The Ten Greatest Cars With Names From The Past

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Bringing back a beloved nameplate is a huge risk, but all of these cars made it look easy.


10.) MINI

Lately the MINI moniker has become a bit of an oxymoron as their cars get increasingly large, but the first and second generation Mini Coopers more than lived up to that storied name.

Like the original, huge fun came in a small package.

Suggested By: TwinCharged - Hong Kong Jalop, Photo Credit: MINI


9.) Toyota 86

The "86" in 86 (GT86 for those in Europe) refers to the classic AE86, a nod to the enthusiasts that demanded Toyota bring back cheap, RWD fun. Too bad it has to come to America as the Scion FR-S, which means nothing.

Advertisement

Suggested By: SidewaysOnDirt, Photo Credit: Toyota


8.) Fiat 500 Abarth

Fiat actually gets a twofer here by reviving both the 500 name for its retro city car, and the name of the legendary tuning firm Abarth for the hotter 500.

Advertisement

Abarth made excellent road and race cars for Fiat, Autobianchi, Lancia, and Porsche, so seeing its name reused makes car nerds very happy.

Advertisement

Suggested By: Tipo Stradale Fever, Photo Credit: Fiat


7.) Honda S2000

One of Honda's first road cars was the S500 roadster, known for its tiny 500cc inline four that revved to 8,000 RPM. Completely new territory for a road car from 1963.

Advertisement

Honda brought back the name and the spirit of that car with the S2000, creating another legend.

Suggested By: Datsun73, Photo Credit: Honda


6.) Dodge Challenger/Charger

With 707 hp in Hellcat trim, the Challenger and Charger more than live up to the muscle car cache of their namesakes.

Advertisement

Suggested By: XYCromersome/ezeolla, Photo Credit: Dodge


5.) Shelby GT350

The original Shelby GT35o was the first, and certainly one of the best track-focused Mustangs ever made, so the new one has quite a lot to live up with.

Advertisement

With a flat-plane 500+ hp V8, and all kinds of weight reduction in GT350R form, it seems like the new car won't be much of a disappointment at all.

Suggested By: Sportwagen, Manual Diesel Man!, Photo Credit: Ford


4.) Aston Martin Lagonda

Aston Martin revived this British luxury car marque twice – first in 1976 for a stunning, if finicky sedan, and again in 2014 for a gorgeous, limited production four-door.

Advertisement

Some people think the Lagonda is one of the worst cars ever made; they're wrong.

Suggested By: mallthus, Photo Credit: Aston Martin


3.) Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

Chevrolet took a huge risk naming the C7 after the greatest 'Vette ever, but thankfully the new Corvette wears the badge with honor.

Advertisement

Suggested By: JLZ06, Photo Credit: Chevrolet


2.) Ferrari 288 GTO

Ferrari went on a bit of a retro naming kick in the '80s with the Mondial and Testarossa, but those cars pale in comparison to the insane 288 GTO.

Advertisement

Since The 288 GTO (Gran Turismo Omologato) was supposed to be a homologation special for Group B rally, it was named for Ferrari's other legendary homologation car, the 250 GTO.

Suggested By: RazoE, Photo Credit: Ferrari


1.) Audi R8

What's better than naming your new sports car after your incredibly successful Le Mans winning race car? Not much that I can think of.

Advertisement

Well done, Audi.

Suggested By: DCV, Photo Credit: Audi

Welcome back to Answers of the Day - our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day's Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It's by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!

Advertisement

Top Photo Credit: Ferrari