Synopses & Reviews
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, NPRs
Car Talk declared it the worst car of the millennium.” And for most Americans thats 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 youve 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 Yugoslavias 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.
Jason Vuic is an assistant professor of modern European history at Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Virginia. He lives in Staunton, Virginia, with his wife, Kara. 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, NPRs
Car Talk declared it the worst car of the millennium.” And for most Americans thats 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 youve 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 Yugoslavias 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. [A] rollicking chronicle of the rise and fall of the homely little hatchback that couldnt . . . [Jason Vuic] weaves a tale about crazy socialist factories, just-as-crazy Western financial practices, geopolitics in the days of the Cold War and an American public yearning for affordable carsall combined with the cutting edge Serbo-Croatian technology, as the Yugo was referred to in the spoof movie version of Dragnet . . . Mr. Vuic is as hard on the Western capitalism that fleetingly embraced the car as he is on the socialist system that produced it.”
Dick Teresi, Wall Street Journal"So you Toyota owners think you're having a bad year. You have my sympathy, but you'll have to wait in line after the people who bought the Yugo, the 1980s Yugoslavian import whose story is told in Jason Vuic's The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History . . . Along with the car, the book has an engaging antihero in Malcolm Bricklin, a compulsive floater of franchise schemes and the main importer of the car to America . . . The Yugo is a useful addition to the ever-growing literature of greed."Charlie Haas, San Francisco Chronicle "The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History chronicles the introduction of a Communist-made subcompact into the middle of Ronald Reagan's America and how a little car had a big impact on the American psyche. We picked up a copy, assuming it would be a light read for a long train ride. Instead we found a fascinating and rigorously researched history that was more fun than a nights worth of Yugo jokes."Keith Bary, Wired "Given that socialist car jokes have survived better than the cars themselves, it can be hard to recall the West's brief, fiery affairsmore of necessity, perhaps, than lovewith those cars in countries like Britain and the United States. For a brief time in the 1980s, for example, British dealers of the Soviet Union's Lada ranked among the industry's best-performing. And as historian Jason Vuic chronicles in his captivating, unexpected new book, The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History, for a fleeting moment amid the clichéd go-go excesses of the 1980s, the $3,995 Yugoloosely based on a Fiat and produced by a one-time arms manufacturer called Zastavacaptured the wallets, if not exactly the hearts, of Americans and introduced some oddball charm and entrepreneurial zest into the staid confines of the U.S. auto market . . . Vuic's history is a fascinating read, and an instructive one for the present moment."Tom Vanderbilt, Slate
"Creating the Yugo required dozens of corporations, thousands of Yugoslavians, international diplomacy, a cold war, marketing genius, consumer idiocy, and major screwups from not just one political ideology but all of them. Any knucklehead with a lawn mower engine and a monkey wrench can build a bad car. It took communism, socialism, and capitalism to build a Yugo. And Jason Vuic has the story."P. J. O'Rourke
"Was the Yugo the worst car in history? No, although it wasn't far behind such automotive insults as the Trabant. Is this the most enjoyable car book of the year? Yes! Few car books can match Jason Vuic's supporting cast of earnest automotive executives, politicians, and out-and-out hucksters. Chapter after chapter is filled with such outrageous actions in the name of selling cars that you have to keep repeating this mantra: 'It's not libel if it's true.'"James B. Treece, Industry Editor, Automotive News
"A cross-cultural tale of the little car that couldn't. Thoroughly researched, tellingly toldand hilarious!"Phil Patton, author of Bug: The Strange Mutations of the World's Most Famous Automobile
