List of Retro Cars

"472CID" (472CID)
03/20/2015 at 14:53 • Filed to: USELESSLISTS

Retro cars! The Retro period was a weird time in the automotive styling world that looked into the past for inspiration for the future. In 2015 we're almost past this wacky trend, but we still feel the effects of those rose tinted times. Here's a look at all the retro cars we've seen over the years.

Plymouth Prowler - Throughout the 1990s Chrysler was killing it with cool, sometimes retro, concept cars. In 1997 they decided to go one step further and put one of the concepts into production, and that car turned into the Plymouth Prowler.

VW Beetle - VW is responsible for kicking of the retro movement. The first "New Beetle" concept was revealed in 1994, and the production version in late 1998 was a huge sales hit. Now nearly two decades after VW re-imagined the classic Beetle they're struggling to keep it relevant.

BMW Z8 - In 2000 BMW sold Henry Fisker's masterpiece the Z8 roadster, a call back to the 508 roadster. In my opinion the best looking car on the list.

Mini - In the late 1990s BMW was working on a compact city car, they were also looking to use their recently acquired British brands. The result was the new Mini brand in 2000. Since those first new Minis appeared we've seen dozens of models based on the iconic shape.

Chrysler PT Cruiser - Hot off the heals of VW and Mini's success Chrysler released unto the world the PT Cruiser. As mentioned Chrysler was the bad boy of the industry with it's concepts, and it seemed like a good idea to put one of those concepts in the mainstream (as opposed to the Prowler's tiny niche). Like the Beetle, the PT Cruiser was a huge success to begin with, and then faded.

Ford Thunderbird - The 2000 Thunderbird was Ford's first attempt at joining this retro fad. The car was loved at first yet interest quickly fizzled.

Chevrolet SSR - The SSR was GM's knee jerk reaction to the retro fad. For some reason they chose to do a retractable hard top pick up as their flashy retro flagship, how they thought that would work I'll never know.

Ford Mustang - In the mid-2000s sports coupes sales were sinking low. The Mustang's arch rivals, the Camaro and Firebird, went extinct and the Mustang was struggling. In 2005 the Mustang was redesigned to mimic the first gen pony car. Like the 1964 1/5 Mustangs the 2005 Mustang was a giant success initially. The Mustang's retro design was so popular it brought the Camaro, and long dead Challenger back from the crypt.

Ford GT - Unlike the retro Thunderbird the retro GT is fondly remembered. Ford got the new GT's looks and performance down right. It's amazing that a car copy every single styling detail of a 40 year old car and still look as new and fresh as it did.

Chevrolet HHR - The same guy who drew the PT Cruiser (Bryan Nesbitt) drew the HHR. The HHR was a weird unnecessary knock off that was too late to get in on the PT's initial success, but it did moderately well.

Fiat 500 - After seeing the success of bringing iconic cars back from the dead Fiat decieded to cash in on their own icon the 500. In 2007 the New New 500 (the 1957 model was also called the "New 500") went on sale and seriously boosted troubled Fiat's sales.

Toyota FJ Cruiser - Toyota go into the retro game in 2007 with an off-roader.

Dodge Challenger - Plucky Chrysler once again quick to make a concept a reality brought the Challenger back to the streets of America in just 3 years after the debut of the super popular 2005 Mustang.

Chevrolet Camaro - GM wasn't going to let Ford have all the fun with their new Mustang. The Camaro was a little late to the party in 2010, but it has been able to meet and beat the Mustang's sales.

This list if for production cars only. I don't consider car that have been continually had a shape to be retro (i.e. Wrangler, Defender, G Class, Jaguar XJs). Some car follow in the footsteps of their ancestors but don't outright mimic them such as; Mercedes SLS Gullwing, Jaguar F Type, and pretty much every Aston Martin since the DB7. It's a fine line as to what can be considered retro or not. I've debated the Jag S type or those weird Mitsuoka cars and finally opted to not include them.

Most of the cars here have a similar story, they burst onto the scene with great fanfare and quickly tapered off. Only the Beetle, Mini, 500, and pony cars remain going forward. All of which seem to be evolving away from the purely retro theme. For the pony cars going retro has changed the shape of future generations weather they're retro or not. As for the iconic European economy cars time will tell if they can last on their classic looks.

