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The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History
Six months after its American introduction in 1985, the Yugo was a punch line; within a year, it was a staple of late-night comedy. By 2000, NPR’s Car Talk declared it “the worst car of the millennium.” And for most Americans that’s where the story begins and ends. Hardly. The short, unhappy life of the car, the men who built it, the men who imported it, and the decade that embraced and discarded it is rollicking and astounding, and one of the greatest untold business-cum-morality tales of the 1980s. Mix one rabid entrepreneur, several thousand “good” communists, a willing U.S. State Department, the shortsighted Detroit auto industry, and improvident bankers, shake vigorously, and you’ve got The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History.
Brilliantly re-creating the amazing confluence of events that produced the Yugo, Yugoslav expert Jason Vuic uproariously tells the story of the car that became an international joke: The American CEO who happens upon a Yugo right when his company needs to find a new import or go under. A State Department eager to aid Yugoslavia’s nonaligned communist government. Zastava Automobiles, which overhauls its factory to produce an American-ready Yugo in six months. And a hole left by Detroit in the cheap subcompact market that creates a race to the bottom that leaves the Yugo . . . at the bottom.
262 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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541 people want to read
About the author
Jason Vuic
12 books10 followersSpecialist in the history of former Yugoslavia and in 1997-98 was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia.
He has published articles and op-eds in the South Slav Journal, Serbian Studies, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the Indianapolis Star. His next project is a book-length history of the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics.
He has published articles and op-eds in the South Slav Journal, Serbian Studies, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the Indianapolis Star. His next project is a book-length history of the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
November 14, 2025
7 stars:
5 for the book, and 2 more for Jason Vuic himself
How do you make a Yugo go from 0 to 60 in less than 15 seconds?
Push it off a cliff.
Nobody has sympathy for the Yugo. Junkyards won’t take them. Dogs never chased them. No Yugo was reported stolen, because no owner wanted it back.
But was the Yugo that bad? Why was the Yugo so reviled?
In 2000, listeners of the popular National Public Radio program Car Talk voted the Yugo “the Worst Car of the Millennium.” According to Yahoo! Answers it is “the worst car ever sold in the U.S.” In 2008, readers of the AAA magazine Via ranked the Yugo the worst car ever and a 2007 Hagerty Insurance poll declared the Yugo the second ugliest car in history. It was second in Richard Porter’s book Crap Cars and was named by Time.com and Forbes.com as one of the worst cars of all time. The Yugo appears in Eric Peters’s book Automotive Atrocities, in Craig Cheetham’s book The World’s Worst Cars, and in Giles Chapman’s book The Worst Cars Ever Sold.
Comedians use the Yugo for their jokes. Singers sing songs about it. Writers parody the car in books.
But what do we know about the Yugo? Who imported it? Who made it? And why? One would think that such an iconic automobile would have a story behind it, a tale, but what most Americans know are the jokes: How do you make a Yugo go faster? Use a tow truck. How do you double the value of your Yugo? Fill the gas tank. What’s included in every Yugo owner’s manual? A bus schedule. Why is a Yugo like a Bic lighter? You use it until it runs out of gas, then throw it away.
But what Americans don’t know, for instance, is that it was the fastest selling first-year European import in U.S. history. Or that when the Yugo went on sale in America, there were lines at some dealerships ten deep. Or that Yugo dealers once sold 1,050 cars in a single day.
So was the Yugo that bad? Yes . . . by almost any measure. It was cheap, poorly built, somewhat unsafe in a crash, prone to breakdowns, and dirty emissions-wise, and for such a small automobile its gas mileage was poor.
But was it the worst car in history? No. Any ranking is subjective, but as a rule if an automobile passes U.S. safety and emissions tests it is a relatively decent car. Not necessarily a good car or a reliable car, but one that has met certain basic, presale standards that are among the toughest in the world.
For my vote, the worst car ever sold in America was the Subaru 360, a car so light it was exempt from federal safety regulations and was considered a covered motorcycle. It had forward opening “suicide doors,” burned a quart of outboard motor oil every 260 miles, and had front and rear bumpers that were several inches lower than those of any car on the road.
What the Yugo was was a dated automobile, even in 1985. The car was based on the Fiat 127 and the Fiat 128, both utilitarian subcompacts conceived in the 1960s. Thus, the Yugo was incredibly spartan: the original GV model came only with a stick shift. It had no radio, no air-conditioning, no air bags, and no tachometer; its windows were hand cranked, of course, and it lacked even a glove compartment.
But the Yugo was cheap. At $3,990, it was the least expensive new car in America. (With dealer
financing, a new Yugo cost just $99 a month). It was pitched as a generic people’s car; a new Volkswagen; in the words of the man principally behind its introduction to America, Malcolm Bricklin, “a nineteen-cent hamburger with meat.” In the fall of 1985, people flocked to buy it. Hundreds bought Yugos sight unseen. Though a dull little car built in communist Yugoslavia, the Yugo was a hit—no, a mania, something the Associated Press called a “Yugomania.”
The Yugo story is in this book. It is the sad, sometimes funny, and altogether fascinating tale of how the Yugo was brought to the United States.
Although the Yugo became a pop culture punchline, Vuic demonstrates that it genuinely had a chance at success. He documents the jokes surrounding the car but uses them to highlight its cultural perception—an aspect he contends ultimately overshadowed the business factors behind its downfall.
Jason Vuic’s writing is engaging, witty, and highly accessible. He blends meticulous historical research with a lively narrative style that avoids the dryness often found in academic texts. Despite his background as a professor of modern European history, Vuic crafts a compelling story with a clear narrative arc, emphasizing the individuals and the “amazing confluence of events” that shaped the Yugo’s trajectory.
The book is thoroughly researched and supported by extensive annotations, yet the factual foundation never detracts from the storytelling. Vuic skillfully integrates insights from car reviewers, journalists, and historical records into a cohesive and entertaining account.
For those interested in car history or the legacy of the Eastern Bloc, The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History will fascinate you.
5 for the book, and 2 more for Jason Vuic himself
How do you make a Yugo go from 0 to 60 in less than 15 seconds?
Push it off a cliff.
Nobody has sympathy for the Yugo. Junkyards won’t take them. Dogs never chased them. No Yugo was reported stolen, because no owner wanted it back.
But was the Yugo that bad? Why was the Yugo so reviled?