"Testimony to the dishonesty, gullibilitysuccess, greed, cynicism, stupidity, and incompetence of virtually everyone involved in attempting to palm off a ramshackle Balkan-made leftover on the hapless American car buyer, who turned out not to be so hapless after all. The saga of the Yugo proves that failure may not be as instructive as sucess, but it's lots more entertaining."Bruce McCall
Review
“[A] rollicking chronicle of the rise and fall of the homely little hatchback that couldnt . . . [Jason Vuic] weaves a tale about crazy socialist factories, just-as-crazy Western financial practices, geopolitics in the days of the Cold War and an American public yearning for affordable cars—all combined with the ‘cutting edge Serbo-Croatian technology, as the Yugo was referred to in the spoof movie version of ‘Dragnet . . . Mr. Vuic is as hard on the Western capitalism that fleetingly embraced the car as he is on the socialist system that produced it.” —Dick Teresi, Wall Street Journal “Vuics book is thoroughly researched, with hundreds of annotations. Its true genius, however, is its fine focus not on the Yugo itself, but on Bricklin the man—an outsized opportunist, a thick-skinned mega-capitalist whose modus operandi was to overpromise and underdeliver, a Mr. Magoo oblivious to the wreckage all around him, a charming marketing manipulator who realizes he has crossed the line only when the subpoenas start flying. In short, a fascinating story well told.” —John Phillips, Car and Driver “Now, Jason Vuic has written an entire book about this wheezing shitbox. Entitled The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History, the book is an in-depth, brisk, and hilarious chronicle of the economic, mechanical, political, and cultural calamities that conspired to unleash this motorized monster on the American populace.” —Brett Berk, Vanity Fair Daily “A wonderfully sunny—and thoroughly researched—study of this iconic failure.” —Stephen Lowman, Washington Post “In his entertaining drive through the 1980s, Mr. Vuic uses the fatally well-publicized Yugo as the hook for a funny, tightly written book traversing politics, economics, marketing, communications, consumer safety (and dread)—and lots of spin.” —Carlo Wolff, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “Jason Vuic, a professor of modern European history, could have easily written a straightforward takedown of the most maligned automobile since the Ford Pinto. Instead, he uses the Yugo as a vehicle for an insightful and witty look at car culture, a half-century of Balkan history, and the last decade of the Cold War.” —Sonja Sharp, Mother Jones “As historian Jason Vuic chronicles in his captivating, unexpected new book, for a fleeting moment amid the clichéd go-go excesses of the 1980s, the $3,995 Yugo—loosely based on a Fiat and produced by a one-time arms manufacturer called Zastava—captured the wallets, if not exactly the hearts, of Americans and introduced some oddball charm and entrepreneurial zest into the staid confines of the U.S. auto market. Vuic's history is a fascinating read, and an instructive one for the present moment.” —Tom Vanderbilt, Slate “Jason Vuic provides a thoroughly researched and illuminating account of what turned into a spectacular disaster.” —The Economist “A meticulous wide-ranging postmortem of a car that, at $3,990 brand new, was still overpriced.” —Kevin Canfield, Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul) “Entertaining and comprehensive.” —Cary Darling, Star-Telegram (Dallas-Fort Worth) “In a world where even our most reliable cars can turn out to be lemons (cough, Toyota), its really something to be the worlds worst car. That distinction belongs to the Yugo, subject of the enormously entertaining The Yugo . . . Read it if you love cars, or just want to experience the strange story of someone determined to give lemons life.” —Very Short List “If the Yugo was a lemon, Jason Vuics surprising page-turner is the lemonade: even though we know how its going to end (watch out for the iceberg, Yugo!), were held rapt by Vuics careful reconstruction of the peculiar history of a terrible idea.” —Flavorwire “Creating the Yugo required dozens of corporations, thousands of Yugoslavians, international diplomacy, a Cold War, marketing genius, consumer idiocy, and major screw-ups from not just one political ideology but all of them. Any knucklehead with a lawnmower engine and a monkey wrench can build a bad car. It took Communism, Socialism and Capitalism to build a Yugo. And Jason Vuic has the story.” —PJ ORourke “A crosscultural