A Good Year for the Outlaw

10. Pontiac G6

Yes, I’m a Pontiac man. I’ve had 13 of them in a row. But my next car will most likely NOT be a Pontiac. Why? Several reasons. First, the disappointing 2004-2005 GTO. While Dodge was building muscular, retro machines like the Charger and Magnum, and Ford had a hit with the new/old Mustang, Pontiac put out a Cavalier on steroids and called it a GTO. Sure, it ran great, as a matter of fact it was a great car. But boring. Sickeningly boring. GTO’s are supposed to be visually-loud, boy-racer, “here I am, sucker” kind of cars. The 2004 GTO was not. It was boring. Too bad.

Secondly, Pontiac designers got it right by announcing a 2007 GTO that was MUCH better looking. Want to know what it looks like? Check out the much talked about “new Camaro”. THAT was SUPPOSED to be the GTO. But Chevy, whining like they always do behind corporate doors, got the design given to them so they could do it for the Camaro. Chevrolet has done this countless times. The C4 Corvette that was released in 1984 was simply a two-seat version of the ‘82 Firebird. Don’t believe me, check out photos for yourself. The C3 Corvette that bowed in 1968 was an EXACT replica of a 1966 Pontiac showcar called the “Banshee”. Anything GOOD that Chevy has ever done has been stolen right out of the Pontiac design studios in the same building. So that ticks me off.

And thirdly, this thing pictured below. The replacement for the fine-selling Grand Am, the G6 is another in an increasingly long line of ugly GM cars. Look how far back the rear wheels are. It’s as if they almost forgot to put ‘em on.  When you see one on the street, from the side, you wonder “jeez, how far back to I have to look before I get to the rear wheels? What IS that?  This whole car looks like it was probably good looking in early stages of design and then someone smeared a drawing and the cab got moved up about four feet, and the trunk got cut off, too. The rear wheels of this car are like the less dominant siamese twin that just has to go where the other twin tells it to go. Just there as an afterthought.  Shame on you, Pontiac. Shame on GM for letting Chevy control what Pontiac does, too. You’ve lost me as a car buyer. I was very excited about the Solstice (still am, it’s a great looking little ride), but if we get one, it’ll be Diane’s car. Because when I sit in it with the top down, I look OVER the windshield, and I’m only 6′1″. But other than that, Pontiac’s got to do some work to get me back.

 

So there you have it. This list is not or never was intended to show the “10 ugliest” cars in the world. It was simply to show 10 cars UGLIER than the much-maligned Pontiac Aztek, which is a better vehicle than ANY of the cars on this list. And not as bad looking, either.