In 2000, listeners of the popular National Public Radio program Car Talk voted the Yugo “the Worst Car of the Millennium.” According to Yahoo! Answers it is “the worst car ever sold in the U.S.” In 2008, readers of the AAA magazine Via ranked the Yugo the worst car ever and a 2007 Hagerty Insurance poll declared the Yugo the second ugliest car in history. It was second in Richard Porter’s book Crap Cars and was named by Time.com and Forbes.com as one of the worst cars of all time. The Yugo appears in Eric Peters’s book Automotive Atrocities, in Craig Cheetham’s book The World’s Worst Cars, and in Giles Chapman’s book The Worst Cars Ever Sold.
Comedians use the Yugo for their jokes. Singers sing songs about it. Writers parody the car in books.
But what do we know about the Yugo? Who imported it? Who made it? And why? One would think that such an iconic automobile would have a story behind it, a tale, but what most Americans know are the jokes: How do you make a Yugo go faster? Use a tow truck. How do you double the value of your Yugo? Fill the gas tank. What’s included in every Yugo owner’s manual? A bus schedule. Why is a Yugo like a Bic lighter? You use it until it runs out of gas, then throw it away.
But what Americans don’t know, for instance, is that it was the fastest selling first-year European import in U.S. history. Or that when the Yugo went on sale in America, there were lines at some dealerships ten deep. Or that Yugo dealers once sold 1,050 cars in a single day.
So was the Yugo that bad? Yes . . . by almost any measure. It was cheap, poorly built, somewhat unsafe in a crash, prone to breakdowns, and dirty emissions-wise, and for such a small automobile its gas mileage was poor.
But was it the worst car in history? No. Any ranking is subjective, but as a rule if an automobile passes U.S. safety and emissions tests it is a relatively decent car. Not necessarily a good car or a reliable car, but one that has met certain basic, presale standards that are among the toughest in the world.
For my vote, the worst car ever sold in America was the Subaru 360, a car so light it was exempt from federal safety regulations and was considered a covered motorcycle. It had forward opening “suicide doors,” burned a quart of outboard motor oil every 260 miles, and had front and rear bumpers that were several inches lower than those of any car on the road.
What the Yugo was was a dated automobile, even in 1985. The car was based on the Fiat 127 and the Fiat 128, both utilitarian subcompacts conceived in the 1960s. Thus, the Yugo was incredibly spartan: the original GV model came only with a stick shift. It had no radio, no air-conditioning, no air bags, and no tachometer; its windows were hand cranked, of course, and it lacked even a glove compartment.
But the Yugo was cheap. At $3,990, it was the least expensive new car in America. (With dealer
financing, a new Yugo cost just $99 a month). It was pitched as a generic people’s car; a new Volkswagen; in the words of the man principally behind its introduction to America, Malcolm Bricklin, “a nineteen-cent hamburger with meat.” In the fall of 1985, people flocked to buy it. Hundreds bought Yugos sight unseen. Though a dull little car built in communist Yugoslavia, the Yugo was a hit—no, a mania, something the Associated Press called a “Yugomania.”
The Yugo story is in this book. It is the sad, sometimes funny, and altogether fascinating tale of how the Yugo was brought to the United States.
Although the Yugo became a pop culture punchline, Vuic demonstrates that it genuinely had a chance at success. He documents the jokes surrounding the car but uses them to highlight its cultural perception—an aspect he contends ultimately overshadowed the business factors behind its downfall.
Jason Vuic’s writing is engaging, witty, and highly accessible. He blends meticulous historical research with a lively narrative style that avoids the dryness often found in academic texts. Despite his background as a professor of modern European history, Vuic crafts a compelling story with a clear narrative arc, emphasizing the individuals and the “amazing confluence of events” that shaped the Yugo’s trajectory.
The book is thoroughly researched and supported by extensive annotations, yet the factual foundation never detracts from the storytelling. Vuic skillfully integrates insights from car reviewers, journalists, and historical records into a cohesive and entertaining account.
For those interested in car history or the legacy of the Eastern Bloc, The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History will fascinate you.
September 22, 2019
"The Yugo was a 1980's consumer fad, the automotive equivalent of Cabbage Patch Kids . . . but with a $3,990 price tag. [It] was the product of 80's excess, the strange if not surreal mixture of a [Malcolm] Bricklin sales pitch, a Wall Street investment firm, and a San Diego savings & loan, and status-crazed Americans who wanted cars with . . . well, status -- status the Yugo didn't have." -- page 212
Routinely voted one of the worst cars of all time, Vuic's The Yugo examines the "short, unhappy life" of this inexpensive vehicle from its Yugoslavian origins in the late 70's to its flash-in-the-pan arrival on American shores in 1985-1986 and then to the end of its production run about ten years ago.
The Yugo - which had its start in a troubled, communist-controlled Eastern European nation - was a very bare bones, 'point A to B' tiny hatchback coupe that was brought to the U.S. by 'businessman' Malcolm Bricklin. (Bricklin is depicted as something of a con artist, and I lost count of how many times that it's mentioned that he filed for bankruptcy in his many ventures since the 60's.) The car was intended to be better-priced competition for the Ford Escort and similar models, and it had a couple of 'good' sales years before the public discovered it was a rather shoddy piece of work. Vuic packs a lot of information into 200+ pages - occasionally my eyes glazed over with the detailed politics of Yugoslavia - but it worked best when using humor in retelling this car's brief history.
Routinely voted one of the worst cars of all time, Vuic's The Yugo examines the "short, unhappy life" of this inexpensive vehicle from its Yugoslavian origins in the late 70's to its flash-in-the-pan arrival on American shores in 1985-1986 and then to the end of its production run about ten years ago.
The Yugo - which had its start in a troubled, communist-controlled Eastern European nation - was a very bare bones, 'point A to B' tiny hatchback coupe that was brought to the U.S. by 'businessman' Malcolm Bricklin. (Bricklin is depicted as something of a con artist, and I lost count of how many times that it's mentioned that he filed for bankruptcy in his many ventures since the 60's.) The car was intended to be better-priced competition for the Ford Escort and similar models, and it had a couple of 'good' sales years before the public discovered it was a rather shoddy piece of work. Vuic packs a lot of information into 200+ pages - occasionally my eyes glazed over with the detailed politics of Yugoslavia - but it worked best when using humor in retelling this car's brief history.
August 10, 2017
Nothing can make anything funnier then the fact that it actually happened... The Yugo was soled in America, the Yugo jokes at the beginning of each chapter are a cherry on the top. As someone who comes from the country of origin of this "car" I used to look at it as the greatest con ever achieved, which I still believe it is, but unfortunately it wasn't done by one of ours. The thing that makes this book so interesting and funny are the people behind this and all the lies they told during the marketing (this is some of the funniest stuff).
