The Lamborghini Diablo (or Devil, for those who haven't caught up on the mythology of Dora the Explorer) is a mean supercar for bad people. It's loud, it's uncomfortable, and when you step on the go pedal it sounds like Lucifer himself is gargling rocks behind your head. You'd expect the steering wheel that controlled all that to be a gnarled, wicked thing then, which would only hint at the massive power that lied within the vehicle. Instead, you got a staid, four-spoke affair with a big block in the middle to hold the airbag. The wheel itself wasn't ugly, it just had nothing to do with the car. In fairness to Lamborghini, lots of manufacturers had trouble integrating airbags under the new federal mandate at the time, and they hadn't been bought by Audi yet. If the car had to skimp on its wheel just to stay alive, all is forgiven. That's why this wheel only makes number 10 on this list.
9.) The Chevy Corvette Doughboy, AKA "The Headless Skipping Child"
Now that I have this image in my head, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to disassociate it. The stylists at GM must've had this image in their head as well, as they re-designed as soon as possible. Unfortunately the re-design just came from the parts bin, and was shared with the Chevy Malibu.
8.) Renault 5 Turbo
Renault seemed to be channeling its inner Citroen here, but the readers aren't sure it really worked. It's really a love-it-or-hate-it sort of thing, and I'm personally in the love-it camp. It's silly and ridiculous and doesn't take itself seriously at all, but the People Have Spoken.
7.) Saturn Ion
I think it just looks boring in every single conceivable way, but TDIDriver feels worse:
The thing looks like a McD's toy gone wild.
Ouch.
6.) C4 Corvette
The GMC Syclone had a steering wheel that looked like it came off a truck, which I suppose is fine since the Syclone is a truck. The very similar-looking wheel from the 4th-generation Corvette, however, had no business coming off a truck.
5.) The 1984 Mercury Cougar "Sad Clown Handlebar Mustache" Wheel
What, you think the Jalopnik commentariat only picks on GM? Of the wheel that appeared on the 1984 Mercury Cougar, Dr. Strangegun added:
And lo, this was abhorrent to the gods of style.
4.) Lotus Elan/Esprit
In the early 1990s Lotus was in a bad financial way just like Lamborghini. At least when Lamoborghini cut corners on the steering wheel, though, it looked like it made sense:
The GM one in the Lotus Esprit V8. Because it's big fat and bulky, with shoddy GM materials, and is dark gray which doesn't match the car's interior. It is out of place in the Esprit. Ugly.
3.) 2014 Mercedes S-Class
The rest of the 2014 Mercedes S-Class is an absolute wonder. The steering wheel, though, has already been branded the "Creepy Clown."
2.) Dodge Neon
When putting this one on in the factory, nobody seemed to realize they always put it on upside-down.
1.) Austin Allegro
Squared-off wheels make sense, if you're in a Formula One car, or in a Ferrari. When you're in an Austin Allegro that'll be lucky to get to 100 miles an hour? Well then it just looks just as proper as a squared-off wheel mounted anywhere else on the car.
