There have been cars which were built to last and have withstood the test of time in order to give you a ride you can truly admire and enjoy. Great examples of these are the Jeep Wrangler, the Chevrolet Suburban, Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Corvette. On the other hand, automakers have vehicles they’ve built which they were absolutely giddy about that simply didn’t make it beyond a short stint on the market. These cars are the would’ve, should’ve, could’ve of the automotive world as examples of vehicles that were killed off before they could succeed.
DeLorean DMC-12 – This car is famous for being the time machine in the Back to the Future movies, but other than that this car was a complete disaster. The future John DeLorean envisioned didn’t include utter failure, but a car that was rushed and the victim of the political crisis in Northern Ireland just wasn’t going to last on the market for long at all.
Tucker 48 – This was the only car Preston Tucker every built and only 51 models were made which is a shame. At the time this car was the most innovative vehicle on the road and most likely the SEC investigation that caused the demise of Tucker were spurned by other Detroit automakers who felt threatened by the possible success this vehicle would have.
Pontiac G8 – Thankfully this car was able to live on as the Chevrolet SS, but as the G8 this car showed the promise we had been looking for from Pontiac for several years. Unfortunately the bailout that was necessary for GM caused Pontiac to be deleted from the market and that speed the end of the G8 for the time being.
Saab 9-5 – Unfortunately the 9-5 wasn’t enough to save Saab, but had it been offered a few years earlier, the style and build would have been enough to rival the German luxury brands a possibly save the brand. Too bad for Saab as we now see Volvo has taken on a new style and structure that would have fit for Saab as well.
Porsche 914/6 – The drawback of this car was the fact it cost as much as a base 911 which was more desirable at the time. The original 914 was a huge success as a Volkswagen derived vehicle, but this model just didn’t go over well at first. Now we know how amazing this car was, but it’s much too late for the Porsche that ended up a failure.
AMC AMX – Muscle cars were meant to be hulking brutes of metal that could take their heavy load down the dragstrip at high speeds. The AMX was an alternative choice as it offered a two-seat alternative to the typical muscle car, but alas it didn’t catch on at all and less than 20,000 were sold during the short three years this car was in production.
Saturn Sky Redline – As an attractive two-seater roadster the Redline was a car that would give Saturn legitimate clout on the road where it had been laughed at. Unfortunately this car and the Pontiac Solstice were both cut from the market when both brands were deleted from the GM arsenal when the 2008 bail out took place.
Bugatti EB110 – There are actual mysteries in the automotive industry and you wouldn’t think anything wearing the Bugatti name would ever fall victim to being cut from the lineup, but somehow this car didn’t last long at all. That’s too bad as it was certainly a gorgeous and innovated car to drive and witness on the road.
Pontiac GTO – This was one Pontiac model that wasn’t victim to the bailout, it was simply a sales flop from the start. This was another car built by Holden and should have been a great rear-drive sports coupe, but a lack of style and imagination made this car one that wasn’t as desirable as the GTOs from the muscle car era.
Honda Insight – The Insight from Honda was the victim of bad timing. At a time when the Prius was the most popular fuel-efficient model on the market the Insight offered us a great looking body, an efficient three-cylinder engine and a lightweight build that just couldn’t keep up with the desire for the Prius.
This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning a commission is given should you decide to make a purchase through these links, at no cost to you. All products shown are researched and tested to give an accurate review for you.
