Hey, remember the 80s? Or the 60s? Or the 40s? Here are the ten totally retro rides you budding retronauts thought were most indicative of the past.
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10.) Checker Marathon/A11
Suggested By: dmoon
Why It's Retro: Once a mainstay on the streets of New York City, the Checker has since been relegated to the history books and replaced by Crown Vics, Toyota Siennas, and an assortment of other hybrid options. Cars that were once the iconic choice for taxis are now no more. The few purchased for civilian use are odd ducks as well. Their mid-50's styling and fairly horrible aerodynamics doomed them to irrelevance, but they're so big and so iconic you can't help but feel nostalgic.
Photo credit: Checker Icon
9.) Jaguar XJ
Suggested By: ssrock64
Why It's Retro: Though it's more modern looking than nearly any Jag that came before it, the overall look and feel of the car hadn't changed from 1968 to 2009. Big, luxurious sedans with large greenhouses and larger engines were the order of the day for 41 years until the line was updated with a completely new, completely modern looking car. That old shape is immediately recognizable however, and immediately conjures up thoughts of 1970's style and guys with mustaches.
8.) 1955 Lincoln Futura
Suggested By: Quattro-luvr
Why It's Retro: The space age rocketship-themed styling immediately put the Futura squarely in the 1950's. Not that that's a bad thing- it still looks awesome, just not like we imagine the future to be now. The one original Futura created by FoMoCo in the 1950's wound up in the hands of legendary hotrodder and customizer George Barris. Some years later it would transform into the first Batmobile, destroying one retro automotive legend and creating another.
Photo credit: autogaleria.hu
7.) Cord 810
Suggested By: The Second Spitter
Why It's Retro:Despite a few modern styling cues — the covered headlights and headers, concealed door hinges and rear-opening hood — the 810 is still clearly of its pre-War era. It's no less cool than it was on the day it was unveiled at the New York Auto Show in November of 1935, but seeing one on the street is like instantly walking into a Raymond Chandler novel.
Photo credit: The Confident Pilot
6.) Morgan Plus 4
Suggested By: mkbruin
Why It's Retro: The Plus 4 is just one specific example of the retromobiles produced by the Morgan Motor Company. With cars built on wooden frames with only lightly modified aesthetics, Morgan is no doubt the most retro of any car maker around. But that's why we love them. A bunch of British craftsmen in a shed, building the same cars their fathers made decades ago makes for a company that is easy to appreciate. The fact that the cars are still good helps too.
5.) Nissan Figaro
Suggested By: Dirt Pirate
Why It's Retro: Do you really have to ask? The Figaro debuted in 1991. It looks like it's from 1965. It's just about as retro as it gets (without being a Morgan). There were exactly 20,000 built, and they were only available in four colors. They also look like they could be blown away by a stiff breeze. And as neo-retro begins to fade away, it's sort of doubly retro.
4.) Subaru XT
Suggested By: Scrubcakes
Why It's Retro: More 80s than Max Headroom singing Wham songs, the sharper-is-better Ginsu era of design is fully on display with the first generation XT. Even better, on the inside the XT featured a joystick-mounded transmission button, psuedo-3D orange graphic LCD display and a digital readout. It's a perfect accessory for your calculator watch.
3.) AMC Pacer
Suggested By: fhrblig
Why It's Retro: The jellybean shape can mean only one thing: hello 70s. With ample room for your bell-bottomed friends, the Pacer is definitely a car of its era... mostly because the future didn't embrace the idea. Like most icons of the 1970s, it's great in moderation.
2.) Lamborghini Countach
Suggested By: NomadaNare
Why It's Retro: It doesn't matter if the car was first built in the 1970s, there's nothing more 80s than a Lamborghini Countach. It's Reagen-era excessive and the design, though attractive at the time, hasn't aged well. It's like the Cybil Shepard of cars. Anybody want some coke?
1.) 1957 Chrysler Imperial
Suggested By: Buster Brew
Why It's Retro: Retro is often good, and the best example of this is the 1957 Chrysler Imperial, seen here as a Ghia-designed limousine. When Chrysler was on their game, they were fantastic. Every angle screams "America on the rise." If you want to know why we won the Cold War, look no further than the wonderfully late 50s Imperial.
Photo credit: AutoHistorian