tale of the little car that couldn't. Thoroughly researched, tellingly told—and hilarious!” —Phil Patton, author of Bug: The Strange Mutations of the Worlds Most Famous Automobile “Testimony to the dishonesty, gullibility, greed, cynicism, stupidity and incompetence of virtually everyone involved in attempting to palm off a ramshackle Balkan-made leftover on the hapless American car buyer who turned out not to be so hapless after all. The saga of the Yugo proves that failure may not be as instructive as success, but its lots more entertaining.” —Bruce McCall, author of Marveltown “Was the Yugo the worst car in history? No, although it wasnt far behind such automotive insults as the Trabant. Is this the most enjoyable car book of the year? Yes! Few car books can match Jason Vuics supporting cast of earnest automotive executives, politicians and out-and-out hucksters. Chapter after chapter is filled with such outrageous actions in the name of selling cars that you have to keep repeating this mantra: ‘Its not libel if its true. ” —James B. Treece, Industry Editor, Automotive News “A hoot for car enthusiasts and a case study for business schools.” —Kirkus Reviews “Here's all you ever wanted to know about the Yugo—and more! . . . Well researched, quite readable, and leavened with bits of humor.” —Susan Hurst, Library Journal
Review
“Jason Vuic provides a thoroughly researched and illuminating account of what turned into a spectacular disaster.” The Economist
“As historian Jason Vuic chronicles in his captivating, unexpected new book, for a fleeting moment amid the clichéd go-go excesses of the 1980s, the $3,995 Yugoloosely based on a Fiat and produced by a one-time arms manufacturer called Zastavacaptured the wallets, if not exactly the hearts, of Americans and introduced some oddball charm and entrepreneurial zest into the staid confines of the U.S. auto market. Vuic's history is a fascinating read, and an instructive one for the present moment.” Tom Vanderbilt, Slate
“Creating the Yugo required dozens of corporations, thousands of Yugoslavians, international diplomacy, a Cold War, marketing genius, consumer idiocy, and major screw-ups from not just one political ideology but all of them. Any knucklehead with a lawnmower engine and a monkey wrench can build a bad car. It took Communism, Socialism and Capitalism to build a Yugo. And Jason Vuic has the story.” PJ ORourke “A crosscultural tale of the little car that couldn't. Thoroughly researched, tellingly toldand hilarious!” Phil Patton, author of Bug: The Strange Mutations of the Worlds Most Famous Automobile “Testimony to the dishonesty, gullibility, greed, cynicism, stupidity and incompetence of virtually everyone involved in attempting to palm off a ramshackle Balkan-made leftover on the hapless American car buyer who turned out not to be so hapless after all. The saga of the Yugo proves that failure may not be as instructive as success, but its lots more entertaining.” Bruce McCall, author of Marveltown “Was the Yugo the worst car in history? No, although it wasnt far behind such automotive insults as the Trabant. Is this the most enjoyable car book of the year? Yes! Few car books can match Jason Vuics supporting cast of earnest automotive executives, politicians and out-and-out hucksters. Chapter after chapter is filled with such outrageous actions in the name of selling cars that you have to keep repeating this mantra: ‘Its not libel if its true. ” James B. Treece, Industry Editor, Automotive News “A hoot for car enthusiasts and a case study for business schools.” Kirkus Reviews “Here's all you ever wanted to know about the Yugoand more! . . . Well researched, quite readable, and leavened with bits of humor.” Susan Hurst, Library Journal Oline H. 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Synopsis
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, NPRs Car Talk declared it “the worst car of the millennium.” And for most Americans thats 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 youve 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 Yugoslavias 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.
Synopsis
Brilliantly re-creating the amazing confluence of events that produced the Yugo, Yugoslav expert Vuic uproariously tells the story of the car that became an international joke and a business fiasco.
About the Author
Jason Vuic is an assistant professor of modern European history at Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Virginia. He lives in Staunton, Virginia, with his wife, Kara.