The 1980s gave us some genuinely beautiful automobiles, including the Ferrari Testarossa, Buick Grand National, BMW E30, and Lamborghini Countach.
Unfortunately, the decade also produced an alarming number of cars, station wagons, and vans that looked like household appliances with license plates.
Automakers were trying to improve fuel economy, introduce front-wheel drive, master aerodynamics, and squeeze families into smaller packages. Designers had to work with rectangular headlights, oversized bumpers, tiny wheels, acres of gray plastic, and plenty of beige paint. The results were sometimes innovative, occasionally lovable, and very often just ugly.
Even so, like the mullet, some of these boxy, ugly cars are kind of cool again. Here are 15 of the ugliest popular cars of the 1980s sold in the United States:
15. AMC Eagle Wagon
I drove an AMC Eagle in high school!
AMC actually produced numerous ugly cars in the 1970s, including the infamous Gremlin and Pacer. Introduced for 1980, the Eagle combined a passenger-car body with full-time four-wheel drive, raised suspension, and extra ground clearance. AMC essentially built a crossover decades before everyone decided they needed one.
The Eagle kind of resembled a family wagon that had wandered into a Jeep catalog and made several impulsive purchases.
The AMC Eagle is often described as the first crossover car. Its combination of car-based construction, family-friendly bodywork, four-wheel drive, and raised suspension is now one of the auto industry’s most popular formulas.
MSRP for a new AMC Eagle Limited Edition was about $9k in 1980. That’s about $36k adjusted for inflation today.
Fun fact: Movie buffs might know that Jennifer Parker’s dad drives an AMC Eagle in Back to the Future. You’ll see him drop her off just as Huey Lewis’ The Power of Love plays near the beginning of the movie!
14. Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera
The Cutlass Ciera arrived for 1982 and became one of those cars that never really changed the boxy design.
My dad actually had a Cutlass Sierra as his work car, so seeing this and the AMC Eagle bring back some 80s nostalgia for me.
Anyway, the Cutlass Sierra was a perfectly serviceable family sedan, but visually it represented traditional American luxury styling awkwardly shrunk onto a front-wheel-drive platform.
Its formal grille, narrow body, upright windows, thick pillars, and tiny wheels made it appear timid and prematurely elderly. Add wire-style wheel covers or a padded vinyl roof, and the Ciera seemed ready to complain about the temperature in a family restaurant.
By the way, if you ever watch the movie Fargo, notice that Jerry drives a pretty sweet 1987 Cutlass Cierra before giving it to the kidnappers!
What is a “Cutlass Sierra”? The name Cutlass Cierra was actually invented by GM of their new Oldsmobile model first marketed in 1982. First, “Cutlass” was meant to evoke an image of speed and sharpness, like a naval cutlass sword. “Cierra” was an invented, “aerodynamic-sounding” word used to differentiate the all-wheel drive model from the regular Cierra.
13. Ford Tempo
The Ford Tempo was introduced for 1984 as a sensible, aerodynamic replacement for the aging Ford Fairmont. It sold well and carried millions of Americans to school and work.
Looking back, the Ford Tempo is pretty ugly, though. It looks like the designers might have carved the design out of a bar of soap, or something.
The Tempo’s problem was that every surface seemed to droop into the next one. The sloping nose, tall cabin, small tires, and plastic wheel covers created something less like an automobile and more like the official transportation of someone sent to repair the office photocopier.
They should have called it the Ford “Droop.”
12. Chevrolet Astro Van
Chevrolet introduced the Astro Van for 1985 as its answer to the growing minivan market. Unlike Chrysler’s lower, front-wheel-drive vans, the 92-horsepower Astro used truck-like mechanical components and rear-wheel drive. That made it capable but also gave it the stance of a delivery truck attempting to pass as family transportation.
The Astro’s short hood collided visually with a towering passenger compartment, while its wheels appeared to retreat into the body as if embarrassed to be involved. It looked sturdy because… well, it was sturdy. However, the Astro possessed all the elegance of a vending machine being pushed down a ramp!
Thought: I imagine many a Chevy Astro Van pulled up to playgrounds in the 1980s, driven by men with bushy mustaches and sunglasses who did not have children.
11. Pontiac 6000 Safari Wagon
Pontiac spent much of its history selling excitement, but the 6000 Safari wagon looked about as excited as a folding banquet table. Introduced in 1982, it shared its front-wheel-drive platform with the Chevrolet Celebrity, Buick Century, and Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera.
The wagon had a particularly severe profile: a long roof, vertical tailgate, narrow headlights, and broad slabs of bodywork. Many wore fake glossy wood paneling because the design did not already look enough like basement furniture. It was roomy and useful, but its styling suggested that the entire family had been grounded.