Ahhh... Yugo you never died on me and my family, but you were the most uncomfortable thing I was ever driven in. Rest in Peace and peaces.
Ahhh... Yugo you never died on me and my family, but you were the most uncomfortable thing I was ever driven in. Rest in Peace and peaces.
July 10, 2020
I am not interested in cars. If it runs, has air conditioning, and the radio works, I’m happy. So I don’t think I was the target audience for a book dedicated to one car, but it was very enjoyable anyway. Probably because it is more about the communistic system that manufactured it and the shyster businessman who imported it than it is about the technical details of the car. It is very thorough in explaining the business dealings that brought these people together. That means that we do get a brief history of the nation of Yugoslavia starting at WW2, a thorough detailing of Bricklin’s various business ventures, and a look at the car industry from Ford through the 1990s. It does get a little far from the point at times.
The author seems to take a more favorable view of the Yugo than you usually get. I don’t still don’t know enough about the actual car to make a call on that, because there really isn’t a lot on the consumer experience with the vehicle. He seems to think that it gets a bad rap simply because it was cheap, had a horrible business model, and people wanted expensive brands. I’m afraid I wasn’t really convinced that was the reason it was so disliked. He is also maybe a little impressed with the employment numbers and industrialization process in communist Yugoslavia. Still, he did feel the need to include sections that downplayed the brutality of the prison system and the suppression of dissidents. So while I did enjoy it and learned a lot, I’m unconvinced by the author’s conclusions.
The author seems to take a more favorable view of the Yugo than you usually get. I don’t still don’t know enough about the actual car to make a call on that, because there really isn’t a lot on the consumer experience with the vehicle. He seems to think that it gets a bad rap simply because it was cheap, had a horrible business model, and people wanted expensive brands. I’m afraid I wasn’t really convinced that was the reason it was so disliked. He is also maybe a little impressed with the employment numbers and industrialization process in communist Yugoslavia. Still, he did feel the need to include sections that downplayed the brutality of the prison system and the suppression of dissidents. So while I did enjoy it and learned a lot, I’m unconvinced by the author’s conclusions.
January 10, 2013
First the content: it felt a little padded, like there wasn't enough info on just the car for a whole book. The author would go on what seemed like long tangents about history or a particular person's biography before getting back to the main topic. For example, we got the life story of the guy who sold Bricklin the rights to sell the Yugo in CA, when a brief introduction and background would have sufficed. I was surprised to find out later that he wasn't really a major player in the story--not that his part of the story wasn't significant, just that it didn't warrant as much attention as it got.
That said, the bits about Yugoslavia's political history were REALLY interesting, but I wonder if I were more a car buff whether or not I would have been bored by the massive amount of non-car (and non-Yugo) related material here.
The performance: I got a bit of a James Kirk vibe, with abrupt ends to sentences and particular attention to the pronunciation of the letter "t" in the middle of words. It was annoying at first, but I got used to it. It did knock a good half star off my rating, though.
That said, the bits about Yugoslavia's political history were REALLY interesting, but I wonder if I were more a car buff whether or not I would have been bored by the massive amount of non-car (and non-Yugo) related material here.
The performance: I got a bit of a James Kirk vibe, with abrupt ends to sentences and particular attention to the pronunciation of the letter "t" in the middle of words. It was annoying at first, but I got used to it. It did knock a good half star off my rating, though.
April 2, 2010
Q. How do you double the value of your Yugo?
A. Fill the gas tank.
Q. How do you make a Yugo go faster?
A. Use a tow truck.
The Yugo was rated the worst car ever sold in the U.S. While there are many funny jokes about the Yugo, this is a serious story of how it came to the U.S.
A. Fill the gas tank.
Q. How do you make a Yugo go faster?
A. Use a tow truck.
The Yugo was rated the worst car ever sold in the U.S. While there are many funny jokes about the Yugo, this is a serious story of how it came to the U.S.
November 20, 2020
If only the Yugo were the worst thing we knew about the former Yugoslavia.
The Yugo was both a great idea terribly executed, and a terrible idea that was much more successful than it deserved. In the 1980’s a few people saw a hole in the American car market – a need for a cheap compact car. One of those people was Malcolm Bricklin. Lets just get this out of the way, if Malcolm Bricklin asks you for money, only give him what you can afford to loose. You are a lot more likely to have a good time than you are to get rich. Let’s also get this out of the way, the Yugo is not the worst car in history. The worst car in history couldn’t meet US import safety standards. The Yugo was just in the wrong place at the right time. Of cars sold in the US, it was at the bottom in terms of quality, but was better than many cars that were rejected by US safety regulators.
The Yugo was the state car of Yugoslavia – originally based off blueprints from Fiat and produced by Yugoslav manufacturer, Zastava. It was a basic, no frills mode of transportation. Bricklin discovered the car in London when negotiations to import another car fell apart. The negotiations fell apart because Bricklin’s reputation preceded him. By the time Bricklin got involved with the Yugo, he had a reputation as a flamboyant entrepreneur, better at vision than business. His vision for success was rarely based in reality.
Despite the involvement of Bricklin, this wasn’t an enterprise destined to fail. There were some very good reasons for bringing the Yugo to the US market. For a variety of reasons, another Japanese car could not be brought to the US market. The Yugo needed a lot of work before it would meet minimum US safety standards. However, Zastava was willing to put in the work. On the downside, as a Communist economy, Yugoslavia’s industry was motivated more by full employment than efficiency. On the upside, the work force was used to working long hours and were willing to make the changes needed to improve quality. The PR and advertising people in the US were able to spin some of the negatives into positives – such as highlighting the handcrafting that went into the Yugo manufacture. Although described as a positive, the “handcrafting” resulted in unreliable quality and pieces that didn’t quite fit together.
The Yugo was introduced to the US at a time when Yugoslavia had just received a bumper of positive press. The successful 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo meant that Americans had heard of Yugoslavia in a positive way. Yugoslavia’s political distance from Moscow made them the “good communists.” Bricklin and company did a lot to build positive buzz before the Yugo arrived in the US. It was shaping up to be a wildly successful launch. The problem was partly that the quality of the Yugo was over sold. When people actually got hold of the Yugo, they were disappointed. In addition, the Yugo was an easy target for comedians. Yugos became equated with losers, alienating the car from one of their natural demographics – teens wanting a first car.
