All about cars and driving

The American dream has always included owning the biggest, fastest and most glitzy car available; that is until the gas crisis of the late 1970s hit the nation hard. With gasoline rising over $1.00 a gallon for the first time and rationing in place the American manufacturers scrambled to produce more economical cars. Many of the cars that were produced would be laughable; except that they proved to be inherently dangerous or so shoddily designed and built that they fell apart within a few months. American manufacturers are still struggling to build a competitive small and economical car. A look at some of the past failures, as time has passed by, is almost comical today.

General Motors
From 1970 through 1977 Chevrolet produced the Vega. The import fighter from Chevrolet was truly a remarkable design with innovative features. Available as a hatchback, coupe and wagon the Vega featured an all aluminum engine block design. The small four cylinder was able to produce good horsepower and return great fuel economy. Problems with the engine block warping from high temperatures doomed the Vega and poor craftsmanship and metal on the bodies resulted in a rusty heap in no time.
The Chevette was Chevy’s second attempt at a compact import fighter. Introduced in 1976 the Chevette was a hatchback wagon concept that was designed to replace the failed Vega. The Chevette continued the rear wheel drive platform of previous American offerings and was powered by a four cylinder engine. The Chevette continued to be manufactured through 1986 although it never reached the sales numbers it did in 1979 when it was the bestselling car in the United States. Build problems, rust through issues and other shoddy materials doomed the Chevette. The diesel that was introduced in 1981 added to the bad reputation the Chevette earned during its lifetime.

Ford

The Ford Pinto was the answer to import sales and the Vega and Chevette from General Motors. The Pinto was built for nine years between 1971 and 1980. As was typical of many cars of this era the body suffered severe rust through issues that created customer dissatisfaction. The largest issue with the Pinto though was the exploding gas tanks. Due to bad placement and poor structural protection Pintos were prone to exploding when struck from the rear in an accident. Lee Iacocca, Ford’s General Manager at the time, rushed the vehicle into production despite warnings that the gas tank was unsafe. When Ford was forced to recall the cars in 1978 it was the end of the Pinto and closely related Mercury Bobcat models.

The American car industry still has problems producing economical cars today and finds most of its compacts imported from manufacturing subsidiaries in Europe.