6. Davis Divan
Made and designed in California, the three-wheeled Davis Divan was made from 1947 to 1949. Plagued with claims of fraud and grand theft, the Davis Motor Company only made 13 of these upside down bathtubs before the bottom fell out.
7. Cadillac Cimarron
Who knew that the symbol of American luxury almost met its demise in the 80s due to this mistake? OK, humor us for a second—take your hand and cover the grill and what do you have? A Chevy Cavalier, right? We will just assume the marketing genius that decided to slap the Cadillac name on a Cavalier has moved on and can do no further damage to the auto industry.
8. Saturn Ion
The Ion is another resident on most lists of worst cars. Despite a solid start as America’s answer to offerings from Honda and Toyota, Saturn was in need of some refreshing. Unfortunately, the Ion wasn’t the answer and has been referred to as the “2nd worst car of the millennium.” With poor build quality and wretched interior styling, the Ion would ultimately be the nail in the coffin for Saturn.
9. Reliant Robin
Named the worst British car of all time, the Reliant Robin was another of the failed three wheel car experiments. Originally conceived to be classified as a motorcycle with relaxed licensing rules, the Robin—or the plastic pig, as it was called—came in 4 variations with top speed of 85 mph. And no reverse. And while the whole flipping over thing was somewhat exaggerated, the Robins did have the unfortunate problem of the steering wheel popping off while moving.
9. 1975 Trabant
To cap off our list of worst cars ever, we head over to Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall. That’s right, to Communist East Germany. Dubbed the “People’s Car,” the Trabant was supposed to be an alternative to the VW Beetle. Manufacturing and design, however, were a serious, serious afterthought. At higher speeds, body panels were prone to falling off, but since the Trabant was equipped with an 18hp motor, high speeds weren’t really an issue anyway. Oil consumption on the 2-stroke motor, well, that was another issue. And safety standards? Well, they just weren’t there. No turn signals, people. Brake lights? Nope, no need for them either.