The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History is a great read – enlightening, entertaining, and thought provoking. The book touches on the bloody conflict that ripped apart the former Yugoslavia. The Yugo came out about the time I was learning to drive and thinking about a car of my own. I ended up with a used car that put the Yugo to shame. You couldn’t run the air conditioner and drive at the same time in my car – affectionately known as the blue chicken bomb. I didn’t think about the Yugo again until Michael Moore used a Yugo and a pizza to try to bring peace to the Balkans. He drove a Yugo back and forth between the Yugoslav (Serbian) consulate and the Croatian consulate in DC using a pizza to attempt an equitable land division. Moore also asked who would fix his Yugo and got officials form both consulates to roll up their sleeves. It didn’t bring peace, but it was a rare light moment in a conflict known for inhumane brutality. When that episode aired in 1994 (8 years after the Yugo arrived in the United States), I was in DC – motivated by the human rights violations in Bosnia to go to law school. But that’s a different story.
The Yugo was both a great idea terribly executed, and a terrible idea that was much more successful than it deserved. In the 1980’s a few people saw a hole in the American car market – a need for a cheap compact car. One of those people was Malcolm Bricklin. Lets just get this out of the way, if Malcolm Bricklin asks you for money, only give him what you can afford to loose. You are a lot more likely to have a good time than you are to get rich. Let’s also get this out of the way, the Yugo is not the worst car in history. The worst car in history couldn’t meet US import safety standards. The Yugo was just in the wrong place at the right time. Of cars sold in the US, it was at the bottom in terms of quality, but was better than many cars that were rejected by US safety regulators.
The Yugo was the state car of Yugoslavia – originally based off blueprints from Fiat and produced by Yugoslav manufacturer, Zastava. It was a basic, no frills mode of transportation. Bricklin discovered the car in London when negotiations to import another car fell apart. The negotiations fell apart because Bricklin’s reputation preceded him. By the time Bricklin got involved with the Yugo, he had a reputation as a flamboyant entrepreneur, better at vision than business. His vision for success was rarely based in reality.
Despite the involvement of Bricklin, this wasn’t an enterprise destined to fail. There were some very good reasons for bringing the Yugo to the US market. For a variety of reasons, another Japanese car could not be brought to the US market. The Yugo needed a lot of work before it would meet minimum US safety standards. However, Zastava was willing to put in the work. On the downside, as a Communist economy, Yugoslavia’s industry was motivated more by full employment than efficiency. On the upside, the work force was used to working long hours and were willing to make the changes needed to improve quality. The PR and advertising people in the US were able to spin some of the negatives into positives – such as highlighting the handcrafting that went into the Yugo manufacture. Although described as a positive, the “handcrafting” resulted in unreliable quality and pieces that didn’t quite fit together.
The Yugo was introduced to the US at a time when Yugoslavia had just received a bumper of positive press. The successful 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo meant that Americans had heard of Yugoslavia in a positive way. Yugoslavia’s political distance from Moscow made them the “good communists.” Bricklin and company did a lot to build positive buzz before the Yugo arrived in the US. It was shaping up to be a wildly successful launch. The problem was partly that the quality of the Yugo was over sold. When people actually got hold of the Yugo, they were disappointed. In addition, the Yugo was an easy target for comedians. Yugos became equated with losers, alienating the car from one of their natural demographics – teens wanting a first car.
How many teenagers fit in a Yugo? Who knows? No teenager would be caught dead in one.
The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History is a great read – enlightening, entertaining, and thought provoking. The book touches on the bloody conflict that ripped apart the former Yugoslavia. The Yugo came out about the time I was learning to drive and thinking about a car of my own. I ended up with a used car that put the Yugo to shame. You couldn’t run the air conditioner and drive at the same time in my car – affectionately known as the blue chicken bomb. I didn’t think about the Yugo again until Michael Moore used a Yugo and a pizza to try to bring peace to the Balkans. He drove a Yugo back and forth between the Yugoslav (Serbian) consulate and the Croatian consulate in DC using a pizza to attempt an equitable land division. Moore also asked who would fix his Yugo and got officials form both consulates to roll up their sleeves. It didn’t bring peace, but it was a rare light moment in a conflict known for inhumane brutality. When that episode aired in 1994 (8 years after the Yugo arrived in the United States), I was in DC – motivated by the human rights violations in Bosnia to go to law school. But that’s a different story.
May 12, 2022
I would like a movie about the Yugo in the same vein as Argo - mostly because I want Alan Arkin to say "yugo fuck yourself"
(Full review to follow)
(Full review to follow)
December 11, 2012
It's not as much about the Yugo as a devastating send up of 80s business. If you know a friend who prattles on about the free market solving all ills, send him a copy of this book.
The Yugo was a cheap subcompact car that was notorious in its reputation for shoddy construction. This book gives some history how the idea of a Yugoslavian made version of an Italian car reached the states, and the problems they had with it. It also goes beyond to tell about the personalities behind it, like Malcolm Bricklin, a legendarily bad entrepreneur who somehow attracted money despite multiple bankruptcies and with absolutely no sense how to make money.
The history of the car itself pales to Bricklin. The Yugo was only one in a long line of failures he was in. When he tried to bring the Yugo down, he was on his second or third bankruptcy, with a record of failure few could match. Yet somehow people kept giving him money. There were warning signs after warning signs. When one of Bricklin's partners inspected the factory, he was horrified at how bad the practices were, with workers slinging around panels of the car to dent in bins. Yet the Yugo made it to market.
From there, the book talks about how it all ended. There's some tragedy, as the Yugo factory was bombed by the U.N. during the Serb-Croat war, but Bricklin still managed to make another unsuccessful business in the meantime. Just amazing.
It's a small slice of history about a lemon of a car that pulls the curtain on how twisted business really can be. Decent read.
The Yugo was a cheap subcompact car that was notorious in its reputation for shoddy construction. This book gives some history how the idea of a Yugoslavian made version of an Italian car reached the states, and the problems they had with it. It also goes beyond to tell about the personalities behind it, like Malcolm Bricklin, a legendarily bad entrepreneur who somehow attracted money despite multiple bankruptcies and with absolutely no sense how to make money.
The history of the car itself pales to Bricklin. The Yugo was only one in a long line of failures he was in. When he tried to bring the Yugo down, he was on his second or third bankruptcy, with a record of failure few could match. Yet somehow people kept giving him money. There were warning signs after warning signs. When one of Bricklin's partners inspected the factory, he was horrified at how bad the practices were, with workers slinging around panels of the car to dent in bins. Yet the Yugo made it to market.
From there, the book talks about how it all ended. There's some tragedy, as the Yugo factory was bombed by the U.N. during the Serb-Croat war, but Bricklin still managed to make another unsuccessful business in the meantime. Just amazing.
It's a small slice of history about a lemon of a car that pulls the curtain on how twisted business really can be. Decent read.
