DeLorean DMC-12
(1981 to 1983)
A Texas company will soon start building brand new versions of auto-industry legend John DeLorean’s stainless-steel DMC-12. The original came from a Belfast factory with separate entrances for Catholics and Protestants—just one of its many challenges. The company collapsed during the recession of the early ’80s, but Back to the Future turned the car into a beloved American icon.
Trabant 601
(1963 to 1991)
East Germans fondly celebrate their automotive icon, the Trabant or “Trabi,” though others know it only from shots of the Berlin Wall coming down in 1989. The car, which debuted in 1963, had plastic doors and a very dirty two-stroke engine that put out just 25 horsepower. Restored originals are cult collectibles in Germany, which may explain a plan to relaunch the car—with greener running gear.
Volkswagen "New Beetle"
(1998 to present)
The first retro design in mass production, this 1998 reprise tapped affection for the classic VW Beetle, last sold in the U.S. in 1979. With front-wheel-drive components from the VW Golf, the New Beetle has only its shape in common with the original. Europeans were cool to it, but U.S. sales started strong (they’re lower now). The dashboard flower vase sealed its fate as VW’s “chick car.”
Mini Cooper
(2008)
The Mini Cooper is a paradox: a revived British icon, built by a German company, and which succeeded in the U.S., where the original was largely unknown. Nevertheless, cheeky styling and superb handling—reinforced by the innovative “Let’s Motor” ad campaign—brought demand that surprised even owner BMW. Unlike VW, which has ignored the New Beetle for a decade, the company totally revised the Mini for 2008.
Fiat 500
(2008)
Launched 50 years to the day after the original “Cinquecento” was unveiled to the Italian public (it endured until 1975), the new 500 gets rave reviews for its mix of retro styling, up-to-date equipment, and jaunty performance. Underneath, it’s a dull Fiat Panda economy car, but Fiat hopes to capture the chic city dwellers who made the Mini a smash hit.
Ford GT (2004 to 2006)
The GT was created to celebrate Ford’s 2003 centennial, and perhaps to recall the company’s greatest racing triumph: its conquest of Le Mans from 1966 to 1969. Bigger, wider, and taller than the GT40 racecar it evoked, the performance was awesome for the $140,000 price. But quality problems gave it a dubious reputation among supercar buyers, and the GT fell short of its production goal of 4,500.
Shay Model A (1978 to 1982)
With more than 5,000 vehicles built by an underfunded entrepreneur in Battle Creek, Michigan, the Shay Roadster occupies a peculiar niche in auto history. Faithful to the classic 1929 Ford Model A on the outside, it could be used daily by anyone who didn’t mind a cramped two-seat convertible of variable quality.
Back to: Comeback Cars
