Skip to main content

These Pickups Were The Biggest Flops In Truck History

Pickup trucks have long been the vehicle of choice for the working man. However, in recent years, pickup trucks have gone from being a utility tool to something of a fashion statement. The trucks of today are draped from top to bottom in chrome, leather, and most of the luxuries that you’d expect in a high-end sedan. Today’s pickup trucks also cost as much if not more than even high-end cars. For some models, that’s an understatement. The big three dominate the pickup truck market but there have been other companies that tried to carve out a niche as well.

Companies like Mitsubishi, Honda, and even Subaru have all tried to carve a spot in the lucrative pickup truck market and failed miserably. With the rise in the popularity of modern crossover vehicles, the pickup truck will never going to be the same as it once was. Some pickups worked out well while others became massive disappointments for drivers. Buckle up as we looked at the biggest flops in the history of pickup trucks.

Sport Trac
Photo Credit: Ford

Ford Explorer Sport Trac

The Ford Explorer is one of the most popular SUVs in history, but Ford also sold it as a compact pickup truck. The Explorer Sport Trac was an attempt at Ford to try and attract pickup truck buyers who didn’t want a full-sized model. The Sport Trac had a small undersized truck bed and there wasn’t any major improvement over the Explorer. The Sport Trac was also relegated to an outdated body style while the Explorer SUV was updated (via Hot Cars).

Sport Trac
Photo Credit: Ford

The Explorer Sport Trac was redesigned in the late 2000s but that wasn’t enough to increase the sales. Ford had a lot of interest in the full-size F-150 but not so much in the Sport Trac. Even the Adrenalin model wasn’t enough to increase the sales numbers of the Sport Trac and it ended up being a flop.

The post These Pickups Were The Biggest Flops In Truck History appeared first on Motor Junkie.

Bad Memories: 1990s Cars Drivers Want To Forget Forever

The 1990s were one of the most influential decades in the history of the automotive industry. It was a time of prosperity when automakers were implementing different kinds of innovations and vehicle design was becoming more modern than ever. It was also a time when car fans saw the fall of iconic brands such as AMC and Plymouth. Companies like Toyota and Honda rose to major prominence and GM and Ford lost much of their footing with consumers. The 1990s were also the birth of the SUV movement, an automotive trend that’s lasted until today. There were some truly great 1990s cars that rose to prominence in this era.

But there were also some truly horrible cars that have not stood the test of time from the ’90s too. Overall, there were a lot of awful cars and trucks that came out of the 1990s. We looked back at the cars that invoke bad memories for drivers from this era. Vehicles like the Cadillac Catera just made drivers scratch their heads, and there were other cars like the Honda Del Sol that were simply poorly executed. The 1990s were a time that a lot of us love to go back to and remember. But for many car fans, it’s just a painful look down memory lane thanks to several 1990s cars. Check out the 1990s cars that drivers want to forget forever right here.

Photo Credit: AutoWp

Plymouth Prowler

There’s little doubt that the Prowler was one of the most polarizing 1990s cars for most drivers. However, the biggest problem with the Prowler was that it promised too much and delivered too little. Based on its outward appearance, the Prowler was a hot rod-inspired muscle car. But looks can be deceiving and under the hood, it was your mom’s Dodge Intrepid. The Prowler was a last-ditch effort to save the Plymouth brand, something that it failed to do. The price tag was far too high for the average enthusiast to afford and the features were lacking in many ways (via Car Throttle).

Plymouth Prowler
Photo Credit: Car Domain

Plymouth fell off the face of the earth for the 2001 model year and the Prowler faded into obscurity shortly thereafter. The Prowler has maintained a fairly modest following in the hot-rodding community. There are modern upgrades that you can do to put a bigger power plant under the hood. But nothing can rectify the disappointment that thousands of drivers experienced when the Prowler originally hit the streets, making it one of the biggest failures in terms of 1990s cars.

The post Bad Memories: 1990s Cars Drivers Want To Forget Forever appeared first on Motor Junkie.

Electric Cars Exposed: What Smart Drivers Need To Understand

In the last decade, electric cars have become common on streets and roadways all over the world. Marketed as the obvious replacement for fossil fuel-burning vehicles, they are a popular choice for many drivers. Of course, these are the drivers who are looking to help the environment, be carbon neutral and enjoy new technologies.

EVs have zero emissions, are silent, and are a great proposition for use in urban areas. Yet they also come with more than a few secrets car companies don’t tell you about. You might be so surprised by all the sobering truths of EVs that you might change your mind about electric vehicles altogether. Check them out here.

