[GTO]

Awesome thread.

Here are two from one of my favourite car guys - Bob Lutz. Also the man responsible for the insane Dodge Viper.

Prowler:

Source

PT Cruiser, was an incredible sales success:

Source

If you haven't read up on this amazing man, I suggest you do. Bob Lutz has also written a couple of interesting books. He is a rare straight-shooter in the auto industry:

Source

I think Ford got the modern Thunderbird's styling right:

Source & good comments

A bit OT. An example of retrostyling done horribly wrong! Absolutely tasteless job by Maruti:

[Cessna182]

The Nissan Figaro could be an interesting addition to this list.



https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niss...20hand%20drive.

It was launched in the late 1980s as a modern car styled along the classic car lines. It was inspired by many cars, as is outlined in the Wikipedia article. There are a few reviews of this car on YouTube and it is a fascinating watch.

https://youtu.be/HE2dKZ492TA

[carthick1000]

Isetta & Microlino

[saur95]

Just like Fiat did an amazing job revisiting the Fiat 500 the first time round, I think the latest 500 Electric is just a fabulous evolution of it. Would have one in Cabrio form as a city runabout (The 500 was always destined for electrification, considering it's typical usage pattern), especially considering how good it is as an electric car and not just a piece of fashion. Just delicious.

I prefer black on cars but would have this in the baby blue metallic with creamy light beige interiors. Haters be hating.

Here's Jonny Smith reviewing it :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSwvQE0tgyM

Images courtesy their respective owners.

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Originally Posted by ajmat

...

Stratos apart, none of the others are actually retro styled modern cars , that are remanufactured and refitted with modern equipment

I'd echo Ajmat, though jaw droppingly gorgeous, things like the Automobili Amos Delta Integrale or the Eagle E type Speedster in particular - these are restomods. By that reckoning you'd have to include the Cyan P1800..


..based off the original Volvo P1800 (a nice example I found taking a detour through a quiet lane recently)


From what I understand this thread is going after modern, basically new vehicles that adopt the industry wide design trend that some have dubbed for ease of use, retro-cool (correct me if I'm wrong). So those include a lot of the examples from the early posts indeed.

I think folks have covered a lot of the famous examples that stand to mind for sure. Personally I'm a huge fan of retro-cool being the avenue pursued for a lot of EVs. For instance I find the Honda E achingly chic (they just priced the damn thing too high) and I like where Renault is going with the new Renault 5 inspired EV. It's a great counter point to the tepid designs of some EVs, or those that feel compelled with every physical surface treatment/styling to scream their EV credentials in your face.

I think some brands more than others are ripe for the picking when it comes to being able to take inspiration from the back catalogue for a modern take. Lancia is the first that comes to mind (anyone that deigns to make a modern Fulvia would likely be swamped with fan mail from petrolheads).

Trying to think of another example that hasn't been covered I went with the VW bus.


However with the ID Buzz electric van, while you can see the inspiration from the original, I don't think it does quite as good a job.


Which brings me to my closing point. I'd argue that the VW bus, the ID Buzz is retro-inspired, whereas something like a Fiat 500 or the Jimny, actually nails the retro design remit off the bat. This is the tricky part of course because it's a sliding scale for how far you're willing to make the threshold between being a homage to retro design or an actual retro design.

To demonstrate my point:
Aston's recent Victor


and it's inspiration or predecessor if you will, the 70s Vantage

(NOTE: rear angle might make the parallels even clearer)

And as a final aside, it brings up the question, surely then one offs and concepts can't count? And I'd agree, I'd limit this to production examples (tricky then with the Victor, it has been produced but just the one sadly).

Promise, final example just because they hit a home run on the retro brief here:
Peugeot e Legend based off the 504 coupe

[ruturajv]

Found this article - very much pointing towards the sinusoidal trends - https://arstechnica.com/cars/2021/01...ro-car-design/

[starke]

I know, the front has diverse opinions, but I'm happy that it retained the rear as the classic one

[1.2TSI7DSG]

Originally Posted by GTO

Awesome thread.


A bit OT. An example of retrostyling done horribly wrong! Absolutely tasteless job by Maruti:
Attachment 2110408

By retro style means relating to the original body shape... Launch a zen in the sweet dimensions and shape it was available with led lights, K10/K12/Boosterjet motor, ABS, airbags, I have a hunch that people will line up to buy it over any other cars of Suzuki. Jimny is the correct example from the Suzuki stable

[railfanwithk750]

Originally Posted by 1.2TSI7DSG

By retro style means relating to the original body shape... Launch a zen in the sweet dimensions and shape it was available with led lights, K10/K12/Boosterjet motor, ABS, airbags, I have a hunch that people will line up to buy it over any other cars of Suzuki. Jimny is the correct example from the Suzuki stable

The Ignis should also quality as a retro, considering it was a modern take on a SS80. Whether the Ignis got it right, is another debate!

[Jeroen]

Thanks for this thread. Interesting topic.