April 4, 2024
I knew that this car was more than just a 1980s punchline, that there be a need for a perfect storm of craziness both in time and place, in Europe and the US, for this beloved-yet-reviled vehicle to emerge on the scene. And there is in fact way more than one would expect.
The author does a thorough job of taking the story back to the advent of cars, along with Yugoslavia's role in WWI... all the way up through the late 1990s, when the war in the Balkans pretty much killed the Yugo for good. Interestingly, the nail in the coffin wasn't just America's change in automotive tastes thanks to lowered gas prices and raised interest in status. Nor was it the unique situation in Yugoslavia, a Communist nation separated from the Soviet bloc, and treasured after a successful Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, whose people aren't used to incentivizing their work, and regularly drink slivovitz while on the assembly line, yet put all their hopes and dreams in manufacturing an economy car that at one point was the third best-selling European import in the US.
Even the man largely responsible for the Yugo's emergence, Malcolm Bricklin, can't be completely blamed for its demise. He's a fascinating character -- a tireless promoter who never lets his decades of repeated instances of apparent incompetence, fraud charges, bankruptcy, and failure stop him from his next enterprise... and somehow he manages to land on his feet all while living in gaudy opulence. One might say a typical American businessman, fascinating and yet repulsive, and ironically tied to a car that's full of contradictions.
If you're like me and are not a gearhead nor typically into non-fiction, but enjoy a good story, you'll like this book. I will say that it does get a bit too far into the weeds on the business and financing of different car ventures, although there are some good takeaways, like how it's a bit reassuring that the U.S. has so many standards for safety and emissions so that not any crazy exotic contraption on wheels can legally end up on our interstates. And I loved the nostalgia of all the jokes the Yugo inspired -- remember on SNL they had an ad for The Adobe? A Yugo-like car made of clay? But I wished the book had a little bit more from people who actually bought the Yugo and why, and whether or not they were satisfied or found it frustrating that the only way to get over 60mph was to push it off a cliff!
The author does a thorough job of taking the story back to the advent of cars, along with Yugoslavia's role in WWI... all the way up through the late 1990s, when the war in the Balkans pretty much killed the Yugo for good. Interestingly, the nail in the coffin wasn't just America's change in automotive tastes thanks to lowered gas prices and raised interest in status. Nor was it the unique situation in Yugoslavia, a Communist nation separated from the Soviet bloc, and treasured after a successful Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, whose people aren't used to incentivizing their work, and regularly drink slivovitz while on the assembly line, yet put all their hopes and dreams in manufacturing an economy car that at one point was the third best-selling European import in the US.
Even the man largely responsible for the Yugo's emergence, Malcolm Bricklin, can't be completely blamed for its demise. He's a fascinating character -- a tireless promoter who never lets his decades of repeated instances of apparent incompetence, fraud charges, bankruptcy, and failure stop him from his next enterprise... and somehow he manages to land on his feet all while living in gaudy opulence. One might say a typical American businessman, fascinating and yet repulsive, and ironically tied to a car that's full of contradictions.
If you're like me and are not a gearhead nor typically into non-fiction, but enjoy a good story, you'll like this book. I will say that it does get a bit too far into the weeds on the business and financing of different car ventures, although there are some good takeaways, like how it's a bit reassuring that the U.S. has so many standards for safety and emissions so that not any crazy exotic contraption on wheels can legally end up on our interstates. And I loved the nostalgia of all the jokes the Yugo inspired -- remember on SNL they had an ad for The Adobe? A Yugo-like car made of clay? But I wished the book had a little bit more from people who actually bought the Yugo and why, and whether or not they were satisfied or found it frustrating that the only way to get over 60mph was to push it off a cliff!
August 12, 2023
Five star content because the story of the Yugo is so fascinating, but the book itself is around three stars overall. The kindle version is littered with distracting layout glitches, and the content is rather uneven as it jumps around to different perspectives and stories.
I'm really glad that I read it, though. Beyond the superficial jokes (don't get me wrong, the Yugo was an objectively bad car, though it was overblown by media piling on with the 1980s equivalent of viral memes), it is really bizarre to imagine how a budget car manufactured in communist Yugoslavia could have had such a cultural impact in the US. The characters behind it's import and market preparation are flamboyant, the geopolitical situation was unique, it's place in American car culture is legendary, and the conclusion to the story (the failure of an automotive dream against the backdrop of a brutal war) is sad. If you set out to dream up a fictional offbeat story based on this concept, it wouldn't be half as bizarre as what really happened.
I'm really glad that I read it, though. Beyond the superficial jokes (don't get me wrong, the Yugo was an objectively bad car, though it was overblown by media piling on with the 1980s equivalent of viral memes), it is really bizarre to imagine how a budget car manufactured in communist Yugoslavia could have had such a cultural impact in the US. The characters behind it's import and market preparation are flamboyant, the geopolitical situation was unique, it's place in American car culture is legendary, and the conclusion to the story (the failure of an automotive dream against the backdrop of a brutal war) is sad. If you set out to dream up a fictional offbeat story based on this concept, it wouldn't be half as bizarre as what really happened.
June 4, 2020
I read this book a couple of years ago. It's a great book with a neat story about one of the worst cars ever built. I highly recommend it.
June 25, 2020
Very interesting. A look at the people, and what drove them, as much as the car
February 9, 2018
Epic fun. Worth it for the Malcolm Bricklin stories alone--dude was a grifter for the ages. But the whole thing was a blast.
January 22, 2016
A story is a comedy if it has a happy ending, a tragedy if not. If the plain, cheap, little slow-moving car from Yugoslavia is the hero of this story, it’s a tragedy, because the hero dies in the end. For the hopeful workers at Zastava who cried with joy when the first Yugo destined for America rolled off the assembly line, the demise of their dreams came along with the collapse of their country as well as the struggling car company that imported their product. And yet, there is a lot of comedy in this book, in the near-impossible career of Malcolm Bricklin, the phoenix-like entrepreneur who rose repeatedly from disastrous ventures to raise capital and try again. Without him, we’d never have had Yugos in the U.S.
Was the car as uniquely bad as the Yugo jokes that introduce each chapter made it out to be? Or were there other equally flawed cars on the market that didn’t get the same treatment? One of the things that fascinated me about this book was the impact of mass media pop culture on the little car’s reputation, from initial enthusiastic free publicity to the groundswell of Yugo-bashing. Author Jason Vuic examines the image-conscious eighties through the lens of the Yugo. He also explores the history of Yugoslavia, a short-lived country that came together and fell apart within the same century. Its national karma seems to have transferred to its iconic car. If there had never been Slobodan Milosevic, would we still have Yugos? An academic historian and gifted story-teller, Vuic reveals the world through his chosen piece of material culture.
