Car more unpopular than the Lada is about to make a comeback

What do you call a Lada with a sunroof? A skip. What do you call a Yugo with a sunroof? A fast-food tray.

Through those jokes, you can see just how bad people thought the Yugo was – worse than a Lada.

However, despite once being called the ‘worst car in history’, it is set to make a comeback.

The car, which came from the former Yugoslavia, was released in the UK and US in the 1980s. At around £3,000 it was the cheapest vehicle on the market.

However, as a result of its poor quality construction, lack of reliability and safety concerns, it quickly fell out of favour. And the butt of many jokes.

Its legacy was so infamous, it even inspired a book called The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History.

But now Serbian professor Dr Alekasandar Bjelić hopes to resurrect the car and has gone as far as unveiling a 1:5 scale model version at this year’s Car Design Event in Munich.

With his links to the German automotive industry and as owner of the Yugo naming rights, he is optimistic that he’ll have a working prototype ready for the Belgrade Expo 2027.

Designed by fellow Serb, Darko Marčeta, the new Yugo has a retro 80s look but with slim LED lights front and back and large alloy wheels.

Mr Bjelić said the car would initially be sold as an ‘affordable’ two-door model, with potential for ‘different body versions’ in the future.

If plans are given the green light, it will launch with a petrol engine and a choice of manual or automatic gearboxes.

He hopes electric versions would also be possible at some point.

Mr Bjelić has promised a fun-to-drive car that meets all relevant safety standards.

The first Yugo was introduced to the UK market under the name Yugo 45 and offered cheaper alternative to rivals like the Ford Fiesta and Austin Metro.

By 2018, there were just 19 left on UK roads. Now there are only nine in existence.

It came with three petrol options of different capacities, from 903cc to 1,301cc, with a ‘convertible’ version also available.

Four years after its UK debut, the Yugo was also launched in the US, where it swiftly became a punchline, according to Jason Vuic’s book on the car.

‘Within a year, it was a staple of late night comedy,’ he wrote.

Its reputation suffered further in 1989 when 31-year-old Leslie Pluhar plunged off the Mackinac suspension bridge in Michigan in her Yugo.

She lost control of the car as a result of 48mph winds – however, her speeding at the time was said to be a contributing factor.

In 1997, one reached a rather strange end to its life when it was catapulted through the air.

Cavalry officer Hew Kennedy and his friend Richard Barr built a replica 13th century catapult and sent the Yugo flying to showcase the equipment’s slinging capacity.

Commenting on a Yugo Reddit page, one previous and not so contented owner said: ‘I owned one. It was cheap, and I thought, how bad can it be?

‘I soon found out, the first time it rained, I found out it leaked badly. Bits of trim were always coming off. It frequently broke down with electrical faults. It is without doubt the worst car I have ever owned.

‘There was a running joke, that the heated rear screen was there to keep your hands warm while pushing it.’

Another wrote: ‘My first car was a brand new 1988 Yugo (purchased in 1990). It was red with a sport stripe.

‘My mom convinced me it was better to get a new car with a warranty, instead of something used. SHE WAS WRONG!!! Holy cow was that car a piece of s**t.’

Not everyone hated their Yugo though it seems.

‘Our Yugo must have been a unicorn, because I loved it,’ wrote a third person.

‘It was definitely the Walmart brand of car, super no-frills and had little … quirks.

‘But it got the job done, it was easy on gas, there was room enough for the family. It finally died, and we couldn’t get parts to repair it, which was a bummer.

‘I’d gladly own one again.

‘BTW, we had so much fun collecting all the joke names: a two-door is an I-Go, 4-door is a We-Go, a station wagon was a We-All-Go, etc. It was a giggle.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

MORE: European leaders arriving in Kyiv told to ‘shove these peace plans’ by Russia

MORE: The buzzy European city crowned the world’s most walkable — with £4 beers

MORE: ‘We just went wild’: how children celebrated cakes and peace on VE Day