American cars had distinct personalities in the '60s and '70s, but today they're just bland.
As you may have heard, Americans have different ways of doing things. Weird, right? With that mindset in mind, I thought I'd share some weird American car names and brands with you since most of them are foreign to our audience.
Everyone knows about the Cadillac and its 'gentlemen only' exclusivity, as well as the endless Ford models, but have you heard of these different American cars? Of course, it's always a good time to drive a foreign car, but it's fun to check out American-made cars, too.
That's right — some great and weirdest designs are made exclusively in the USA! So, let's look at 10 American Cars That Are Different!
The 1963 Chrysler Turbine was an early alternative-fuel vehicle. It was powered by turbines rather than a traditional internal combustion engine. The car could run on anything from JP-4 jet fuel to perfume. Each of the 200 two-door coupes made was finished in Turbine Bronze paint. Its turbine powerplants provided 130 horsepower and an astonishing 450 pound-feet of torque.
In 1955, Chrysler Corporation loaned 200 experimental vehicles to hand-picked families for testing. Only nine survive today, according to Chrysler, and five are driveable. The technology was never used in a production model sold in dealerships.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has described the Cybertruck as "better for utility than a truck, and faster than most sports cars." The vehicle will be equipped with one, two, or three electric motors capable of jumping from zero to 60 mph in about 2.9 seconds. Unfortunately, Tesla delayed the release of the Cybertruck until late mid-2023.
The Tesla Cybertruck was listed as one of our "Weirdest Cars" before, and I'll reiterate what was said then — people seem to either love or love to hate this vehicle.
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The AMC Pacer, with its rounded roof and curved rear windscreen, resembled a jellybean more than a car. Design work on the compact car began in 1971, and it was on sale between 1975 and 1980, which has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years because of its unusual and innovative design. But no matter how cool it looks, any car with 37 percent glass is going to look more than a little weird.
With a starting price of less than $2,500—and an advertisement claiming you could buy two Gremlins for the price of a single car—the AMC Gremlin was an odd choice for buyers. The Gremlin was essentially an AMC Hornet with the back chopped off, leaving the car with an awkwardly proportioned body and an ill-fitting name. It didn't take long for the Gremlin to earn a reputation as one of history's worst cars.
If you’re looking for a car that seems to have an identity crisis, look no further than the Chevy SSR. This convertible pick-up truck has a retractable hard-top roof, which makes it difficult to know what exactly it is.
The problem was that Chevy couldn't incorporate so many different vehicle types into one car without making any of them exceptional. The Chevy SSR, which was sold between 2003 and 2006, ended up looking more like a cartoon than a real car.
For safety, heads of state and other VIPs travel in heavily modified and fortified vehicles. The most recognizable of these is the Popemobile—a specially-equipped car that the Pope uses for public appearances.
The Popemobile, a specially designed vehicle for the Pope, includes bulletproof glass, a handrail that allows the Pope to stand while the vehicle is moving, and steps for easier entry and exit. Many of the Popemobiles are modified Mercedes-Benz M-Class and G-Class SUVs; however, Fisker announced in 2021 that it would develop a special version of its Fisker Ocean model as the newest vehicle for Pope Francis.
Minivans experienced their heyday in the 1980s and 1990s, but some automotive experts say that the very first minivan was actually created back in the 1930s. The Stout Scarab, designed by William Bushnell Stout, was built in 1936.
The car was designed to carry several passengers, and its seats could swivel so that passengers could face the front or the rear, as well as remove a table for dining. It may have been practical but it looked like a fat insect from the outside.
The Hummer started life as a military vehicle before being transformed into one of the largest production cars ever built. Although it might have been great fun off-road, it was a completely impractical vehicle for anyone who lived in a city and was especially difficult to park.
With its massive size and aggressive styling, the Hummer is a weird-looking vehicle. The makers of this car decided to go a step further and create the H2 SUT, or sports utility truck, though the pickup bed was so small it was practically worthless.
The PT Cruiser, like the Chevy SSR, was an automotive creation that looked as though it had driven out of the Looney Tunes animation studio. The retro-styled MPV was designed to look like vintage cars from the 1930s, but Chrysler didn’t quite get the styling right, which resulted in a bulky and awkward-looking car.
