Yes, I know this, uh, feature was originally posted last month. And I realize I've been dumping on The Detroit News for a couple of days now. But they deserve it and honestly, even if this isn't the world's ugliest car (remember: the Aztec and Tribeca B9 are SUVs), the 789 sure doesn't qualify as "best of past, present." Seriously, am I supposed to take this car seriously? "Take the most distinctive elements of the 1957, 1958 and 1959 Chevrolets," Larry Edsall (no really) writes. "Put them together around a new Corvette chassis and what do you have? You have the spectacular 789 from Kanter Concepts and n2a Motors." Apparently, I'm in the minority in thinking that the only reason there isn't a single ten-foot pole mark on this thing is because people wouldn't touch it with one. "The goal is to sell as many as 100 copies. Nos. 15, 16 and 17 are under construction with sales contracts just in for Nos. 18 and 19, [CEO Greg] Langmesser said." No way! I mean, n2a stands for "no two alike"– which doesn't fill me with confidence to their build quality, even at $75k ABOVE the cost of a donor Corvette. And for those who [happen to] agree with me that this is a hideous piece, check out that site for the Anteros. Or, if you're of a delicate disposition, not.
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Not even close, Bob.
For instance, a BMW 135i is orders of magnitude more ugly. Uglier, too.
No, a Toyota Yaris is still uglier, even as garbled and blatantly derivative as this is.
They should’ve ditched the batwing and they might’ve had something here; actually a “5-6-7” would’ve been preferable (I think).
No, it’s not the ugliest car, but it seems a spectacular waste of nice Corvettes. This idea lacks a clear focus or purpose.
This is bad, but not as bad as that C3 Picasso thing.
Mitsuoka Orochi and this thing are running neck and neck for the title.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuoka_Orochi
Very funny Andrei…
OH WAIT!
Nice to know that the DetN is on top of the news. This car has been around for a year or two at least, probably more.
I actually like it, but would never (EVER) buy one. Congrats to n2a for duping a big time publication into giving them some free press. It’s been around for several years and are only getting contracts for #18 & 19? Good luck making that #100 in this lifetime…
I always thought the Citroen Ami 6 was pretty damn ugly. But it’s ugly in a masterful way. The Dodge Caliber is just plain stupid ugly.
The BMW 135i is not very ugly by these standards. And that Chevrolet thing in the photo, though flawed due to the bat wing, is otherwise pretty good looking
David Holzman:
The 135i looks like a baby elephant that’s had its trunk snipped off.
Go ahead, tell me it doesn’t.
Every car mentioned so far is still better than the ’49 Ford conversions some aftermarket company made for ’89-97 Thunderbirds and Cougars.
Not ugly at all — but then I was a little tyke in the late 50’s and my folks had ’57, ’58 and ’60 Impalas. Yes, back in the days when one of the big events of the year was the unveiling of the new Chevys in September.
We’ve definitely lost something as a culture.
The 135i looks like a baby elephant that’s had its trunk snipped off.
Go ahead, tell me it doesn’t.
Baby elephants are cute. BMW 135i’s just make me feel like using a crowbar on them.
It’s certainly in the runnings but by no means, the ugliest. And as someone already mentioned, this is just a complete waste of a Corvette chassis.
The 1 series is kinda ugly, the Caliber is ulgy-er (though the SRT-4 version would sell me, sorta).
Certainly not the ugliest car, but definately uglier than the donors. 55-57 chevy front, impala rear and corvette a-pillars and windsscreen do not make a very balanced look.. And for some reason i keep thinking “thunderbird” when i look at the front. You know the “new” one. Anyone remember that thing? No idea why i keep thinking that.
You couldn’t pay me to own this car. Opportunistically revolting.
This is not ugly. Have you ever seen a 1974 AMC Javelin?
This is. The 1998 Fiat Multipla
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1658545_1658544_1658537,00.html
At least it doesn’t use Chevy’s “global design language.”
To quote H. L. Mencken – “Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.”
Any of the smallest cars that sport a snozz the size of a small truck’s… Guess we are supposed to think the car is bigger than it really is if the grille is big…
Did someone say ugly car!