Photo Credit: Pinterest

Range Anxiety

Range anxiety is the number-one factor when it comes to EV downsides. Simply, modern electric vehicles are still range-limited due to their small-capacity batteries. Most affordable electric cars on the market have a bit more than a 130-mile range. However, Teslas and some other expensive vehicles offer double that number (via National Grid).

Photo Credit: EV Connect

That is still not comparable to the average gasoline-powered vehicle, not to mention a diesel-powered vehicle. Modern cars can cover 500 or even more miles on a single tank, so electric cars still have a long way to go in this area.

The post Electric Cars Exposed: What Smart Drivers Need To Understand appeared first on Motor Junkie.

These Dangerous Car Features Somehow Made The Cut

In the automotive industry, technology is always improving and evolving. Yet sometimes, this technology goes overboard and ends up being dangerous. Safety is a major priority when it comes to driving and that’s especially true when it comes to new advances. But there are times when new technology comes into play way too fast. This has been the case in many different instances in the automotive industry where things turned catastrophic. Innovation is great, but automakers often take things too far.

The Ford Pinto was one such instance of a car design that went wrong. The rear fuel tank was prone to failure and explosions. This ended up being one of the costliest lawsuits in automotive history and there were many deaths behind it. The same thing happened when SUV models began to rise in popularity. Isuzu was at the center of controversy when their Trooper and Samurai SUV models were tipping over during average driving situations. Things like these catastrophes put a damper on the automotive industry. To help drivers avoid the same mistakes in the future, we looked at dangerous car features that somehow made the cut.

Photo Credit: Edmunds

The Pinto’s Rear Gas Tank

Perhaps the most notorious mistake that ever happened in the auto industry involved the Ford Pinto. When they designed the car, Ford incorporated a rear fuel tank that exploded upon impact. This flaw in the design was only found later on after the car was involved in dozens of situations where the tank exploded. The situation got to be so dire that Ford had to settle with thousands of drivers, costing the company millions (via Tort Law).

Photo Credit: Bring a Trailer

The flaw made the car susceptible to fires and explosions in the event of a rear-end collision. Tragically, some accidents resulted in injuries and even fatalities. The Pinto explosions sparked widespread concern about product safety and led to important changes in automotive safety standards. These incidents serve as a reminder of the importance of rigorous testing and design scrutiny to ensure the safety of consumers.

The post These Dangerous Car Features Somehow Made The Cut appeared first on Motor Junkie.

Past To Present: Extinct 1980s Features That Shaped Today’s Cars

The 1980s were a time of trial and tribulation in the auto industry. Technology was changing at a rapid pace but regulations were also coming down hard. Cars became lighter weight and the styles changed dramatically in the 1980s, and this was also the period that the minivan rose in popularity. There were cars like the DMC-12 that drew an entirely new generation of drivers to vehicle showrooms. The interesting thing about this decade was the fact that drivers were becoming more in tune with their vehicles. These extinct features disappeared but the technology continued to improve.

Things like electronic dashboards, paneling, and electronic seatbelts were just some of the things that defined the era. Cars like the original Nissan Maxima had interactive dashboards and interiors way before it was even a thing. This was a true decade of innovation for the automotive manufacturers and it’s a lot of the reason that we got the automotive industry that we have today. We looked back at some of the now-extinct features that shaped the modern auto industry we have today.

Photo Credit: Car Domain

Automatic Seatbelts

An automated car interior was always the dream of automotive enthusiasts. But the trouble was just finding the technology to do it. One of the first things that automakers decided to electrify was the seatbelt restraint system. The very first electronic seatbelt system was a very simple thing. It often got stuck in the track and drivers weren’t too fond of it, which is why it didn’t stick around past the latter part of the 1990s (via McCarthy Collison).

Photo Credit: Car Domain

But you’ll notice that a lot of modern cars are started to go back to having some sort of seatbelt reminder system. Modern safety features have been developed because of this failure. The seatbelt systems that we have today wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the innovations of the 1980s.

The post Past To Present: Extinct 1980s Features That Shaped Today’s Cars appeared first on Motor Junkie.

Surprising Facts About The Dukes Of Hazzard ‘General Lee’ Dodge Charger

‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ was a classic American sitcom that aired on CBS from January 26, 1979, to February 8, 1985. 147 episodes in total aired during the show’s run. It was one of the most popular shows on television during its height. The show followed the Duke boys and their sister Daisy Duke as they attempted to outrun a bumbling set of villains led by Boss Hogg. But perhaps the real star of the show wasn’t even a person at all. The show featured a wildly popular orange Dodge Charger called the “General Lee”.