Imagine taking your driver’s test in the 1980s and having to parallel park that beast!?
10. Dodge Aries “K-Car”
The Dodge Aries was one of Chrysler’s crucial K-cars and deserves credit for helping the company survive. It was affordable, economical, practical, and offered as a sedan, coupe, and wagon. It was also so thoroughly rectangular that a child could reproduce it using three crayons and a ruler.
The headlights, grille, doors, and windows were all rectangles. Even the wheel openings seemed disappointed that they had been forced to curve. The Aries was not designed to thrill anyone; it was designed to start every morning, carry four people, and convince the bank that Chrysler might eventually repay its loans and avoid bankruptcy.
By 1983, vehicles based on Chrysler’s K-car platform accounted for more than half of the company’s sales. The humble Aries and other K-cars helped give Chrysler the breathing room needed to develop its successful minivans.
Did you know? The name “K-car” came from Chrysler’s internal alphabetical code used to designate the successful and popular “K-body” design, which included front-wheel-drive and transverse engine design.
9. Chevrolet Citation
The Chevrolet Citation was a major arrival for the 1980 model year. It was Chevrolet’s first compact front-wheel-drive car, and Americans initially bought huge numbers of them.
Styling was not its greatest strength. The tall body appeared to lean over undersized wheels, while the blunt nose and thick rear pillars made the hatchback resemble a loaf of bread being used as a doorstop. The two-door version was especially strange, with a vast rear quarter panel that made it look like a compact car wearing someone else’s pants.
The name “citation” means “formal credit given to someone else’s work.” I don’t think many artists would want to be cited as the designer of this loaf on wheels!
8. Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country Wagon
The LeBaron Town & Country wagon proved that Chrysler could look at a plain K-car and think, “What this needs is more yacht.” The compact wagon received an ornate grille, bright trim, plush upholstery, and enough imitation wood to panel a recreation room.
There was something admirable about the Town & Country’s confidence. This was an economy car wearing wire-style wheel covers and fake wood panels with the seriousness of a Rolls-Royce. Unfortunately, its short wheelbase, tall roof, and dense decorations made it look like an antique radio mounted on casters.
The famous “Town & Country” name originated in 1939 because the vehicle’s front looked “town” and the rear looked “country.” So, you could say it was the mullet of the 1980s auto industry!
7. Ford EXP
OK, now these cars are starting to get ugly! Ford introduced the EXP for 1982 as an economical two-seat sporty coupe based on the Escort. The idea made sense: younger buyers might want something personal without paying for a genuine performance car. Unfortunately, deleting the rear seat did not magically turn an Escort into a Corvette.
Early EXPs wore a low nose, deeply set headlights, pronounced wheel arches, and a hatch that seemed too tall for the rest of the car. The tiny wheels made the front look especially odd, as though an enormous pair of eyebrows had been attached to a very small animal.
Did you know? The EXP was Ford’s first two-seat production car since the original two-seat Thunderbird disappeared after 1957. That was quite a historical burden for what was essentially a Ford Escort wearing gym shorts.
6. Nissan Stanza Wagon
Even though the Nissan Stanza Wagon was pretty ugly, it was one of the most inventive family vehicles of the 1980s. The Stanza Wagon combined a compact footprint with a tall interior and sliding rear doors on both sides, and was essentially a compact minivan before the category settled on a shape.
Unfortunately, Nissan’s packaging triumph looked like a telephone booth being transported on a cafeteria cart. The Stanza had a short nose, towering roof, tiny wheels, enormous windows, and a rear end that stopped with the grace of a filing cabinet. It was practical, but the design seemed to ask, “Can we make it taller?” without ever asking why.
Did you know? The Stanza Wagon offered sliding rear doors on both sides at a time when Chrysler’s groundbreaking minivans initially had only one.
5. Toyota Tercel 4WD Wagon
The Toyota Tercel wagon was practical, economical, durable, ugly, and available with real four-wheel drive. It has since developed a following among fans of unusual Japanese utility vehicles.
The roof rose abruptly behind the front doors, creating a tall cargo area and a profile that seemed to contain several unrelated vehicles. Its tiny wheels, huge windows, uneven roofline, and stubby hood gave it a homemade appearance. It was wonderfully capable but pretty ugly, resembling a hiking boot with windshield wipers.
4. Ford Aerostar
Ford joined the minivan party with the 1986 Aerostar, a vehicle whose name suggested interplanetary travel but whose ugly styling suggested economy airport parking. Its wedge-shaped nose was intended to look aerodynamic, yet it led directly into a tall, slab-sided box.