Your 789 doesn’t touch this ugly beast …
[url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/automobiles/collectibles/23UGLY.html]NYT[/url]
SO ugly — almost unbelievable.
Wheels are a bit too large, looks like a baby mouse.
I like it as a convertible (except for their choice of rims). In the coupe model, the Vette fastback window doesn’t work with the look of the rest of the car.
Please change your picture caption to read “n2amotors.com”. I went to “n2a.com” looking for more pics of this car but it was some kind of ad site.
waay too busy. A total steal of a single model yr would be better. If you think the batwing is over the top, it is conservative compared to other GM designs for 59. Google up a picture of a 59 Buick or the Coupe Deville
I was at a car show and saw a 135 coupe and convertable. Over blown and just plain fugly
Just because a filet mignon, a craft brewed amber ale, and Half Baked B&J ice cream taste good doesn’t mean I’d put them in a blender and make a sports drink out of them.
Mike66Chryslers:
Please change your picture caption to read “n2amotors.com”. I went to “n2a.com” looking for more pics of this car but it was some kind of ad site.
Sorry about that. Sorted.
Have we all so conveniently forgotten the existence of the ’02-’05 retro Thunderbird? I know it still causes nightmares, but we need to occasionally mention it in comparison articles like this one to maintain parity, if nothing else. Can you imagine one photoshopped right next to the 789? My apologies if you’re eating lunch.
As said before, the 1998 Fiat Multipla is FUGLY.
The Prius is fugly too… in any generation, they could have done an hybrid in a nicer looking wrapper.
I actually saw one of these this past weekend at the Northwest Historics… during the Parade Lap, where local car clubs can do a pace-car lead lap around the track. It looked completely out of place… the rims and the windshield stood out in contrast to the rest of the car like a Manhattan skyscraper in an Iowa farm field. They have hidden that issue with the camera angle of the above photo, but seen from the side it is absolutely hideous to behold.
–chuck
The current 5 Series might not be the ugliest car in the world, but I find it the most offensive
It may not be ugliest car ever, but it might very well may be the ugliest one in production right now. Just tasteless.
Lots of baggin’ on BMW’s – and rightly. I had one come up on me today and thought the thing was a Pontiac – the front ends are morphing into something sad. I guess they’re probably ‘pedestrian friendly’, though…
Man, the Multipla makes the Aztek look downright sexy.
it’s still better looking that anything made by Zimmer….
Jonny Lieberman Says:
David Holzman:
The 135i looks like a baby elephant that’s had its trunk snipped off.
Go ahead, tell me it doesn’t.
Jonny,
Although I can almost see where you’re coming from on this, I love elephants (and highly recommend the book The Fate of the Elephants by Doug Chadwick if you want to meet one of the smartest creatures on the planet, and adventure to every place on the planet that is important to them–one of the five best books I’ve ever read), and I would never have thought of this resemblance without your help. But even if it does look like a baby elephant sans trunk, and even though I agree that it falls on the ugly side of the aesthetics scale, it’s just not nearly as ugly as a Caliber, or a Murano. I’d say it’s on par with the new Accord–ugly, but not very ugly.
But you may be right about that snipped off trunk thing.
I can’t believe that nobody has mentioned this yet, but this car is only 2 or 3 design elements away from a ‘vintage’ (original TV series) Batmobile!
If they painted it black and got Burt Ward and Adam West to pose in it, nobody would know the difference.
Give it a slightly goofier grille, a twin bubble canopy, and a jumbo-sized Bunsen burner at the tail, and it’s ready to save Gotham City!
Robin: “Holy Disparate Design Elements, Batman!”
Batman: “Not wholly disparate, my youthful ward. In fact, I find them oddly harmonious…”
WTH were they thinking when they designed this was my first reaction upon seeing a picture of this car last year. A much better approach was the retro truck that came out about the same time (Southern Motors, I believe?). They made a truck that looked like a mid 50’s Chevy Pickup, but with a modern engine (Ford engine because GM wouldn’t warrantee a Chevy 350), chassis, etc. It was a new “restomod” AD (Advanced Design) Chevy truck with a warrantee.
