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The "pimpin'" Lincoln Continental Mark V is the king of the gas-guzzler's graveyard.
Which Gas Guzzler is the Worst? Vote for These and More!<
İMatthew Brown
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Along the long road to profitability, the General Motors Company has discovered that it must cut weight to keep pace. The latest chaff to get the axe is the much-maligned Hummer brand. Once the flagship of gas-guzzling excess, the brand has fallen out of favor in recent years—selling only 9,000 vehicles in 2009.
WATCH VIDEO: Top 5 Gas Guzzling Dinosaurs
With no one jumping to purchase the failed brand, it looks like the Hummer is set to join a long line of other gas-guzzling dinosaurs forever entombed in the fossil-fuel record.
From classic muscle cars to European racers, luxury sedans to misguided hybrids, the story of engineered excess is long and layered—and some of the worst offenders may surprise you.
View & Vote: The Coolest Green Cars from the 2010 Detroit Auto Show
Have a look at the five most infamous fuel-gulping terrors to ever stalk the planet, then vote for the worst in our View & Vote.
1. GM Hummer
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China's Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines company had expressed interest in acquiring the Hummer brand but, with the Chinese government placing increasing pressure on manufacturers to produce efficient cars to reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil, the company ultimately chose to pass.
Though no specific timetable was provided for the retirement of the brand, spokespeople said that it would be dismantled over the next several months, as long as no additional offers were made.
Barring such unlikely investments, the time has come for this fossil to rest in peace.
2. AMC Javelin
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The Javelin was a classic "pony car," driven by a large V8 engine. In many ways, a pony car by definition is a gas guzzler. As Wired explains:
The pony car is easy to define. It was small by Detroit standards, with sporty styling. It had a back seat for your kids and a usable trunk for your stuff. And the rear wheels were driven by an engine—ideally a big V-8—mounted up front where God and Henry Ford intended.
The Javelin was no exception: From 1968 until its demise in 1975, the car featured an ever-increasing overpowered engine that achieved an average of 15 miles-per-gallon.
3. Buick Electra
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It was never a secret that this full-sized sedan, built by GM's Buick brand, had an endless thirst for fuel. In 1974, Popular Science ranked it among the worst gas guzzlers of the year.
Even after reducing the power of the car's V8 engine in an attempt to comply with new California emissions standards passed that year, the Electra still only managed to achieve an average of 9.5 miles-per-gallon.
The planet breathed a sigh of relief when this behemoth was retired in 1990.
4. Chrysler Aspen Hybrid
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That's right, even a hybrid can find a home on a list of gas guzzlers. In an attempt to make this huge SUV more palatable to consumers facing price-shock at the gas pumps, Chrysler added a hybrid system to the vehicle's HEMI V8 engine.
The addition improved the Aspen's efficiency by 40 percent, but the monster still only managed an average of 20 miles-per-gallon.
It was an ill-conceived plan that didn't catch on. The Aspen Hybrid lasted less than a year before Chrysler pulled the plug.
5. Lincoln Continental Mark V
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| İMatthew Brown |
To this day, the Mark V—affectionately known as the "pimp mobile" by some—holds the record for the worst fuel efficiency of any car tested. Ford only produced these large luxury sedans from 1977 to 1979 and during that time, the best the car was able to achieve was seven miles-per-gallon—and only 3.5 mpg under full acceleration.
At today's average prices it would cost nearly $20 to drive the Mark V for a slow mile. Looks like Big Daddy Kane was right: Pimpin' ain't easy.
Which Gas Guzzler is the Worst? Vote for These and More!
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Read more about the Hummer:
China to Hummers: Keep Out
G Word Video: Hummin' Hummer
Rust in Peace: GM Most Likely to Shut Down Hummer Division For Good
Read more about cars—green and otherwise:
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Cut Back on Gas Without Parting With Your SUV
Can't Afford a Hybrid?: Reduce Your Carbon Emissions with these Cheaper, Better Investments
Would You Run Over a Rush Limbaugh Cutout with a SUV?
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İMatthew Brown
