Friday, August 14, 2009

Friday Fun Thread: Retro Wish List

After last week's list of Top Ten best American Retro cars, commenter Rick in NY had a simply brilliant idea:
Maybe you can do a list of old cars that should be brought back, and ones that definitely should not...

Well, the list of cars that should not be brought back is long and distinguished - hell, 90% or greater of the cars from the 1980s and 1990s should be left on the junk pile of history. So this week's Top Ten list will contain the top ten American vehicles we wish they'd bring back as retro cars.

1. 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air. You'll notice that the '57 Chevy makes the top of many of my lists. That's for a good reason. The real danger of remaking the '57 is that Chevy, being a part of Government Motors, would screw it up six ways to Sunday (automatic transmission, V6, etc.)

2. Ford Model A. Especially if they put a really souped up Lincoln motor in it. Give it a high-output V6 or rumbly V8, market it like the Chevy HHR, and watch the sales of the other guy's retro-crossovers plummet.

3. Dodge Lil Red Express Truck. There's not a lot they'd have to do to bring this one to market except design the first stepside body for the Ram since the 1970s. Put in the 390+ HP Hemi, wood accents, and double stack exhaust in the bed and it's done.

4. Chevy Nomad. This one's a little trickier, because I'd like to see it based on the Dodge Magnum rather than anything offered by GM. Imagine a Magnum with two doors (off the Challenger, perhaps) and trim B & C pillars. Man, that's a sexy grocery-getter...

5. Studebaker Golden Hawk. Why? Because it's different. Because it's not the run-of-the-mill car from the 1950s or 60s. It's not a Bel Air, or a Fairlane, or even a 300. Put out one of these babies with modern accoutrements and the "What was THAT?" factor would be through the roof...

6. Willy's Jeepster. With the new four door Wrangler body, it seems like it would be pretty easy to recreate the Jeepster with a contemporary feel to it. It absolutely must have the spare tire on the back, too, otherwise it doesn't count.

7. Ford Torino GT. No, not the Starsky & Hutch Gran Torino, but the late 1960s/early 1970s Torino GT, particularly the Cobra edition. Since the Mustang and the Thunderbird have already received their retro-stylings, the Torino would be a worthy project for the puddinheads at Ford to try next...

8. Plymouth Business Coupe. Once again, I'll admit to a personal bias on this one - my grandfather had, up until the 1980s, a 1936 "Plymouth Brothers" Business Coupe that was sitting in a barn on the property. I can't begin to count the hours I spent behind the wheel of that car, driving across the country, if only in my mind...

9. Nash Metropolitan. Because, really, if we're going to have to deal with tiny little cars again, they can at least be cool-looking tiny little cars. Besides, I'd like to drive Mr. Incredible's car... Plus it would be interesting to see how they'd shoehorn a backseat into it...

10. El Camino. Man, I'll bet if you brought back the 1970s El Camino with modern updates it'd sell like crazy. Give it a hotrod V8, a hard tonneau cover, and a Borg-Warner six-speed, and MAN... And yes, I'm aware that there's rumors of a Pontiac version being bandied about...


So there's my Top Ten List of cars I'd like to see brought back in modern form. Any one of these retro-builds would make a fine addition to any car maker's "boutique" line IMHO.

What cars would you like to see brought back with updated touches?

That is all.

11 comments:

Bob said...

+1 on the Nash. I'd love to have one.

scotaku said...

Chevy Biscayne. And I have no idea why.

BobG said...

I'm old-fashioned; just give me one of these.

Anonymous said...

Jay, they already remake the '57 Chevy. http://www.1957chevybody.com is one company (they make a '55 as well). http://www.fresemotorcars.com is another.
Not on your list, but another cool remake is the '54 Chevy pickup. http://www.southernmotorcompany.com

Jay G said...

Mopar,

That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about a from-the-factory offering, like the 2002 Ford Thunderbird or the Plymouth Prowler.

Although Top Ten Kit cars would be a HELLUVA good list. I'd have to come up with donor frames/motors/etc. too...

Anonymous said...

Jay, look again. They may not be from the (not so big anymore) Big 3, but they are all offered as turn-key autos. Plop down a ton of money, and drive off with a brand new 57 Chebby, with modern driveline, suspension, safety etc.

Oh, and one more to the list which might be a bit more in line with your thinking. The n2a Motors 789: http://www.n2amotors.com
It's a brand new corvette driveline with a body that has design elements of the '57, '58, and '59 Chevy.

Weer'd Beard said...

With all the Aussie RWD cars selling so well here these days, how about bringing the Aussie Ford Falcon over here and giving it a retro job from it's XB days!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Australian_Ford_Falcon.jpg

FUCK YEAH!

Sigivald said...

Didn't the original '57 Chevies have a choice of two automatics and two straight sixes?

A modern V6 is probably in every useful way superior to the V8s of 1957 - the higher end Hyundai Santa Fe produces more horsepower and nearly as much torque.

Embrace the improvements in engines these past 52 years!

Anonymous said...

But the V8 technology has advanced just as much in the last 50+ years. Yet even more horsepower and torque then the smaller sixes, and they pour on the steam at a lower rpm, which has an effect on seat-of-the-pants feel.

SCI-FI said...

I heard that the Pontiac G8 Truck-amino was cancelled before the line was ever set up. And now that Government Motors owns the deal, I wouldn't expect it to return. Unless Korea-envoy WJC gets nostalgic...

Jim said...

My Dad had a black n' white Nash Metropolitan, 'bout the time I was in the 2nd through 4th grade. Call it about 1965 ish or so.

The back seat-back on that had a latch at the top, and was hinged at the bottom. Folded inward, towards the front seats. Might not have been the first trunk pass-through, but it's a condender.

Turn signal was a sliding tab atop the hub of the steering wheel. Yep, you reached to the wheel-center to activate it.

The thing was cool-on-wheels, even then.


Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX