Dishonorable Mention: The 10 Most Embarrassing Award Winners in Automotive History – Feature/Best/Worst Lists/High Performance/Hot Lists/Reviews/Car and Driver – Car And Driver
Shared by NoyzSource
I owned a 1980 Chevy Citation and can attest to everything said in the article.
1980 Chevrolet Citation: Motor Trend Car of the Year
When GM’s front-drive compact X-cars–the Chevrolet Citation, Buick Skylark, Oldsmobile Omega, and Pontiac Phoenix—went into production in April 1979, everything seemed foolproof. The X-car was front-drive, the two available engines were old-school pushrod designs, and the interior was Detroit chic with flat seats and plastic door panels. At the time, it seemed like a breakthrough—finally, an American-made Honda Accord.
Things started going terribly wrong as soon as the X-car got into the hands of consumers. While staring down 60-month payment books, Citation owners were having trim bits fall off in their hands, hearing their transmissions groan and seize, and finding that if they listened closely enough they could hear their cars rust. At times it seemed the suspension in some X-cars wasn’t even bolted in correctly, as the ride motions grew funkier and funkier while the steering developed an oceanic on-center dead spot.
As GM’s first front-drive compacts, the X-cars were significant vehicles: They slaughtered GM’s reputation for a whole generation.
This is not an original post by Eric and may not contain all the text. Click here for the full article.