Bonus Nissan Pao and Figaro - I'm not 100% sure who Nissan was trying to embody with these cars, but they definitely are retro.

DISCUSSION (38)

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > 472CID
03/20/2015 at 15:00

I wish the Figaro didn't have a lazy 3 speed auto or I'd be much more interested in buying one. There's a couple of them near where I live.

duurtlang > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
03/20/2015 at 15:01

Wouldn't it be possible to swap in a manual from a Micra? I believe these were based on the Micra.

Jedidiah > 472CID
03/20/2015 at 15:03

Kinja'd!!!

Because GM

That's all you got to know, It doesn't have to make sense.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > 472CID
03/20/2015 at 15:04

Ford Flex.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > duurtlang
03/20/2015 at 15:04

I was thinking that. It's not something I'd like to undertake though. It'd probably be easier to swap in an entire drivetrain from a 1.3 Micra though.

HammerheadFistpunch > 472CID
03/20/2015 at 15:07

"Most of the cars here have a similar story, they burst onto the scene with great fanfare and quickly tapered off. Only the Beetle, Mini, 500, and pony cars remain going forward. All of which seem to be evolving away from the purely retro theme. For the pony cars going retro has changed the shape of future generations weather they're retro or not. As for the iconic European economy cars time will tell if they can last on their classic looks."

This is why Retro doesn't work, or rather, this is PROOF retro doesn't work except as a flash in the pan. No car on this list has a 2nd generation who's design wasn't significantly modernized to downlplay the retro.

Manufactures: STOP MESSING AROUND WITH RETRO STYLING!

472CID > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
03/20/2015 at 15:07

What's it a retro copy of? I mean it's got some old school styling cues, but it doesn't even look like anything from the past.

Ed, for the old good times > 472CID
03/20/2015 at 15:09

Morgan...

Kinja'd!!!

Oops!

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > 472CID
03/20/2015 at 15:09

True. Didnt realise you meant cars that looks like other specific old cars. It has a bunch of cues from old woodies

472CID > Jedidiah
03/20/2015 at 15:11

Also typical GM they gave it a ton of extra horsepower and a manual right before they discontinued it.

Forgetful > HammerheadFistpunch
03/20/2015 at 15:12

I kind of hope the new Ford GT is the final nail in the coffin for retro.

472CID > Ed, for the old good times
03/20/2015 at 15:12

Definitely fall into the same camp as Wranglers, can't revisit the past if you never leave.

HammerheadFistpunch > Forgetful
03/20/2015 at 15:18

AMEN, leave history alone.

HammerheadFistpunch > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
03/20/2015 at 15:19

I would call it cubist, not retro.

KirkyV > 472CID
03/20/2015 at 15:21

I coudl be argued that the MINIs don't qualify on similar grounds, as there wasn't a gap of more than a few months between the original car going out of production and the new one going on sale.

Baeromez > 472CID
03/20/2015 at 15:28

No Charger?

ranwhenparked > 472CID
03/20/2015 at 15:34

Kinja'd!!!

Oldsmobile Toronado

472CID > KirkyV
03/20/2015 at 15:34

You've got a point there. I'd say the Minis and Beetles that were built up until the 2000s weren't retro in this sense. But the new Mini and Beetle were so radically different and had no direct mechanical linage to the previous models. Compare that to Jeep who's had incremental improvements over the years.

If I thought there was any major update between the 1960s Mini/Beetle and the 2000s Mini/Beetles then I might not consider them retro.

472CID > Baeromez
03/20/2015 at 15:44

I wouldn't argue against it, but I don't think of it as retro. With the exception of the side styling details and maybe the taillights it doesn't look anything like the old Chargers.

472CID > ranwhenparked
03/20/2015 at 15:47

Eh, other than being fwd it doesn't really have anything in common with older cars (Cords).

carcrasher88 > 472CID
03/20/2015 at 15:47

If I recall properly, the Nissan Figaro was inspired by the original Nissan Fairlady Roadsters, with a little inspiration from the Austin-Healey 3000.

The Pao was a bit of a mixture of the original Mini, Citroen 2CV (the flap-up windows in the rear), and the Austin A40 Farina (split rear tailgate).