P.S. That Fiat Multipla takes the ugly cake. That and some of the designs in Korea (thank God they haven’t made it out) make you wonder what the designer was thinking when he penned them. As bad looking as the Aztec was, there are many worse looking cars that have graced the roads of Europe and Asia.
Blastman Says:
Your 789 doesn’t touch this ugly beast …
[url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/automobiles/collectibles/23UGLY.html]NYT[/url]
SO ugly — almost unbelievable.
But that Aurora is ugly in a spectacular way. The Caliber is ugly-stupid. Which is much worse, in my book.
I’m surprised we mad it this far into the discussion without a mention of the Jeep Compass. It is an ugly brand eroding abomination.
You might as well slap a Jeep grille on a minivan.
Lumbergh21
A much better approach was the retro truck that came out about the same time (Southern Motors, I believe?). They made a truck that looked like a mid 50’s Chevy Pickup, but with a modern engine (Ford engine because GM wouldn’t warrantee a Chevy 350), chassis, etc. It was a new “restomod” AD (Advanced Design) Chevy truck with a warrantee.
I think that’s the ticket, classic body, modern running gear.
I really think that with the unbelievably ugly vehicles they make today, this 789 is just par for the course.
it’s an eyesore for sure but it’s got plenty of competition …
The Daimler SP250 is/was the ugliest car on the road. This is a low-volume aberration. Tuners and small customizers put out douchemobiles every day, but the Daimler was a production car (and relatively expensive for what it was).
@Jonny
The 135i doesn’t look like a baby elephant. It has a rubber duckie tail, maybe it swims?
The 1er hatch looks so much better. Especially as a 3-door. Even if Andrei says it’s not a shooting brake.
@DaPope
Lots of baggin’ on BMW’s – and rightly. I had one come up on me today and thought the thing was a Pontiac – the front ends are morphing into something sad. I guess they’re probably ‘pedestrian friendly’, though…
The 5-series has one of the worst pedestrian crash ratings of any car currently in production. Zero stars and a score of 2 out of 30.
http://www.euroncap.com/tests/bmw_5_series_2004/208.aspx
Actually, I think this could work, but in its present configuration it needs a lot of work. Number one would be to ditch those hideous side view mirrors. Still, as previously posted this is a horrendous waste of Corvettes. Too bad body on frame SUVs couldn’t be stripped for something like this…
Why the harshness on the Caliber? Too squared? You either like a box or you don’t.
It looks a lot better than the Neon. Better than all the jellybean cars.
The Prius has to look like it does for sales reasons. It sells better because it looks “techy” and “futuristic”
No way. The current-generation Honda Accord sedan is the ugliest abomination cluttering up our roads.
1974 Matador.
Pictures do not convey the essence of ugliness in every curve and body panel.
I know I should perhaps be more creative, but unfortunately, for me it’s still the current Chrysler Sebring (The Jeep Compass is an SUV!)
I sometimes dry-heave when I have to look at one for too long. It’s that ugly to me.
Now, since the subject car of this piece is only up to production #18, then we’re really opening up the qualifying criteria. In which case, here’s a vote for the Consuliers of the 1990’s.
This is sort of ugly, but nowhere near the ugliest. You want hideous 1950’s design? Look at a 1958 Oldsmobile sometime. Go ahead, I dare ya!
I don’t see much ’58 Chevy in the 789 other than the side trim.
cjdumm: The TV series Batmobile was originally the 1955 Lincoln Futura dream car, created for the autoshow circuit. It once had a twin canopied plexiglas roof.
George Barris, who had acquired the Futura in the early 1960’s, removed the roof, repainted the car and added lots of gizmo’s…but the car today essentially looks just like it did in 1955.
btw: Revell introduced a 1/24th scale plastic model kit of the Futura just after its introduction.
———————————-
M/T in 1958 said somthing like: The 1958 Oldsmobile 98 has won the “chrome derby,” using 44 lbs. of the stuff. The 1958 Buick Limited is second with 42 lbs.
IMO: The world’s ugliest car = 1937 “shark nosed” Graham…hands down.
considering all the “retro” reproductions on the market today (dodge challenger, chevy camaro,PT cruiser, HHR) It doesn’t look bad at all! LOOK at the homely new T-Bird.that came out a few years ago.