As automotive technology advances at breakneck speed, manufacturers often decide to break the cycle and look to the past for inspiration. The resulting retro cars create the legacy of the automotive brand, and our own sense of nostalgia often gathers loyal enthusiast followings. The old-school design theme makes us stand out from the most popular cars of recent years and in this article we will show you the best retro cars.
What is a retro car? Like it or hate it, retro style has been a consistent theme throughout the history of automotive design. People's imaginations of new cars are inevitably shaped by the past, but most new models emerge to at least reflect modern aesthetics or even establish new visuals to help define the future.
Sometimes car designers go completely retro, deliberately and obviously looking back to history to recreate classic design themes. Modern technology combined with classic design themes is an unreplicable design concept that has been constantly revisited in different cars over the years.
? MINI?
MINI is a classic example of a retro reproduction of a popular A popular model. The original Mini actually went through seven generations, starting in 1959, built by BMC, British Leyland and Rover until production ended in 2000. Then BMW came along and broke the line with the 2001 retro remake.
This "new" mini car reinterprets classic design themes from the original, both inside and out, but it The exterior is much larger and more modern. Today, MINI is not just a car, but a car brand. These retro design themes have been applied to estates, sports cars, sports cars, and SUVs in recent years, often to the dismay of purists.
The three-door hatchback remains at the heart of the range, from the MINI Electric to the latest 2-seater, the John Cooper Works GP hot hatch (concept car), the car and brand are still riding the wave of retro success.
? Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG?
Mercedes’ classic 300SL, S AMG Gullwing cars, from the 1950s, mix old-school muscle with advanced technology and cool retro lines.
Mercedes did a very thorough job of referencing the classic 50s 300SL gullwing, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Mimicking the proportions of the original, with its long hood and short tail, it also has its details, the grille and those unique side vents. The gull-wing doors open via pneumatic struts but must be closed manually and can detach to allow passengers to exit if the car ends up on the roof.
Despite the presence of AMG's 6.2-liter V8 engine, its curb weight reaches 1,619 kilograms. The powerful engine outputs 563 horsepower to the rear wheels, and the base model reaches 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, and if the traction rope is released on the track, it will reach 315 km/h. The power of the Black Series will be as high as 622 horsepower, and the SLS AMG electric drivetrain provided by Mercedes will provide 740 horsepower and 1000Nm of torque.
? Land Rover Defender?
The design of the Land Rover Defender is not so much retro as it is just an old model. The Defender and previous Land Rover models have been popular in rural Britain for decades.
From the Land Rover range of the late 1940s to the '90' and '110' models that took the Defender name in 1991 and lasted until 2016, not much has changed.
The Defender's design is undeniably iconic, it's the kind of car that's instantly recognizable from almost any angle, painted or not usually a thick layer of mud. The new Defender certainly continues that theme, with elements clearly rooted in its past, but it's easily Land Rover's most dramatic redesign to date.
The Defender has become a true utility vehicle, in the sense that the inherent toughness and capability of its predecessors are now Already has a patina of quality and comfort. It breaks with the past in some ways, but it enables the car to compete effectively with pure off-roaders and family SUVs.
? BMW Z8?
BMW launched the Z8 in 2000 as a tribute to the 1956 507. When the V8-engined sports car was launched in 2000, it looked like it had jumped out of that era. Before production was discontinued in 2003, more than 5,700 units had been sold.
The graceful curves of the Z8 were designed by Henrik Fisker. The car previewed the Z07 concept car at the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show, a design that cleverly redesigned the 507. The biggest surprise when the Z8 finally emerged was how closely it integrated with the concept car.
With the E39 BMW M5's 394bhp V8 engine sitting on the front of the car and asking price of ￡86,000, it has been criticized for not fully delivering, either as a luxury cruiser or as a hard-core car. Nuclear sports car. The fact that it was only available in left-hand drive also affected its sales in other countries.
In the end, the Z8 got the last laugh, as those classic sports car looks and a starring role in the 1999 James Bond film The World Is Not Enough helped secure the There will never be a shortage of people who want to own one.
? Ford Mustang?
Since the Ford Mustang first went on the market in 1965, the Ford Mustang has grown into a Impactful cars. It's one of the models that helped carve muscle cars into American automotive folklore, and even some pretty bloated iterations over the past few years have done little to tarnish the brand.
Happily, the latest 6th generation Ford Mustang, launched in 2015, has clearly returned to form. Even in the UK, the performance of the Mustang is not easy to beat, and there are fewer and fewer cars with the same heritage and nostalgia.