Despite this, the PT Cruiser--which was manufactured by Chrysler between 2001 and 2010--sold over one million models, despite criticism from the television show Top Gear in 2013 that dubbed it "the worst car of the last 20 years."
The Ford Pinto was another car that was popular with the public, despite its weird appearance. However, Pinto owners were soon to learn that their vehicle had bigger problems than its kooky design.
The Ford Pinto, a subcompact car produced between 1971 and 1980, was eventually recalled because of serious flaws with the car’s fuel system which had led to several fatal fires. Ford even ended up in court after being sued by some of those affected by the Ford Pinto’s deadly defect.
If you're looking for a vehicle to seat more than five or six, you might consider a three-row SUV or a minivan. In 1973, shoppers had another choice: the Cadillac Fleetwood 75 sedan.
The Fleetwood 75 limousine was marketed to regular buyers as a sedan. At 250 inches (nearly 21 feet) long, it is the longest regular production car ever (excluding those limos). The Fleetwood series continued into the 1980s, but the 75 maintains the record for "vehicle you don't want to park in the compact car space."
The Tucker Corporation, a vehicle manufacturing company established by designer Preston Tucker and located in Chicago, manufactured 50 of its innovative Tucker 48 model vehicles before declaring bankruptcy. Sadly, the Tucker Corporation never got to see its car become a commercial success.
Some Tucker 48 models are among the most sought-after automobiles in the world. The third headlight in the front of the hood—known as a 'cyclops eye'—contributes to their popularity with collectors, who pay millions of dollars for them today.
The Pontiac Aztek was a car that was generally considered one of the ugliest vehicles ever made. The vehicle, which was sold between 2001 and 2005, was a crossover SUV that came before the company finally scrapped it.
The boxy design of the Pontiac Aztek was ugly and impractical, and things got even weirder with an optional attachment that allowed you to hitch a tent to the rear of the vehicle and sleep hanging off the ground. General Motors ended up losing money on their failed SUV after devastatingly poor sales.
RELATED: 6 Defunct American Car Brands and Why they Failed
The 1959 Cadillac Cyclone was also a very wild design. With its sleek aerodynamic body, it was intended to mimic a rocketship. Despite its futuristic look, the Cyclone still had a lot of advantages over other cars that were being sold in the ‘50s.
The 1959 Cadillac Cyclone sported a bubble canopy that was intended to give its driver a 360-degree view of other cars on the road. But the downside to this “panoramic” view was that the driver could get bombarded by the sun constantly, especially over summer. Also, in contrast with conventional cars, its doors slid down to the side instead of swinging outward as they do in conventional cars.
Spotting a hot dog car on the road is sure to produce a lot of excitement, especially if you have children in the car. The first Oscar-Mayer Wienermobile was created in 1936 by Carl Mayer as an advertising ploy, but the company pulled the fleet off the road in 2020 after the pandemic.
The Oscar-Mayer Wienermobile is a 27-foot hot dog on wheels. Each Wienermobile begins life as an Isuzu NPR medium-duty commercial truck with a Chevrolet L96 6.0-liter V8 engine. Inside are six plush ketchup and mustard-colored seats. Sadly, it's not actually stocked with hot dogs, but you may be able to snag a plush wiener or a coveted wiener whistle.
Electric cars may seem like a 21st century phenomenon, but the fact is that they have been around for decades. The first electric car was actually developed in 1890 and since then there have been dozens of weird and wonderful examples of battery-powered cars, like the Vanguard-Sebring CitiCar.
The CitiCar, designed to carry only two people, was shaped like a doorstop, but it sold over 4,000 models during its production between 1974 and 1977. That made it the most successful electric car until Tesla introduced the Model S.
RELATED: 10 Ugliest Cars in the World
| Rank | Company | Country |
|---|---|---|
| #1 |  Volkswagen |
Germany |
| #2 |  Toyota |
Japan |
| #3 |  Stellantis |
Netherlands |
| #4 |  Mercedes-Benz Group |
Germany |
| #5 |  Ford Motor |
United States |
| Rank | Company | Country |
|---|---|---|
| #1 |  Michelin |
France |
| #2 |  Bridgestone |
Japan |
| #3 |  Continental |
Germany |
| #4 |  Goodyear |
United States |
| #5 |  Sumitomo |
Japan |
