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4 April 2018

Bad sequels: five remakes that flopped

By Mitchell TulkMitchell Tulk
Japanese body and Italian mechanics... What could go wrong?

Movies aren’t the only things to have dud sequels.

Much like moviemakers who try to create a part-two of their first smash hit, some car brands do the same thing but aren’t always successful.

1. AU Ford Falcon

Insert AU Falcon joke here. Insert AU Falcon joke here.

Replacing the EL Falcon, the AU was a far cry from its successful predecessor, and reflected Ford’s "New Edge" global design language.

People hated the Falcon’s styling and preferred the VT Commodore that dominated in the showrooms and on the race track.

The program cost Ford $700 million. That's a lot of money to create a meme...

2. Holden Camira

A rare picture of a Camria without rust. A rare picture of a Camria without rust.

The Torana was one of Holden’s most desirable cars, and is well remembered for its performance on the race track.

Its successor, the Camira was never a touring car and was only ever offered with four-cylinder engines.

The Camira is remembered for rusting, cracking firewalls, warping cylinder heads and a number of other problems.

3. Ford Mustang MkII

Can a Mustang be a muscle car if it shares the same platform as a Pinto? Can a Mustang be a muscle car if it shares the same platform as a Pinto?

The Mustang II was a very different car to Ford’s original pony car.

Using the same underpinnings as the Pinto, the Mustang MkII came with either a 2.3-litre four-cylinder or 2.8-litre V6. In 1975, these engines were joined by a 302cid V8 which produced an underwhelming 104kW.

 The MkII was released into the storm that was the early 1970s oil crisis, so Americans began to downsize their cars which helped Mustang sales, but today this generation is often looked down on.

4. Toyota Celica fifth gen

So sleek but not so sporty. So sleek but not so sporty.

When the Toyota Celica switched from rear-wheel drive to front-wheel drive, many contemporary reviews noted the sports car hadn't lost any of its fun factor.

However, with the introduction of the fifth generation, the Celica became softer and heavier, dulling the car’s performance (excluding the GT-Four).

Styling was a standout for the time but by then the Celica wasn’t much more than a two-door Camry.

5. Alfa Romeo Arna

And you thought Italians were stylish? And you thought Italians were stylish?

A team up between Alfa Romeo and Nissan, the Arna used the body of a Pulsar and Italian mechanicals.

This resulted in major quality issues for the Arna (like a lot of Alfas) which was also known for poor handling. While you'll find a following for the Alfasud, there is no love for the Arna.

It was sold across Europe, and there aren't many left. For example, according to the British website, How many left, there are only two Arnas currently registered in England.

What other bad sequels can you think of? Let us know in the comments.