Paul Gover continues his three-part series looking at the best and worst cars ever on the roads. Today it’s the biggest Aussie flops of all time.
The Top 50 Cars of All Time list revved up readers across Australia on the weekend.
When car expert Paul Gover named a family favourite sedan as the greatest car ever made readers were quick to share their views.
More than 15,000 votes were cast and hundreds of comments were posted on the story and across social media.
Today the debate continues as Gover lists his top Aussie flops - 10 cars that rate as coulda, shoulda, woulda. But didn’t.
Did you own one of these cars? Love it? Loathe it? Tell us if you agree with his list in the comments section below.
And recap the Top 50 Cars of All Time and vote whether Gover got it right or wrong.
1. Toyota Lexcen
Whoever thought a Toyota-badged Commodore would work? Not nearly enough quality to sit in a Toyota showroom alongside the Corolla and Camry. Was only the failed offspring of a short-term marriage of convenience for Holden and Toyota in Australia.
2. Ford Falcon AU
A styling disaster at a time when the Commodore was firing and dominating the sales chart. The AU was conceived with curvy‘global’ styling but roundly rejected by buyers. Yet the final AU Series 3 is regarded as bulletproof — and a huge hit with thousands of taxi drivers.
3. Nissan Bluebird
Someone in the advertising department thought it was ‘Australia’s first four-cylinder limousine’. They were wrong. It was too small for the claims, the quality was crappy, and it never sold as well as the locally-assembled Pulsar that was Nissan’s real hero.
4. Leyland Marina 6
The Holden Torana was tough enough to get working, but dropping a six-cylinder engine in the miserable Marina created a deathtrap. It was originally a British economy car with little to recommend it, but Leyland saw potential for racing and as a Police pursuit car. It was an experiment that failed.
5. Leyland P76
Another good idea done badly by Leyland Australia. The P76 had “confronting” styling but was luxurious and nice to drive, at a time when the Kingswood and Falcon ruled the roads. But quality was awful and there was no time for the car to get established before Leyland pulled the pin on the P76 — and car making in Australia.
6. Holden Camira
A bold thrust into small cars that could have worked, but Holden got everything wrong. It was a global design with local engineering, but a tiny 1.6-litre engine in the launch car was underdone and the quality was miserable. It was surprisingly good to drive, but breakdowns and problems gave it a terrible reputation that even the later 2-litre model could not overcome.
7. Ford Laser Carla Zampatti
A small car just for women, with a celebrity designer and special non-scuff carpet for high heels. Nah. It was an early attempt to build a car that was aimed only at women, but it was the wrong time and the price was too high. It was nice enough as a fashion accessory, but Ford only ever saw it as short-term bait for buyers and it quickly disappeared.
8. Ford Cortina Six
Looked nice, but had dreadful handling with a six-cylinder lump in the nose and dreadful quality. The Cortina was another transplanted British family car that was underdone for duty down under, in everything from cooling to quality. Like the Torana and Marina, there was an attempt at a sports model with a big engine. But that just made everything worse. Much worse.
9. Holden Commodore Starfire Four
An early economy car that no-one really wanted. Holden cut two cylinders off its elderly in-line six-cylinder engine to create a powerplant that was feeble, noisy and harsh. Turbochargers make the formula work in the 21st century, but in the 1980s it was a recipe for disaster. Commodore buyers wanted V8s and sixes, so that’s what they got.
10. Mitsubishi 380
A genuinely good car despite slab-sided styling. But the timing could not have been worse as Mitsubishi retreated from Australia. The 380 was planned as the car that would restore Mitsubishi sales to their best days down under, but the car ran late, it was under-financed, and the styling was too boring to even compete with the Camry. By the time it arrived it was already on the way to the history books as the last car made in Australia by Mitsubishi.
MORE: AUSSIE CARS YOU NEVER KNEW WERE BUILT HERE
AUSTRALIA’S MUSCLE CARS, PART 1
AUSTRALIA’S MUSCLE CARS, PART 2
WHY THE LEYLAND P76 WAS A CLASSIC
Paul Gover’s Top 50 Cars was the beginning of a special three-part series.
Online and in News Corp’s Sunday newspapers this week, Gover will reveal the Top 20 Australian cars of all time.
Recap the Top 50 Cars of All Time here.
Add your comment to this story
To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register
Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout
Brewery puts name on global sporting stage
It’s the little brewery that could. A South Gippsland craft brewer is putting its name on a motorsport event with a global audience of more than 100 million people.
West Gate Tunnel build set to close key Docklands route
Brace for more traffic pain linked to the West Gate Tunnel project with a key route in the Docklands set to close.