The Aerostar was narrow front track, deeply recessed wheels, and awkwardly rising beltline added to the confusion. It became a familiar family vehicle with plenty o cargo space, but no amount of two-tone paint could fully disguise the ugly silhouette.
Thought: The Coneheads drove a Mercury Sable in the movie, but I could totally see them driving a Ford Aerostar when their kids were younger!
3. Toyota Van
Known simply as the “Toyota Van” in the United States, this cab-over family hauler arrived during the first minivan boom. It offered impressive interior space within a short footprint and gave buyers an alternative to domestic vans.
Man, that’s an ugly van! And I might want to drive one.
The Toyota Van’s shape was unforgettable for the wrong reasons. The driver sat nearly above the front wheels, leaving almost no hood ahead of the windshield. The result was a tall, narrow body with a flat face that looked like a toaster on tiny wheels.
I’m afraid to ask, but what would happen if one of these vans got into an accident? 😬
2. Subaru XT
Introduced for 1985, the Subaru XT featured a wedge-shaped body, pop-up headlights, a low hood, and one of the strangest interiors ever installed in a production car.
In fact, the XT’s exterior looked like a door wedge designed for the International Space Station. Its long nose, triangular windows, thick rear pillars, and truncated tail never formed a unified shape. Inside were an asymmetrical steering wheel, joystick-like controls, and graphics apparently designed to launch a satellite. Some people find the XT magnificently futuristic. Others see geometry homework with license plates.
In any event, at least the Subaru XT wasn’t boxy, beige, and boring like many of the other ugly cars on this list!
Did you know? The XT achieved a drag coefficient of approximately 0.29, making it extremely aerodynamic. That design helped it get an impressive 29 MOG on the highway. Pretty good for the mid-80s!
1. Cadillac Cimarron
The Cadillac Cimarron tops the list because it was both ugly and disappointing on many levels. For instance, consider that Cimarron is a Spanish word meaning “wild” or “untamed.” Yeah, I’m not seeing that free spirit in the boxy, pedestrian design.
In fact, I’d say the Cimarron was “the Cadillac of boring, ugly 1980s cars.“
Introduced for 1982, it was Cadillac’s hurried attempt to enter the compact luxury market. Rather than create a distinctive small Cadillac, General Motors adapted the same J-car architecture used for cheaper models such as the Chevrolet Cavalier.
Cadillac added a formal grille, extra chrome, leather, and prominent badges, but could not hide the economy-car proportions. The body was narrow and upright, the wheels were small, and the decorations seemed pasted onto a car too modest to carry them.
The Cimarron looked like a Cavalier forced to attend a fancy dinner. It just sat there sweating, while everyone at the table stared at it, fully aware that it was a fraud.
Later Cimarrons improved, but the damage was done. Cadillac had spent decades building long, dramatic luxury cars. Suddenly, it offered a tidy four-cylinder sedan with the visual authority of a regional bank manager’s rental car. Other cars on this list are strange, dull, or clumsy. The Cimarron was all three while pretending to be prestigious.
Ugly 80s Car FAQs
The Cadillac Cimarron is our nominee for ugliest 1980s cars because it was a disappointing, boxy economy car with a Cadillac emblem
Many 1980s cars used straight body lines, rectangular headlights, upright cabins, and simple panels because these designs were practical, affordable to produce, and suited the era’s styling trends.
Frequently criticized designs include the Cadillac Cimarron, Nissan Stanza Wagon, Toyota Tercel 4WD Wagon, Subaru XT, Chevrolet Citation, and Ford EXP.
Yes. Once-unpopular 1980s cars can attract collectors because of their rarity, nostalgia, unusual styling, and importance in automotive history.
Were All 1980s Cars Ugly?
Definitely not. The 1980s produced everything from clean European sports sedans to outrageous supercars and wonderfully boxy Japanese coupes. Even the awkward cars on this list now possess a certain nostalgic charm.
Automakers were also coping with changing fuel-economy rules, emissions requirements, safety standards, and customer expectations. Front-wheel drive spread rapidly, cars became smaller, and manufacturers experimented with aerodynamics and new forms of family transportation.
You might think that the ugliest cars of the 1980s had over the top, daring designs. I mean, this was the decade that gave us Punk Rock, MTV, shoulder pads, Jams, and acid-wash jeans.
How did the year 1982 give us both “Eye of the Tiger” and the Cutlass Cierra?
Maybe the music world was a rebellion against the starchy, beige cubicle, corporate dullness that Oldsmobile represented?
Anyway, the 1980s definitely produced some memorable ugly cars.
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