These Are The Cars That Deserve Retro Versions

We asked, you answered: Here are the cars that could really benefit from a new old lick of paint.

PublishedFebruary 14, 2022

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Image for article titled These Are The Cars That Deserve Retro Versions — Image: Stellantis

Sure, there’s no sense living in the past forever. But automakers like to remind us of the wonderful vehicles they’ve made over the years, so they can tug at our nostalgia bones and make more money. Earlier today we asked you what modern cars deserve retro versions or trim packages. The query got a little muddied up, as sometimes happens with Question Of The Day — so many of the responses are nameplates that should come back, or come back a certain way. That’s OK! We’re not upset about it; besides, it made for an interesting list.

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A Modern Two-Tone Pickup

I really like the retro paint jobs people are doing of F150's and Silverados.
Kinda wondering how it’d translate to a Maverick with steelies, like an old Ranger.

Totally forgot this was a thing. In fact, we need more colorful pickups in general. Ford should just delete all of the Maverick’s neutral tones. Cowards.

Submitted by: ffoc02

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A Blazer That’s Actually A Blazer

I’d be excited to buy a version of the Blazer that came with 2 doors, a V8, R/4WD, and a removable roof.
The fact that GM has just ceded this market to Bronco and Wrangler without a fight is inexplicable.

When I initially pitched this QOTD this morning, our managing editor Lalita specifically called out the Blazer as retro reintroduced wrong. I wonder if GM wishes it had a do-over.

Submitted by: V10omous

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The Other Fun Ford

rear drive ford capri with a curb weight under 3000lbs and a 2.3L ecoboost engine

The idea with this question was to take a car already on the market in some fashion and do it up in a retro tribute sort of way, but folks took it in a different direction. That’s fine, it happens; it’s on me for being too vague. But the key to being featured on Answers Of The Day is providing details. Eric told us exactly the kind of Capri he’d want to drive, and, well — who wouldn’t?

Submitted by: Eric Penn via Facebook

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A Wrangler Truly Fit For The Sahara

I know you can walk into a Jeep dealer today and buy a brand new Wrangler Sahara, and if you work the options list correctly you can get a half-decent approximation of the original Sahara, but I want them to go all the way - tans and greens, canvas seats (or whatever the original ones were made of) with the seatback pockets, the decals, all of it.
Alternatively, I know the Renegade name is taken so they’re not going to slap it on the Wrangler, but is it too much to ask to get box flares on a Jeep in the 2020's? And while we’re at it, the colour choices on the Ford Ranger Splash lack the, well, splash of the original.

You know what they say about going on safari; dressing for the safari is the most important part.

Submitted by: Maymar

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Give The A70 More Love!

Give me a retro Supra circa 1989 or so and I’ll buy it no matter how stupid the price is.*
*(not actually true)

You know, everyone’s obsessed with the A80 Supra because of Fast & Furious and Gran Turismo, but I like that Scelestus here highlighted the earlier A70 generation, with its pop-up headlamps and true fastback proportions. Visually I find these maybe a little too similar to its contemporaries at the time, like the FC3S RX-7 and Mitsubishi Starion, but I’m personally A80'd out. Toyota’s own heritage body kits on the A90 haven’t done much for me, so I’m here for this.

Submitted by: Scelestus

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I Never Considered A Two-Door 4Runner Before

2 door 4runner please

Michael keeps it short and sweet here, which is fair enough because what more needs to be said? Bronco6G estimated based its data that 63 percent of new Ford Broncos reserved before release were four-door models. However, that of course represents early adopter sales — the sort of buyers who’d want only a two-door Bronc. The Wrangler four-door versus two-door take rate is supposedly more like 80/20, so there’s no reason to think a two-door 4Runner would sell. But who cares; Toyota should do it because it’s the right thing to do, not because it makes business sense.

Submitted by: Michael Eberhard via Facebook

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Do It Better This Time

Just find a way to make a current Honda more like this one.

Of course, Honda tried this and everyone complained. But that had nothing to do with the CR-Z’s styling, which was unassailably awesome. Sometimes I wonder if corporations take the wrong message away from why things fail, and I hope Honda recognizes that people still want a car like the CR-X; they just don’t want it to be slow.

Submitted by: Forkish

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A True Volvo

I’d like to see Volvo release a retro-inspired 240: boxy, basic, safe and maybe even an EV?

You think we’re going to come out against the idea of a truly boxy, ideally brown 240 wagon? And I mean boxy. Edges so sharp you could cut yourself on them. Unfortunately, Volvo is fully luxury now and it’s hard to envision the company doing anything that could be loosely described as “basic.”

Submitted by: Kaiser Khan

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Bring Cosworth Back

Cosworth Mercedes Benz 190E.

Once upon a time, if a carmaker wanted to prove to the world that its sporty models were truly the real deal, they partnered with performance engine builders — sometimes the same ones responsible for the engines in their racing machines. I don’t care that AMG engines make 1,200 horsepower today; it hits different to see that Cosworth badge on the cover.

Submitted by: Adam Matz via Facebook

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A Lancia That Stands For Something

The retro Fulvia concept that Lancia showed a while back gets a vote for me, or the Stratos someone did a few years ago.

If there was an award for the automaker with the most untapped potential in terms of nostalgia and history that has miserably been allowed to languish for decades, it’d unquestionably go to Lancia. Supposedly the brand will soon gain new cars to partner the Ypsilon, including a Delta. If the company wants to do the Delta right, I think we all know what it needs to be.

Additionally, I’d totally forgotten about this Fulvia concept from 2003. It’s early-aughts as hell — so much so it looks like it could have been a concept from Lincoln or another American luxury brand — but it still cleans up better than most designs from that era. Remember your roots, Lancia.

Submitted by: GTB

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