And of course highly debatable about what one considers “got it right”.
What would be interesting is to compare numbers produced, or probably even better market share on the original versus the retro styled version. If anything market succes would be an indication if the public at large felt the respective manufacturer got it right.

There is not doubt in my mind that every retrostyled car is much better car than the original, based on criteria like safety, emissions, comfort, speed, acceleration and so on. All the boring stuff. They are all much bigger, if not to say bloated, and heavier. Which tends to have an impact on how visually pleasing they are, or not. Especially sitting next to the original. Not so sure on price, because that really needs to be seen in context and period. To some extend related to my earlier point as to how big a market succes it was. Are these retrostyled cars still targeting the same audience? I don’t think so, at least not all.

But what is much more difficult to capture and describe is the kind of emotion the original versus its newer version creates.

Then the “got if right” factor is likely to be a lot less for some of these cars.

When I look at all these cars here, when it comes to the emotional factor I would say the new Renault Alpine is miles ahead of anything else. I have driven both versions. Well admittedly, the original only as a passenger as there is no way I could get my 1,93 folded into the drivers seat and my legs underneath the steering/dash. The retro style is still a relatively small car, not too much power, very little modern convenience and no driver assist stuff. Whereas the original Alpine was an absolute hoot to drive, made a huge mark in Rallying at the time, the new version is just that; a better version of the original. But it still adhere to the original principle of simplicity and road performance. It is like driving the original, in a more plush cabin and even better, more enjoyable, unassisted driving! This is a car that you will be driving going sideways more often than going straight! That is what the original was made for and the retro styled new version still does it too, even a bit better!

The Mazda MX5, in my book, comes a close second to the Alpine, for identical reasons.

I have also driven just about every version of the Mini, from an original series 1 to the latest version. Can't compare the two I find.

I guarantee, anybody that steps into an original Mini will enjoy it, big smile on your face. You don’t need to be a petrol head for that. And it was like that when the original was introduced. The current Mini is just a nice car, but does not evoke any special emotion. Just another transportation pod.

In my opinion, the absolute worst retrostyle cars is the VW Beetle. Although I don’t have the market figures for the new Beetle, we can all agree that the new Beetle was not anywhere close to the original ones, in terms of popularity and numbers sold.

My very first car was a VW Beetle, I bought from the money I earned doing a paper round and working in a toy/hobby shop. Even by the standards in those days (we are talking 1978) it was a spectacular bad car in terms of road holding, fuel efficiency, safety, comfort and fuel efficiency. Ever tried to demist the front window, in a car with a rear engine, air cooled? It can't be done.

But nobody cared because it had bags of character as they say.

The new VW Beetle is based on the VW platform and powertrains. So actually a pretty darn good car, but as a package it does not evoke any special emotion for most people.

My daughter liked it. So I bought one for a few hundred dollars from a student who could not get it running anymore. Towed it home to our house in Kansas City and fixed it (broken cranksensor). My daughter drove it for a few weeks when she came to visit us. Then I sold it on. Neither she, nor I, have any special memories.

I must admit I have high hopes for the Bronco. So far everything I have seen on paper looks good! fingers crossed.

Jeroen

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Originally Posted by Jeroen

When I look at all these cars here, when it comes to the emotional factor I would say the new Renault Alpine is miles ahead of anything else.

The Mazda MX5, in my book, comes a close second to the Alpine, for identical reasons.

In my opinion, the absolute worst retrostyle cars is the VW Beetle.

Have to agree, Renault did a fantastic job with the new Alpine. They kept to the shape, style and ethos of the original in terms of not going overboard trying to put silly amounts of power in it. My only worry there is the decision to make Alpine a sub brand by itself. I personally don't see the point (from their own stable, reviving Datsun was folly on Ghosn's part. Similarly I don't understand why Cupra had to become a separate brand instead of the warmed up SEAT sub brand, anyway I digress).

I think the MX5 can't be called retrostyled but it definitely falls under what I was going with retro-inspired. That's a model line that thankfully hasn't strayed far from the roots of the original and all the credit for it. It's rare for car makers not to give in to feature creep and bloat with successive generations (take the current Polo as an example, it's as big as Mk 1 and 2 Golfs were!).

I've always found the Beetle a silly looking car. IMO it's up there with the PT Cruiser in terms of ugly vehicles but the early 2000s revival Did get the retro-style of the original Bug I'll admit.

On that note I just passed another modern example I think perfectly captures the way to get retro right in a modern car.
Take the original Twingo - an absolutely delightful little car I had a lot of fun pootling about in in Germany (it's shockingly stable on the autobahn - basically a glorified go kart with the wheels at the corners and a huge glass house).


And the current Twingo which for me does a good job capturing the bug eyed charm of the original. I'm a huge fan of it, for me being about the same size as the Fiat 500, it's a genuine contender for a cool modern city runabout.


It's intriguing how far back brands are going to draw inspiration for their retro designs. Considering the original Twingo was very much a product of the 90s I wonder if there are going to be other 90s icons being resurrected.

[GrandTourer]

I know it says retrostyled modern cars, but can we include bikes too?

Just look at this. Classic British styling from the 70s, with a modern touch.



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