The interaction of capitalist expectations and American safety and environmental standards with the we-get-paid-anyway drinking-on-the job culture of Zastava made me think about the importance of pride and hope. Workers who were chosen for the Yugo-A assembly line, the production of cars destined for America, were not paid more—Yugoslavia’s socialist way of doing things required that all workers were treated equally—and yet they worked harder, cut out the brandy breaks, and aimed for better quality than ever before, because they had pride in the improvements they were making and hope for Yugo abroad.
The cars still had problems of course, embarrassing ones at times, but they met American standards or they couldn’t have been sold. And sold they were. I like to think there is still one on the road somewhere, lemon-yellow, going zero-to sixty in nineteen seconds, never reaching its maximum speed of eighty mph, doing its no-frills job of getting a person from one place to the next.
Was the car as uniquely bad as the Yugo jokes that introduce each chapter made it out to be? Or were there other equally flawed cars on the market that didn’t get the same treatment? One of the things that fascinated me about this book was the impact of mass media pop culture on the little car’s reputation, from initial enthusiastic free publicity to the groundswell of Yugo-bashing. Author Jason Vuic examines the image-conscious eighties through the lens of the Yugo. He also explores the history of Yugoslavia, a short-lived country that came together and fell apart within the same century. Its national karma seems to have transferred to its iconic car. If there had never been Slobodan Milosevic, would we still have Yugos? An academic historian and gifted story-teller, Vuic reveals the world through his chosen piece of material culture.
The interaction of capitalist expectations and American safety and environmental standards with the we-get-paid-anyway drinking-on-the job culture of Zastava made me think about the importance of pride and hope. Workers who were chosen for the Yugo-A assembly line, the production of cars destined for America, were not paid more—Yugoslavia’s socialist way of doing things required that all workers were treated equally—and yet they worked harder, cut out the brandy breaks, and aimed for better quality than ever before, because they had pride in the improvements they were making and hope for Yugo abroad.
The cars still had problems of course, embarrassing ones at times, but they met American standards or they couldn’t have been sold. And sold they were. I like to think there is still one on the road somewhere, lemon-yellow, going zero-to sixty in nineteen seconds, never reaching its maximum speed of eighty mph, doing its no-frills job of getting a person from one place to the next.
February 4, 2022
I read this book because, dear reader, my parents bought a Yugo when I was a kid. Here are the details: it was a white, 1986, used Yugo, which we had from 1987-1990. Was it comfortable? No, it was a cheap rattle-trap with awful pale seats, a painfully bad passenger armrest (I wasn't even close to driving age, so), a small steering wheel, bad doors, and no acceleration. It didn't even have a radio. Was it cool to be seen in? Hell no, I was picked on by the kids at school because my dad would drop me off at school in this horrible Yugo. I didn't know anything about cars, I just knew that my parents had bought the worst possible one, and my classmates didn't let me forget it.
As far as this book itself, honestly I don't see why anyone would read it nowadays if they hadn't once owned a Yugo. It's something that, if you didn't suffer with it, you really can't know. For example, I inwardly cringed when one chapter mentioned that the Yugo's fuel-gauge needle was inaccurate, because I remember my dad worrying about this. The jokes at the beginning of each chapter are painfully amusing and gave me a sort of rueful chuckle. Believe it or not, our Yugo never left us walking home, although I remember it needed constant maintenance. We were always at the local auto parts store. Anyway, I found this book funny in places that probably weren't necessarily meant to be funny. It was memories, to me.
What, you may ask, became of our family Yugo? Well, my parents donated it to our town fire department, so the first responders could use it as a practice rescue vehicle for saving people trapped in their cars. The fire department was very thankful for our donation. I was just very thankful we were rid of the car. And that, dear reader, is probably the happiest ending of any Yugo story.
As far as this book itself, honestly I don't see why anyone would read it nowadays if they hadn't once owned a Yugo. It's something that, if you didn't suffer with it, you really can't know. For example, I inwardly cringed when one chapter mentioned that the Yugo's fuel-gauge needle was inaccurate, because I remember my dad worrying about this. The jokes at the beginning of each chapter are painfully amusing and gave me a sort of rueful chuckle. Believe it or not, our Yugo never left us walking home, although I remember it needed constant maintenance. We were always at the local auto parts store. Anyway, I found this book funny in places that probably weren't necessarily meant to be funny. It was memories, to me.
What, you may ask, became of our family Yugo? Well, my parents donated it to our town fire department, so the first responders could use it as a practice rescue vehicle for saving people trapped in their cars. The fire department was very thankful for our donation. I was just very thankful we were rid of the car. And that, dear reader, is probably the happiest ending of any Yugo story.
May 15, 2013
It seems like the best way--maybe the only way--to make money on a Malcolm Bricklin-led investment is to be Malcolm Bricklin. Importing Yugos is the most famous example but not the only one. There was the Bricklin SV-1, the Electric Bicycle Company, FasTrack, Handyman franchises, the Proton automobile. Never heard of them? Hmmmm.
The idea was to sell a car that was extremely inexpensive and would provide basic transportation; a new car alternative to a good used car. Nothing wrong with that. At least, nothing wrong until oil leaks dripping on the exhaust manifold caused the cabin to fill with smoke, the clutch chattered, the brakes squealed, the speedometer squeaked, the hood came loose, the rear window washer stopped working, the ignition switch failed, and two transmission bolts came loose. (All of this happened on the Yugo that was tested for Consumer Reports.)
Somehow, Bricklin convinced investors and dealers that there would be a market for the Yugo. If there's a Hall of Fame for Persuasion, he should have a place of honor. Just don't invest in it.
By the way, Bricklin isn't the only one to reach the hype-o-sphere when it comes to Yugo. The full name of this book is, The Yugo - The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History.
Excerpt from page 7: "But was it the worst car in history? No."
The idea was to sell a car that was extremely inexpensive and would provide basic transportation; a new car alternative to a good used car. Nothing wrong with that. At least, nothing wrong until oil leaks dripping on the exhaust manifold caused the cabin to fill with smoke, the clutch chattered, the brakes squealed, the speedometer squeaked, the hood came loose, the rear window washer stopped working, the ignition switch failed, and two transmission bolts came loose. (All of this happened on the Yugo that was tested for Consumer Reports.)
Somehow, Bricklin convinced investors and dealers that there would be a market for the Yugo. If there's a Hall of Fame for Persuasion, he should have a place of honor. Just don't invest in it.
