Worst award-winning cars

Everyone makes mistakes. Hey, even the Edsel seemed like a good idea.

When you are in the business of evaluating and critiquing new cars, however, being really, really wrong is a serious career misstep. That initial gush at the sight of Detroit’s latest darling can turn to embarrassment when the vehicle in question identifies itself as a lemon at best, a death trap at worst.

The folks at Car and Driver have been in the business for a long time, and they have published a review or two that they came to regret. In the spirit of full disclosure, they offer up this list of “10 Most Embarrassing Award Winners in Automotive History.” (Lest we give them too much credit for candor, they drag some of their competitors into the muck as well!)

If you actually owned one of these, you probably feel their pain:

1983 Renault Alliance: Car and Driver 10 Best Cars
2002 Ford Thunderbird: Motor Trend Car of the Year
1971 Chevrolet Vega: Motor Trend Car of the Year
1997 Cadillac Catera: Automobile All-Stars
1985 Merkur XR4Ti: Car and Driver 10Best Cars
1997 Chevrolet Malibu: Motor Trend Car of the Year
1990 Lincoln Town Car: Motor Trend Car of the Year
1980 Chevrolet Citation: Motor Trend Car of the Year
1974 Ford Mustang II: Motor Trend Car of the Year
1995 Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique: Car and Driver 10 Best Cars

What made these “classics” cause reviewers so much grief? Visit Car and Driver to read all about it.