The look of the car was so different that it resonated with an entire generation of baby boomers. The Due brothers’ hijinks made the show extremely popular. But anyone who watched the show knows it was the car that caught everyone’s attention. The orange Dodge Charger was a symbol of American culture at the time. The show ended up becoming an American classic and the car has maintained a special place in the hearts of automotive enthusiasts. We looked at the surprising facts that you might not know about the Dukes of Hazzard ‘General Lee’ right here. Enjoy looking back at a truly iconic vehicle below.

Photo Credit: Wallpaper Up

The Car Was Featured in 175 Episodes

The General Lee wasn’t just some fly-by-night TV car. Instead, it was featured in every episode of the show. The period was instrumental in the birth of the muscle car era, and young people were crazy about these cars. The Dukes of Hazzard is one of the few shows that has ever featured the same vehicle in every episode that was ever aired. There’s not a single episode of the show that didn’t feature the famed Dodge Charger. The great thing about the Charger was that it was a car young people loved during that era (via Esquire).

Photo Credit: Wallpaper Up

The car was an integral part of the success of the show, which is why there are still legions of fans today. The styling was so iconic that there was a remake of the series into a movie in 2005. There was everything to like about the Dukes of Hazzard and the franchise remains popular today. The TV show also helped to popularize the Charger itself. Many enthusiasts remember the Charger solely for its starring role on TV.

The post Surprising Facts About The Dukes Of Hazzard ‘General Lee’ Dodge Charger appeared first on Motor Junkie.

Classic Muscle Cars That Made Carroll Shelby A Legend

Many people in the car industry have been called legendary, but very few actually deserved that recognition. Carroll Shelby is one who does. He’s famous for his line of performance Mustangs and Le Mans-winning Ford GT40 cars. But also he is renowned for his chili products and humanitarian work. Shelby was one of those larger-than-life characters whose life looked like a screenplay for a Hollywood blockbuster. The 2019 movie “Ford vs. Ferrari” is a visualization of Shelby’s fight against Ferrari in Le Mans. Although Carroll Shelby died in April 2012, he still inspires people worldwide.

Shelby started his racing career in the early 50s and soon achieved worldwide success. He even won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959 in an Aston Martin. However, behind the triumph and fame, Shelby experienced immense pain. The pain was the result of his worsening heart problems. Shelby often raced under heavy medication. But, in 1960, after a few close calls, his doctors forbade him to race again. So Shelby’s professional career was over. As a retired racer, Carroll decided to fulfill his lifelong dream and built a sports car under his name. Here are the classic muscle cars that made him one of the biggest legends of the car industry.

Photo Credit: Auto Evolution

Scaglietti Corvette

Even before Shelby retired from racing and started building cars under his name, he became a part of a team that produced one of the most exclusive Corvettes Chevy ever made: the Scaglietti Corvette. If Scaglietti name sounds familiar, it is because they are an Italian coachbuilder responsible for some of the finest Ferraris of the ’50s and ’60s. They were an integral part of the Ferrari legend (via Supercars).

Photo Credit: Pinterest

So, Chevrolet wanted to honor the company by naming their four-seater coupe the 612 Scaglietti. However, it is less known that Scaglietti produced three Corvettes in 1959 for Texas millionaire and car enthusiast Gary Laughlin. Jim Hall and Carroll Shelby, both notable racing drivers and constructors from Texas, saw the potential in the 1959 Corvette’s engine and power. Although the Corvette had a light fiberglass body, two of the constructors wanted better aerodynamics. So, they contacted Scaglietti to design and produce a bespoke body on the 1959 Vette chassis. Scaglietti delivered three cars in different colors but with exquisite designs. They looked more like a Ferrari than a Corvette. There were plans to start regular production. But after careful consideration and cost projection, they abandoned those plans.

The post Classic Muscle Cars That Made Carroll Shelby A Legend appeared first on Motor Junkie.

Overhaulin’: The Best Cars Created By Star Designer Chip Foose

Well-known car artist and television star Chip Foose is one of the most notable custom car designers and fabricators around. He’s been in the public spotlight for over two decades, whether on the hit show “Overhaulin’” or at his garage. Foose has a fixation with hot rods and low-slung performance vehicles, so those are often what his fans see him design. Many of the creations that Foose has designed have fetched hundreds of thousands at auction.