By the way, Bricklin isn't the only one to reach the hype-o-sphere when it comes to Yugo. The full name of this book is, The Yugo - The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History.
Excerpt from page 7: "But was it the worst car in history? No."
January 14, 2013
I enjoyed this book much more than I expected. It was a bit repetitive, but I read it word for word. Despite the shocking title, the author shows that the much-maligned Yugo was far from the worst car in history. Due to the confluence of Cold War politics and the materialism embraced by the 80s “Me Generation”, the Yugo became a notorious butt of jokes. The kicker of the book is the role of Malcolm Bricklin in the whole sordid tale - a fast-talking opportunist who ran the company one step ahead of its creditors and drew everyone from Slobodan Milošević to Henry Kissinger into his web of bullshit.
To Americans a car is an expression of wealth, social standing and sex appeal. I’m pretty sure that’s part of the reason why my dad bought one for me in high school - it was definitely NOT sexy. But it was an economical and reliable car. After I left home, my father continued to commute to work daily in the little white Yugo until he retired.
To Americans a car is an expression of wealth, social standing and sex appeal. I’m pretty sure that’s part of the reason why my dad bought one for me in high school - it was definitely NOT sexy. But it was an economical and reliable car. After I left home, my father continued to commute to work daily in the little white Yugo until he retired.
July 31, 2011
I am not sure if I selected this book because of the Yugo's iconic and flailing demonstration in the 1980s, because I am in the car business and have an interest in cars, or if it is because my dad bought and drove his red Yugo unit for about 2 years (until something broke that he couldn't get replaced) while our entire family laughed at him. But I really enjoyed the 80s fad driven history, the interest in foreign cars, and the mis-management of auto companies (by Malcolm Bricklin). I enjoyed the story of energy, that though small, did have a chance! I also love the jokes at the beginning of each chapter (example: What do you call a Yugo with brakes? Customized,) the stories of collecting and making creative art out of Yugos to this day, and the fact that a war torn communist country was given hope and allowed to build this car up until 2008.
July 12, 2011
This is such a fun read. The Yugo is a famously terrible automobile. I don't know much about the history of the automobile nor about imports. I worked on the GM bankruptcy and learned about suppliers and distribution channels, but don't know about automobile history.
Embarrassingly, I have absolutely no working knowledge about the history of Yugoslavia or the soviet block. This book is great because it spells these issues out in very simple terms for a novice.
Also, the story is a lot of fun. This is a very fun story about Malcolm Bricklin and his antics to make the market for Yugo cars.
Other reviewers blast this book for laboriously documenting every single joke that was ever made in the press about the Yugo. Frankly, I loved that part about the book.
Embarrassingly, I have absolutely no working knowledge about the history of Yugoslavia or the soviet block. This book is great because it spells these issues out in very simple terms for a novice.
Also, the story is a lot of fun. This is a very fun story about Malcolm Bricklin and his antics to make the market for Yugo cars.
Other reviewers blast this book for laboriously documenting every single joke that was ever made in the press about the Yugo. Frankly, I loved that part about the book.
January 21, 2016
The book the” Yugo The Rise and fall of the Worst Car in History,” by Jason Vuie to me is an ok book. I think this because as you start reading the book you begin realize that it repeats some information. But, the book does a great job of describing just why the Yugo failed. For example, it talks about how in the 80’s, when the Yugo was launched, the company was having management problems. Also, it talks about how they weren’t the best cars in quality and were hard to get parts for. I think that this book has a good way of showing the history of the 80’s and trial and error. I think that it needs a little help with the repetition, but other than that I think its great. I would diffidently recommend this book to other car lovers.
Want to read
November 26, 2011I haven't read this yet, but what a hilarious premise! Adding it to the "to read" pile!
February 28, 2013
Some difficulty following the political and money chain. Would have preferred to have read more about consumer experiences and the Yugo itself. Amazed, however, how Bricklin could wheel and deal.
June 6, 2019
I wasn't sure that a book about the history of a badly built car would be something I would enjoy, but I'm really glad I gave it a try. While this book is the story of the Yugo, that story covers a LOT of ground, and I found myself learning far more about the inner workings of the imported automobile business in America and the recent history of Yugoslavia and the countries that arose from its ashes than I had any reason to expect.
First, let's be clear about the title. While the Yugo is certainly remembered in our cultural memory as the "worst car in history", the author goes to some length in the early part of the book to suggest that the Yugo was far from the worst car ever built, or even the worst car ever sold in America. A reasonable case can be made that it was an "okay" car, especially given its cost, but that's not how we remember it. Through an unfortunately set of circumstances, the Yugo arrived on the American market at almost the worst possible moment for a car of its type. In the 1980s, cars were symbols of prestige, and few wanted a car that was specifically marketed as a economical budget saver. This was also a period with increasing demand for safety and reliability in our cars, and the Yugo was simply behind the times.
That the Yugo was even sold in America was largely because of the vision of Malcolm Bricklin, and his story encompasses a large portion of this book. Without a doubt Bricklin was a man of big ideas. Unfortunately, he seemed to believe these ideas would somehow become reality without a great deal of effort or attention on his part, and it seems that he loved to live large, long before his dreams could provide sustainable means for him to do so. It seems difficult to say whether he is merely a delusional dreamer, or a huckster who sold dreams to others to pay for his own pleasures. Either way, without him, the Yugo would never have made it to American shores.
In spite of the bad publicity and even in spite of Bricklin and his erratic management style, Yugo might have survived in the US, except for the political collapse of Yugoslavia. In the end, the break-up of Yugoslavia and the wars that followed were the ultimate cause of the Yugo's demise.
While clearly of interest to those who find automotive history interesting, this book would also be of interest to anyone interested in the cultural, financial, or political history of the 1980s. This book places the Yugo in a historical context full of interesting and enlightening details, and is an excellent read.
First, let's be clear about the title. While the Yugo is certainly remembered in our cultural memory as the "worst car in history", the author goes to some length in the early part of the book to suggest that the Yugo was far from the worst car ever built, or even the worst car ever sold in America. A reasonable case can be made that it was an "okay" car, especially given its cost, but that's not how we remember it. Through an unfortunately set of circumstances, the Yugo arrived on the American market at almost the worst possible moment for a car of its type. In the 1980s, cars were symbols of prestige, and few wanted a car that was specifically marketed as a economical budget saver. This was also a period with increasing demand for safety and reliability in our cars, and the Yugo was simply behind the times.