There was also the Be-1 (not sure what it was inspired by) and the S-Cargo, which was inspired by the Citroen 2CV Fourgonnette.

Also, don't forget Volvo's hot rod concept, the T6 Roadster, which used a twin-turbo inline 6 from the S80 with 300bhp, which, combined with the fact that it was pretty light, gave it a top speed of 205 mph.

Kinja'd!!!

And that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to retro cars.

Toyota, for example. The FJ Cruiser wasn't Toyota's only retro machine, and it wasn't their first.

From 2000 to 2001, they offered a limited production car called the Origin .

Kinja'd!!!

The Origin was modeled after the original Toyopet Crown (built from 1955 to 1962) and based on the Progrès. Somewhere between 1,027 and 1,071 were built, even though it was originally planned to be a 1,000 unit model.

Kinja'd!!!

Before the Origin, was the Classic . Built in 1996, the Classic was modeled after Toyota's first production model, the AA, and built on the chassis of the Toyota Hilux.

This was even more limited than the Origin, with only 100 Classics ever built.

And here's a few more retro cars and concepts and the inspiration for them:

Kinja'd!!!

Buick Blackhawk - Buick Y-Job and '39 Buicks (grille), 1948 Roadmaster (body)

Kinja'd!!!

Chrysler Atlantic - Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic

Kinja'd!!!

Daihatsu Mira Gino (two generations, before being replaced by another retro-styled car, the Mira Cocoa, which is one of my favorite JDM cars)- original Mini

Kinja'd!!!

Nissan IDx - Datsun 510

Coty > 472CID
03/20/2015 at 15:51

Kinja'd!!!

People. Stop with this shit.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > 472CID
03/20/2015 at 16:04

They are a lot different now actually. They are significantly bigger now, they offer 4 doors, they have coil springs, they have technology, etc.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
03/20/2015 at 16:04

Edit: Nevermind, I was thinking of the Pao.

Boxer_4 > 472CID
03/20/2015 at 16:05

Subaru had three in the '90s. The Vivio Bistro was probably the best of the three.

Kinja'd!!!

472CID > carcrasher88
03/20/2015 at 16:05

Kinja'd!!!

Yeah I could see that. I knew there were a few JDM cars out there that I missed. I didn't include concept cars because there's too many to list.

ranwhenparked > 472CID
03/20/2015 at 16:07

It was specifically designed to recall the Cord 810/812. The slotted wheels were almost a direct copy (the Cords had them for brake cooling, they were mostly ornamental on the Olds), the uncluttered body with minimal creases and ornamentation, the low, horizontal grille, the hidden headlamps, the expanse of painted bodywork where an upright grille would normally be, and the placement of the Olds badge is supposed to resemble where the Cord crest was on the original car.

472CID > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
03/20/2015 at 16:07

It's funny because you can say almost the exact same thing about jeeps.

carcrasher88 > 472CID
03/20/2015 at 16:11

I could tell, that's why I thought I'd add a few concepts for ya. :D

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > 472CID
03/20/2015 at 16:11

I was talking about the Jeep, because 4 doors. But really though, there is absolutely nothing interchangeable(without fabrication) between a JK and a TJ.

DrScientist > 472CID
03/20/2015 at 16:16

one could argue that these e-classes were "retro" inspired. granted it was only the headlight treatment, but that makes up so much of the personality of a car. apologies for not knowing the chassis codes. or the years in production even, but i know they were being sold right around when the whole retro thing was coming into fashion.

Kinja'd!!!

Baeromez > 472CID
03/20/2015 at 16:35

It doesn't look like the old Chargers, but then the Camaro doesn't look like the old ones either. I think its the big square front ends that give them an old school muscle car vibe.

Kinja'd!!!

pip bip - choose Corrour > 472CID
03/20/2015 at 16:53

Kinja'd!!!

HNNNNNNGGGGGG!

472CID > ranwhenparked
03/20/2015 at 17:13

Right, it's got the same spirit of the Cord, but it has styling from the 1960s. Much like how the Viper has the spirit of the Cobra, but looks very 1990s. If were talking retro from the first gen Toronado's time it's all about the Stutz

Kinja'd!!!