Foose is extremely particular when it comes to designing a car and he does it completely by hand. From the wheels to the final design, a Chip Foose car is quite special. To celebrate this fact, we looked at some of the most prominent cars Foose has designed over the past decade. Foose also loves the Hemi V8 engine as well so a lot of the cars that he’s designed have this engine under the hood as a result. Check out the best cars that Foose has ever built right here, and prepare to be amazed.

Photo Credit: SEMA

Custom 1974 Jaguar E-Type

Foose is a renowned car designer and fabricator who has worked on many impressive custom car projects. One of his most remarkable achievements is his restoration and customization of a 1974 Jaguar E-Type. Foose’s modifications to the car are both subtle and significant, elevating the classic car’s style as a result. He retained the car’s original body and chassis while upgrading its suspension, brakes, and exhaust system to improve its handling and power (via Chip Foose).

Photo Credit: SEMA

He also gave the car a new metallic silver paint job and added a custom front grille, therefore giving the car a more aggressive and modern look. Inside, Foose installed new leather seats, custom gauges, and a state-of-the-art audio system, bringing the car’s interior to the 21st century. Foose’s custom 1974 Jaguar E-Type is a perfect blending of Jaguar style and Foose design thanks to all these enhancements.

The post Overhaulin’: The Best Cars Created By Star Designer Chip Foose appeared first on Motor Junkie.

Surprising Facts About The Legendary “Bullitt” Mustang

Even though the 1968 movie ‘Bullitt’ wasn’t a huge hit in terms of overall plot and acting, it still managed to become a legendary film when it came to cars. The nine-minute chase between the Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang and the black Dodge Charger R/T is regarded as one of the finest car chases ever put on film. It became a blueprint for so many directors after.

So the movie itself may not necessarily be relevant for modern car fans. But the chase scene is everlasting and well-known throughout the muscle car community as realistic, exciting, and memorable. However, the true story of the original car used in the film is even more exciting. We found the most surprising facts about the original Bullitt Mustang. Find out if you know everything about the legend surrounding this classic Mustang right here.

Photo Credit: Pinterest

There Were Actually Two Bullitt Mustangs

Warner Brothers purchased two identical Highland Green 1968 Mustang GT Fastbacks for production purposes. Both models had 390 V8 engines and four-speed manual transmissions. The first car was for jumps and action scenes and finished shooting in terrible condition. The second one was the hero car. That meant it was used for close-ups, promotional purposes, and driving scenes. After the movie wrapped, both cars were sold. One was apparently sold for scrap. The other was sold to an employee of the studio who used it as his daily driver (via Ford Authority).

Photo Credit: Ford

Recently, there was news of the first Bullitt Mustang resurfacing in Mexico. Most Mustang fans are reserved since the authenticity has yet to be confirmed. Records show that the first movie car was destroyed. This could be the case of VIN swapping, but information is scarce.

The post Surprising Facts About The Legendary “Bullitt” Mustang appeared first on Motor Junkie.

Joe Rogan’s Car Collection Will Make True Auto Fans Drool

To his legions of obsessed fans, Joe Rogan’s career means a lot. Rogan is a popular comedian, podcaster, TV personality, YouTube star – you name it. Known for his controversial stands on popular topics, strange guests, and politics, Rogan has millions of fans all over the world. However, many of his fans probably don’t know that he is also a passionate car collector.

While many of his views might not be for everyone, his car collection is definitely for every auto fan. Over the years, Rogan has had many vehicles, They range from expensive exotics to custom-built machines. Today, we looked at all of the best cars in Joe Rogan’s collection and they will make true car lovers drool. Check them out right here.

Photo Credit: YouTube

1965 Corvette Stingray

The Corvette Stingray mostly stayed the same in appearance during its run on the market. Its split window setup died in 1964. In 1965, four-wheel disc brakes became standard. In 1966, for the first time, big block power was available for performance-craving Corvette fans. Rogan took the C2 Corvette not only because of the availability of significant big block engines but also because of subtle design improvements (via YouTube).

Photo Credit: Pinterest

He created a one-off, custom example based on a 1965 Corvette convertible. Under the hood is the LS1 V8 engine with a supercharger and well over 400 hp. The body is slightly modified, but custom chassis, suspension, and brakes are under it. The company behind this project is Pure Vision, a well-known custom car outfit. Rogan appeared on the hit car show ‘Jay Leno’s Garage’ with his own Stingray and it was electric.

The post Joe Rogan’s Car Collection Will Make True Auto Fans Drool appeared first on Motor Junkie.