PickupTruck.com's Top 5 Ugliest Concept Trucks
By: PickupTrucks.com Staff Posted: 07-15-08 00:01 PT
© 2008 PickupTrucks.com

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Concept vehicles are meant to inspire and provoke the imagination with original design and functionality not found in current cars and trucks. Much of the time they are marvelous-looking, leaving those who see them with a “gotta have it” feeling, but some fall short of expectations, inspiring little reaction or even disappointment. A select few can even spark fear in small children and animals. You may want to cover your eyes and hide your offspring: We’re about to reveal the Top 5 Ugliest Concept Trucks.



5	2001 Chevrolet Borrego: The Chevrolet Borrego concept debuted in 2001 with a face only a committee could love. A two-seater with a small bed, its cab could be reconfigured to add two more seats by eating up most of the space in the cargo box -- like a new-age Subaru Brat, only uglier. It even had a Subaru powertrain. The exterior looked like it had been sculpted by two different designers -- one who liked angular surfaces and one who liked organic -- whose only commonality was that they both liked M.C. Escher. The taillights were cribbed from a 2000 Chevy Impala, so you couldn't get a break even when it was driving away from you.



4	2000 Dodge MAXXcab: After it showed off the mighty Dodge Power Wagon concept in 1999, it was OK to wonder if Chrysler (then DaimlerChrysler) had used up its designers’ testosterone when the Dodge MaxxCab concept appeared the following year. Chrysler said the MaxxCab was inspired by its soccer-mom-loved minivans, with boxy styling and abbreviated cargo space in the bed. If it had been well-received, the MaxxCab would have set the tone for a new line of vehicles. It wasn’t and it didn’t (sigh of relief).



3	1995 Nissan XIX: Don't blame us if you get eye cancer. We warned you. The Nissan XIX (pronounced ”kicks”) was first shown at the 1995 Tokyo Motor Show. Its crew cab configuration was way ahead of the curve, while the rest of the truck was boxy and boring. Its underbody was based on the Nissan Sunny compact car, which was sold in the U.S. as the Sentra. A Sentra-based square pickup? No thanks.



2	2000 Rinspeed Tatooo: All future truck designers should be forced to study the Rinspeed Tatooo, a concept so bad even its name was spelled wrong (on purpose). The Tatooo was built by the famous Swiss design studio for the 2000 Geneva auto show. It was based on the Chevrolet S-10, with styling inspired by 1950s American hot rods. In the back it carried a motorized submarine scooter that could be used up to 30 feet under water, called BOB (for breathing observation bubble). BOB would have been perfect for visiting the Tatooo, if someone had dumped it in the East River.



1	2001 Nissan Nails: Nissan makes our list a second time with a concept that must never be repeated or forgotten. The Nissan Nails’ only redeeming trait was an innovative low load floor positioned between the rear wheels to easily load cargo, like dirt bikes. In a press release, it was inexplicably described as "a tool for communicating with friends rather than a means of transportation." It would have been surprising you had any to communicate with if you showed up driving the Nails.