That the Yugo was even sold in America was largely because of the vision of Malcolm Bricklin, and his story encompasses a large portion of this book. Without a doubt Bricklin was a man of big ideas. Unfortunately, he seemed to believe these ideas would somehow become reality without a great deal of effort or attention on his part, and it seems that he loved to live large, long before his dreams could provide sustainable means for him to do so. It seems difficult to say whether he is merely a delusional dreamer, or a huckster who sold dreams to others to pay for his own pleasures. Either way, without him, the Yugo would never have made it to American shores.
In spite of the bad publicity and even in spite of Bricklin and his erratic management style, Yugo might have survived in the US, except for the political collapse of Yugoslavia. In the end, the break-up of Yugoslavia and the wars that followed were the ultimate cause of the Yugo's demise.
While clearly of interest to those who find automotive history interesting, this book would also be of interest to anyone interested in the cultural, financial, or political history of the 1980s. This book places the Yugo in a historical context full of interesting and enlightening details, and is an excellent read.
September 4, 2018
I'd say this book was comprised of three key topics:
30% The Yugo
50% Malcolm Bricklin biography
20% Eastern Bloc countries' history and politics
To review each topic separately:
- Yugo - Funny and enjoyable. Interesting to learn about about the genesis of car, it's evolution, distribution and rollercoaster ride story. The story is so improbable in so many ways.
- Malcolm - Truth is stranger than fiction. Incredibly ballsy salesman who talked innumerable investors out of huge sums of money over and over again; typically with ridiculous hairbrained schemes and seemingly little sober forethought. Proof that even with uber rich people, the "sucker born every minute" rule still applies. It seems like his strategy was just to keep a business afloat as long as possible so he could pay himself a crazy salary and live like a king. If the business was successful, that's great so it could keep the money coming. If not, just keep it solvent as long as possible so the paychecks keep coming in. Then file bankruptcy and do it all over again. Dumb like a fox.
- Eastern Bloc countries' history and politics - Lost my interest much of the time. I guess it was necessary to understand the impacts to production, but my mind started drifting and I started fidgeting...
Overall, this was interesting, entertaining and easy to read. As one might expect, not too mentally taxing but held my attention and it was short and quick. All the Yugo jokes had me laughing out loud.
30% The Yugo
50% Malcolm Bricklin biography
20% Eastern Bloc countries' history and politics
To review each topic separately:
- Yugo - Funny and enjoyable. Interesting to learn about about the genesis of car, it's evolution, distribution and rollercoaster ride story. The story is so improbable in so many ways.
- Malcolm - Truth is stranger than fiction. Incredibly ballsy salesman who talked innumerable investors out of huge sums of money over and over again; typically with ridiculous hairbrained schemes and seemingly little sober forethought. Proof that even with uber rich people, the "sucker born every minute" rule still applies. It seems like his strategy was just to keep a business afloat as long as possible so he could pay himself a crazy salary and live like a king. If the business was successful, that's great so it could keep the money coming. If not, just keep it solvent as long as possible so the paychecks keep coming in. Then file bankruptcy and do it all over again. Dumb like a fox.
- Eastern Bloc countries' history and politics - Lost my interest much of the time. I guess it was necessary to understand the impacts to production, but my mind started drifting and I started fidgeting...
Overall, this was interesting, entertaining and easy to read. As one might expect, not too mentally taxing but held my attention and it was short and quick. All the Yugo jokes had me laughing out loud.
December 15, 2022
I was born in the early 80s, so I’ve only ever known the Yugo as a punchline. When I came across this book, I was curious how much could be behind this car, and I was surprised at what I learned. I’ll say that it doesn’t feel so much to me like the Yugo was a bad car, but the whole story is more of an indictment of American capitalism, materialism and consumerism. And yeah, ok, Yugos weren’t GOOD cars by any means but I think it’s still more of a systems failure than an individual company failure.
A note about the audio book: this was one of the first audio books where the narrator sounded like an NPR news reporter and never attempted to do different character voices or anything. It fits the story in a way, but it also made it hard to tell who was speaking sometimes and so all the characters kind of ran together. So I would recommend the actual book vs audiobook.
A note about the audio book: this was one of the first audio books where the narrator sounded like an NPR news reporter and never attempted to do different character voices or anything. It fits the story in a way, but it also made it hard to tell who was speaking sometimes and so all the characters kind of ran together. So I would recommend the actual book vs audiobook.
December 16, 2023
A good account of the dumbest car of the 1980s, the Yugo.
Overambitious importers and underperforming Yugoslavian workers combined to provide a cheap car that at first was a sensation - and then was a lemon.
The main players are Malcolm Bricklin, an idea man who was responsible for a series of companies that went bankrupt, and Yugolsavia's brand of socialism, which leaned westward but was still not market driven. Combine it all and you have a car that was cheap in price, and cheap in quality.
It sold like gangbusters, then not at all after Consumer Reports panned it and the media piled on with Yugo jokes:
"How do you double the value of a Yugo?"
"Fill the gas tank."
Eventually, the Yugo was put on the same shelf as New Coke and other products that seemed like a good idea at the time.
Overambitious importers and underperforming Yugoslavian workers combined to provide a cheap car that at first was a sensation - and then was a lemon.
The main players are Malcolm Bricklin, an idea man who was responsible for a series of companies that went bankrupt, and Yugolsavia's brand of socialism, which leaned westward but was still not market driven. Combine it all and you have a car that was cheap in price, and cheap in quality.
It sold like gangbusters, then not at all after Consumer Reports panned it and the media piled on with Yugo jokes:
"How do you double the value of a Yugo?"
"Fill the gas tank."
Eventually, the Yugo was put on the same shelf as New Coke and other products that seemed like a good idea at the time.
January 31, 2019
Closer to 2.5 but not because of the story it tells. This is my second Jason Vuic book (after THE YUCKS, about the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and while his books are well-researched, his prose is often repetitive and gets in the way of the narrative. There are some smart insights about the late 20th-century automotive industry and what was then known as Yugoslavia, as well as the origin stories of other American import brands such as Hyundai and Subaru.
April 28, 2021
Enjoyable read. A bit long in the tooth in a few chapters, but otherwise very solid tale, solidly told. If you lived through the Yugo, easily 4 stars. If you didn't, knock it down a star...since without nostalgic glasses you may find some of the detail superfluous. One complaint? Book definitely would have benefited from photos of the car models, factories, and big name players.
February 5, 2025
I’m not sure what Vuic set out to create, but what ended up filling the pages of this book was a masterclass in international business practices, Cold War geopolitics, the automotive industry, and the shady businessmen that know no specific era - all wrapped up in the story of the infamous Yugo. This is a clever book, filled with serious lessons that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
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