Not-So-Nice Italian Cars
Italy is known for a few things - pasta, passion, and, of course, Ferrari’s. But not every car to roll off the Italian production line was a masterpiece, and some were even called mediocre at best. Interested to know which cars made the cut? Read on as we reveal the worst Italian cars ever made.
Fiat Multipla
The Fiat Multipla looked a bit like it had been designed by two different people who never met during the design process. The top half screamed spaceship, while the sad bottom half looked like a minivan. It’s safe to say that this practical car turned heads for all the wrong reasons.
1972 Lancia Beta
The Lancia Beta first made its appearance in 1972, and it was stylish and promising. But it quickly started rusting faster than an abandoned bike in the rain. Some models reportedly started rusting while sitting in showrooms. Scandalous!
1983 Alfa Romeo Arna
The Arna was what happened when Alfa Romeo decided to team up with Nissan in 1983. It combined the blandness of a Nissan with the unreliability of an Alfa - a true lose-lose situation for an Italian car. It was meant to offer the best of both worlds but ultimately ended up offering the worst.
1985 Yugo GV
The Yugo GV might have been Yugoslavian, but it was based on Fiat designs. It became infamous for falling apart when you even looked at it. Cheap? Yup! Cheerful? Not a chance. Even new, this car felt like it belonged in the junkyard.
1978 Fiat Ritmo (Strada)
The Ritmo had a weird, robot-assembled marketing approach and incredibly awkward looks that tried too hard to be both futuristic and funky. Sadly, it was neither, and it had flimsy parts and poor handling. Most owners were left with more trips to the repair shop than anywhere else.
Autobianchi A112 Abarth
The Autobianchi A112 Abarth tried so hard to be a hot hatch - a small family car. Sure, it was fast and fun in short bursts, but it was also unreliable, rattly, and prone to rust. You never quite knew if it would make it to the store or strand you there.
1974 Innocenti Mini
Italy took the classic British Mini and added quite a few layers of awkwardness when it made the Innocenti Mini. It looked a bit sharper, but not even design changes made up for its poor quality and endless mechanical issues. For many drivers, it felt more like a project than a car.
1974 Fiat 131
The Fiat 131 has been described as nothing more than a boxy, boring sedan, which is not what you’d expect from one of the more Italian carmakers. While the rally versions of the 131 were incredibly cool, the everyday model was fraught with electrical issues and a cheap interior that aged badly.
1985 Lancia Y10
The Lancia Y10 attempted to be a luxury car but ultimately fell short, offering cramped quarters, underpowered performance, and a rather unusual styling. It featured Alcantara seats and fancy trim, but the ride was anything but smooth, thanks to the weak engine. It tried so hard to be posh.
1984 Alfa Romeo 90
It’s quite easy to say that the Alfa Romeo 90 was about as exciting as going to the library on a Sunday, what with its strange little design quirks. One of these was a pop-out briefcase in the dashboard. Useful if you were a traveling salesman but quite useless if it was used as a family car.
1967 Iso Rivolta Fidia
The Fidia was nicknamed “the fastest four-seater in the world” when it was released in 1967. But nothing could save its reputation for being clunky, poorly built, and overpriced. Even John Lennon owned one, and he hated it, too. Not a good endorsement, right?
1985 Fiat Duna
The Fiat Duna was one of those cars that was so bland it made beige look wild. It was built mainly for practicality but completely devoid of soul. It was ultimately a sedan version of the Fiat Uno that nobody asked for and was cheap in every sense of the word.
1986 Lamborghini LM002
A V12-powered SUV sounds amazing, right? Well, this was not the case with the 1986 Lamborghini LM002. It was heavy, awkward, and guzzled fuel like there was no tomorrow, earning it the nickname “Rambo Lambo.” It might have looked tough, but that’s about it.
1980 Ferrari Mondial
The Mondial is one of those Ferrari’s that fans would rather pretend never existed, and many called it the “least loved Ferrari.” It had a mid-engine layout and was meant to be family-friendly, but it was nothing but slow, heavy, and oddly shaped. We’ll pass on the Mondial, thanks!
1985 Fiat Croma
The Fiat Croma was built on a shared platform with other uninspiring cars but looked as bland as its name suggests. It was supposed to be Fiat’s big family car, but it felt incredibly cheap, drove like a bus, and didn’t age gracefully.
1989 Lancia Dedra
The Dedra was Lancia’s latest attempt at a premium compact car that just never quite landed on any “must-have” lists. It was completely forgettable in every way - styling, performance, and reliability. The Dedra promised luxury but delivered nothing more than inconvenience.
