s. It seemed to embody everything that was wrong with mid-90s American cars, from the boxy exterior to the uninspired interior.
Despite being forgettable in terms of design, the Century had a loyal fanbase for its affordability and reliability. However, it was so bland that many people couldn’t understand why anyone would choose it over more exciting options. The lack of flair combined with a forgettable performance made it a car that most people would prefer to forget. The 1996 Buick Century’s unremarkable presence ensures its place on this list as one of the weirdest American cars of its time.
