Disjointed lines and bad proportions don't stop us from loving these rough-on-the-eyes cars.

1. Volkswagen THING

Okay, so The Thing had another name, too: the Volkswagen Type 181. (Not as fun as calling it The Thing, though.) It was a four-door soft-top that looked like a VW Beetle that had been designed using only a ruler. It went on sale in the U.S. in 1972 and stayed on the market until 1975, though it was sold in global markets from 1968 until 1983. Can you say you're surprised?


2. CHRYSLER CORDOBA


Chrysler took the meaning of "personal luxury car" pretty literally when it designed the Cordoba. Hemmings described the absurdly long 215.3-inch body as "barge-like." To put that in perspective, that's longer than the current GMC Yukon SUV. However, as large as the Cordoba was, it still only sat four passengers.


3. AMC PACER


The Pacer was full of odd quirks, like a pudgy stance and a passenger door that was hilariously larger than the driver's door. It was the goober of 1970s hatchbacks, and that's exactly why it's cool.


4. PINTO CRUISING WAGON


Oh, man. Imagine rolling up to pick up your prom date in a Pinto CW. It had the bubble rear windows and the bold paint schemes of 70s van-madness, making this more like a small conversion van, not a shooting brake. Most CWs came with a 2.3-liter four-cylinder engines, though some had the 2.8-liter V6.


5. AMC MATADOR


To start, the AMC Matador didn't hit it off too well in Spanish-speaking markets: the word "Matador" was taken to mean "killer"—a rather aggressive name. The block-like styling didn't impress customers, either. NASCAR drivers of the day said it drove like a brick.


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