1981 Maserati Biturbo
Maserati’s Biturbo is hands down one of the most infamous examples of a great name with terrible execution as a car. The Biturbo suffered from constant breakdowns, experienced turbo lag, and had numerous electrical faults, among other issues.
2012 Fiat 500L
The 2012 version of the ever-popular Fiat 500L came with a few surprising changes. It was awkwardly tall and clunky to drive, taking everything people loved about the original and overstuffing it. For many owners, the 2012 Fiat 500L was a stylish car with a dad bod - and not everyone likes those.
2001 Lancia Thesis
The Lancia Thesis looked more like a concept car that accidentally made it onto the production line. It had an oddball design and really questionable reliability that made sure it stayed rare. The Thesis was only around for about eight years, and, in our opinion, that’s eight years too many.
1992 Alfa Romeo 155
The 155 marked Alfa’s shift to front-wheel drive, but it lost so much of its sporty charm in the process. Sadly, the car looked like a box—and drove like one, too. Alfa tried to make it right with the touring car version, but nothing could save the 155’s reputation.
1972 Fiat X1/9
Would you drive a little wedge-shaped sports car? We wouldn’t either, and this is just one of the reasons the Fiat X1/9 failed miserably. Add on poor rust protection and fragile mechanics, and most of these cars just didn’t survive.
1994 Lancia Kappa
The Lancia Kappa is yet another failed Italian car designed to be a big executive sedan. And this car just didn’t inspire any excitement. It was safe and sensible, but that’s not what people wanted from the Italian carmaker.
1974 Zagato Zele
The Zagato Zele was so incredibly unique in its day and was designed as an early electric car. This was cool in theory, but with a top speed of only around 25 mph and a body that looked a bit squashed, the Zagato Zele was incredibly hard to love.
1983 Fiat Regata
The Fiat Regata was released in 1983 and was one of those forgettable sedans that tried to be everything to everyone while ending up being nothing to anyone. It rusted easily, handled poorly, and didn’t look like much. We think it’s safe to say it didn’t stick around for too long.
1972 Alfa Romeo Alfetta
For an Alfa, the 1972 Alfetta had good engineering bones. But poor quality control quickly ruined it, and the car quickly became synonymous with having problems. From broken gearboxes to failing electronics, the car just couldn’t stay out of the mechanic shop long enough.
1972 De Tomaso Longchamp
The De Tomaso Longchamp had Ford V8 power but looked and felt clunky. It had none of the grace of an Italian sports car nor the brawn of a muscle car. It just felt… confused, and no one liked it for its questionable build quality.
1992 Maserati Ghibli
The early ‘90s Maserati shouldn’t be confused with the newer version, and was pretty rough around the edges. It had a twin-turbo engine, but the reliability was a bit of a joke. This version was incredibly expensive to keep on the road when you needed it most.
1994 Lancia Zeta
Ah, the Lancia Zeta - a minivan that looked like it had given up before it even started its journey. Sure, it was roomy, but it was also ugly, slow, and had no exciting features that made it stand out from the rest. Nobody dreamed of driving a Zeta.
2003 Fiat Idea
Sometimes, an idea is not always a good one. And that’s the case with the 2003 Fiat Idea - a mini-MPV as bland as they come. Most drivers thought it was more of a mistake with its uninspiring design and average performance, and many wished they’d bought something else instead.
1979 Ferrari 400i
The 400i was the first Ferrari available with an automatic transmission. Ferrari fans thought this to be heresy, but that was not all that was wrong with it. It was heavy, slow, and considered to be more of a cruiser than a sports car. Not what you’d expect from a Ferrari, right?
1990 Fiat Panda
The Fiat Panda was, and still is, one of the cheapest cars you can own. But it’s also noisy, has no power, and is about as comfortable as a folding lawn chair. In reality, it’s great for those tiny Italian streets but terrible for anything else.
2012 Lancia Flavia
The Lancia Flavia was nothing more than a rebadged Chrysler 200. Everyone quickly saw through this car's disguise and moved on to the next car on the lot. It lacked that traditional Italian flair.
1998 Alfa Romeo 166
What was meant to be a luxury sedan quickly missed the mark when Alfa rolled out the 166 in 1998. It had odd styling, confusing electronics, and lackluster sales figures. This was a classic example of trying too hard and still falling short.
1996 Fiat Marea
The Marea was Fiat’s 1996 offering and looked like a simple rental car, drove like one, and felt like one you couldn’t wait to return. It was Fiat’s attempt at a grown-up sedan, but it ended up being duller than dry, burnt toast.
2001 Fiat Stilo
Fiat tried hard to compete with the Volkswagen Golf when it released the Stilo in 2001. And, not surprisingly, it fell flat. The Stilo was far too complicated and was underwhelming, to say the least. No one misses it—not even Fiat.
