Great Motoring Disasters Archives

Great Motoring Disasters: Lotus Europa S

Retro Motor team - October 18, 20220

Lotus only made 458 examples of the Elise-based Europa during its four years on sale. Where did it all go wrong?

Great Motoring Disasters: MG Rover CityRover

Richard Bremner - December 10, 20222

The woeful CityRover was a desperate attempt to keep MG Rover afloat. But it was lambasted on Top Gear and rejected by the British public.

Great Motoring Disasters

Great Motoring Disasters: MG XPower SV

Retro Motor team - September 7, 20220

We remember the bizarre 'affordable' MG XPower SV supercar. Only around 80 were produced before MG Rover went bust.

Great Motoring Disasters

Great Motoring Disasters: NSU Ro80

Retro Motor team - November 25, 20224

Modern Audis owe much to the 1967 NSU Ro80. The elegant saloon was ahead of its time, but its radical rotary engine proved to be its downfall.

Great Motoring Disasters

Great Motoring Disasters: Renault Wind

Retro Motor team - March 2, 20220

The Wind was a curious cabriolet that somehow survived when Renault streamlined its line-up in 2012. Don't tell anyone, but we quite like it.

Great Motoring Disasters

Great Motoring Disasters: Rover 75

Retro Motor team - February 6, 20230

The Rover 75 deserved better: a handsome and competitive car that was sabotaged by politics and poor management. We tell its story.

Great Motoring Disasters

Great Motoring Disasters: Saab

Retro Motor team - January 10, 20232

Swedish carmaker Saab began a long, slow decline after it was bought by General Motors in 1989. We reveal how it all went so wrong.

Great Motoring Disasters

Great Motoring Disasters: Seat Toledo Mk3

Retro Motor team - May 16, 20231

The third-generation Seat Toledo completely failed to match the success of its predecessors. So what exactly went wrong?

Great Motoring Disasters

Great Motoring Disasters: Sinclair C5

Richard Bremner - December 14, 20210

Sir Clive Sinclair's revolutionary vehicle for the masses wasn't quite the success its maker hoped for. We tell the story of the Sinclair C5.

Great Motoring Disasters

Great Motoring Disasters: Suzuki SJ

Retro Motor team - March 20, 20234

The Suzuki SJ was an affordable, capable and surprisingly fashionable little 4x4. Unfortunately, it had a tendency to topple over...

Great Motoring Disasters

Great Motoring Disasters: Triumph TR7

Retro Motor team - April 18, 20234

Designed with America in mind, the wedge-shaped Triumph TR7 was hobbled by poor build quality and industrial strife. We tell its story.

Great Motoring Disasters

Great Motoring Disasters: trying to replace the Volkswagen Beetle

Retro Motor team - January 30, 20232

Volkswagen spent many years and vast quantities of Deutschmarks trying to replace the Beetle. We travel the rocky road that led to the Golf.