Millions of cars have been produced throughout history and not all of them have had the same luck to become authentic motorsport classics. Some of them have succumbed to the black hole of time.
We talk about those cars that were created to be a best-seller and didn’t work; or of those who lived their time of splendor and then were lost in the dense tide of oblivion. Below we list some examples that you may not have remembered.
We start with a car that was marketed for only two years, between 2011 and 2013, by the British luxury car manufacturer, Aston Martin. This is its Cygnet model, a small three-door Smart designed for the city and inspired by the Toyota iQ, although with a price almost twice as high. Its failure in sales led to it stealthily disappearing from the brand’s catalogue.
“How difficult it is to make love in a Simca 1,000” is the title of one of the great hits of Los Inhumanos in the 80s. However, the car to which the song refers and which the lyrics do not leave in a very good place , is one of the great forgotten ones. Its poor reception by the public and the time that has passed since its production ceased makes it really rare to see it on our roads.
This model merged SUV and Coupé elements in a compact design that was marketed between 1995 and 1997 without much success. Although it must be admitted that its presence on this list is questionable, since Artificial Intelligence has remembered it as one of the ugliest cars in history. Also, we must not forget that it ended up being sold as a Red Bull promotional car.
It is curious that this 1992 model did not succeed enough in Spain. It is a two-seater targa convertible that is quite interesting for not being a convertible at all. And its hard roof is removable to be stored in a trunk that opens upwards. A marvel. However, its production ceased in 1998, when it was replaced by the Honda S2000.
Between 1970 and 1986, this model was manufactured, which allowed for the advances in hydropneumatic suspension technology found in Citröen’s high-end range in a more accessible car. Likewise, for this and other advantages such as its safety and ride comfort, it won the title of Car of the Year in Europe in 1971. However, everyone has their moment and, finally, it stopped being manufactured in 1986, giving way to the Citröen BX. , which will be familiar to many because it was used as a National Police car in the 90s.
This vehicle was another great commercial failure and, certainly, the most avant-garde designs do not always win over the general public. Between 2001 and 2003, only 8,557 units were sold, causing the company to discontinue it.
After eight years and a total of 62,201 units produced, this car that had been presented at the 2001 Geneva Motor Show was discontinued.
This car began to be manufactured in 1977 and entered the Spanish market around 1980, with two “Poissy” gasoline engines inherited from the 1200 range. After production ceased in 1987, it was replaced by the Peugeot 309.
This model of the same brand, developed by Chrysler Europe, only sold 20,000 units between 1980 and 1983, making its representation really scarce. It was almost Talbot’s last hope and it didn’t work.
Unlike others, when the production of this saloon came to an end in 1998, it did not have a successor to take over. It had been on the market for thirteen years, but bad reviews and low sales of its second and last generation made it disappear from the automotive scene, leaving no trace other than an occasional vestige.
With capacity for five or seven people, depending on the version chosen, this minivan suffered serious problems to succeed. Among them, its van aesthetic with an unbalanced design and the price, which led to its demise in 2005 after three years of production.
All big brands have at least one model that has not met expectations. An example of this is the Volkswagen Phaeton, which caused the company an estimated loss of 28,101 euros for each unit sold.
This bet by the Italian firm did not fully materialize and remained on the market for eight years, from 2001 to 2009. It is one of those notorious commercial failures, due to the relationship between its peculiar design and the very high price. , which caused sales to be negligible.
It is a family version of the successful Opel Corsa B. However, this model was especially successful in Germany, while in Spain sales were much lower. Therefore, its presence in circulation is almost anecdotal.
Finally, this very characteristic car from the seventies was sold only in Europe for four years (1974-1978). Its design had been the work of Claus Luthe and it followed mechanics very similar to that of its competitor, the Volkswagen Golf. However, in 1975 the Volkswagen Polo was released, which featured a greater variety of engines and was sold at a much cheaper price, outselling the Audi 50. Audi had no choice but to suspend production.
