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What is it about Friday the 13th that makes people cringe? After all, it’s just another day on the calendar. But that hasn’t stopped modern culture from making the date something to be superstitious about. But what does this have to do with cars? Well, as it turns out, there are a few vehicles that have shared the lack of luck associated with Friday the 13th in their day, according to Automobile Magazine. While these vehicles have no real ties to Friday the 13th, their bad luck has earned them a spot on Automobile Magazine’s list of “Top 13 Unluckiest Cars.”
Among the vehicles listed are Dodge, Pontiac, Chevrolet and Cadillac models. There are also some Japanese imports and a supercar on the list, but our domestic friends make up half of the vehicles.
For Dodge, the unluckiest vehicle is the Ram SRT-10 pickup truck. Ask any truck guy what an SRT-10 is, and chances are they won’t have a clue. Originally preview in 1996 as the Dodge Ram VTS concept, the SRT-10 didn’t make its market debut until 2004.
Whether it was bad timing or just a lack of planning, the SRT-10 wasn’t released until after the Ford SVT Lightning and Chevy Silverado SS had impressed consumers, making the Dodge look only like an afterthought. Sure, it was powered by the same engine that backed the Dodge Viper at the time, but the truck wasn’t very popular and was retired from the Dodge lineup in 2006. Only about 10,000 were produced.
The remaining five domestics on the list are all of the General Motors variety. Both the Chevy Volt and the LS1 Camaro made it onto the list, with the Volt securing its spot over repeated public lashings, its high-profile battery fire and slow sales. The Camaro made the list based on bad sales numbers compared to Mustangs at the time, despite “muscle” being returned to the model.
The Pontiac G8, 2004-2009 Cadillac SRX and Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon round out the domestics on the list.
Both the G8 and the Roadmaster Wagon got put on the list due to bad timing, while the SRX secured its position for being the oddity in the crossover market.
It’s sad that so many domestics are considered some of the unluckiest cars around, but it’s just a sign of the times. Growing expectations, trends and technology demands can prove to be disastrous to some vehicle models but that means more room for bigger and better things.
Now we know that there are plenty more vehicles that could’ve made the top unluckiest cars list, so what vehicle would you consider lacking in good fortune?