The current car design has a modern edge, but familiar Mustang elements are present, including a 2.3-liter ecoboost turbo The gasoline engine outputs 310 horsepower. Of course, if you are extremely thirsty for a V8 engine, the latest 10-speed automatic transmission can accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers in 4.3 seconds, with a maximum output of 435 horsepower.
? Alpine A110?
The new Alpine A110 launched in 2017, its appearance and concept can be traced back to the 1960s s A110. The resurrection of automobile brands from the dead is nothing new. Building a product from scratch that resonates with buyers is a daunting task, so it makes sense for manufacturers to delve into their history books and get a head start by repurposing a once-famous name. What's unique is that when a brand returns, its model has received widespread acclaim with the Alpine A110.
Alpine can trace its roots back to the mid-1950s, when it began building its own sports cars based on Renault components, with the A110 Produced in 1961 based on a similar formula. The rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-door coupe was built until 1977, and Alpine completed its last A610 production until 1995. In 2017, the Alpine brand returned to action in a new factory in the Alps.
With its mid-engine, rear-wheel drive and sporty aluminum body, the new car closely echoes the A110's early models. It was a huge hit among car fans and was named runner-up in the 2019 European Car of the Year Award. Its smoothness and balance make it a joy to drive, and its standard 249bhp 1.8-litre turbocharged engine gives the 1100kg car a real turn of speed. The distinctive hunched silhouette and dual headlights are a direct reference to the A110's ancestors.
? Fiat 500?
The cute retro appearance of Fiat 500 has always attracted buyers, Because the mk2 version was launched in 2007. Launched in 1957, the Fiat 500's design helped form the template for the modern city car. A small, cheap Italian speedster, then re-created in a modern, ultra-retro-shaped version of the 2007 mk2. Fiat's skill with its entertainment is in sticking to the impossibly cute original, while growing the car's extra practicality and adding the refinement and technology modern buyers expect - even at the lower end of the market.
The modern Fiat 500 was such a huge success for Fiat that the company is still making and selling them, even as we enter the old town The next chapter in the automotive story.
An all-new, all-electric MK3 Fiat 500 has now been revealed. The new design further refreshed the look, but the curved bodywork and circular light logo were at the heart of the original success. Power now comes from a distinctly non-retro 42kWh battery pack that delivers 199 miles of range between charges.
? Porsche 911?
Since the 1960s, Porsche has maintained the consistent style of the 911, but retro Technology under the lines has evolved rapidly, keeping this coupe at the top of the sports car class. The Porsche 911 may be the ultimate icon of the sports car world, perhaps the ultimate example of a car that maintains an unbreakable bond with its design roots while pushing the boundaries of technology. When you see 911, you know what it is. Of the many versions, specifications and generations launched in Stuttgart starting in 1963, it's hard to tell exactly which one you're dealing with.
The 911 evolved rather than revolutionized it, with each generation taking a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout and pushing it towards performance. new heights, while carefully handling proportions and design elements that have been present for many years.
The latest 992-generation car is unmistakably a 911, from its oval headlights, powerful haunches and trademark curved roofline. Under the skin, though, there's a twin-turbo flat-six combined with an 8-speed PDK gearbox and construction that relies heavily on aluminum to save weight. It's every inch a modern sports car, yet it's fully attuned to its glorious heritage.
?Mercedes-Benz G-Class?
Mercedes created a monster when it designed the G-Class in the 1970s , but the original rugged off-roader has successfully achieved gentrification in the years since. There is no doubt that the Mercedes G-Class is an uncompromising off-road vehicle that will serve both military and civilian purposes on the harshest terrains. Somehow, since its launch in 1979, it has become a status symbol and urban fashion statement.
Although the interior has become more and more luxurious and the engine installation has become more and more powerful, it has always retained the boxy shape of the G-Wagen Vintage look. Today's G-Class is the W463 version, which comes with a premium cabin packed with the latest Mercedes-Benz technology. A pair of 12.3-inch digital displays form the dashboard, and the quality of materials reflects the ￡90,000 opening price.
It's not all style over substance, though, as the G-Class can go off-road, even if its wealthy owners generally don't. It has three locking differentials, a low-range gearbox and can ford water depths up to 700mm. Power comes from the G350d's 3.0-liter inline-six diesel engine, or the AMG G63 version's powerful 4.0-liter V8. The latter produces 577 horsepower and has a 0-62 mph time of 4.5 seconds.
?Honda e?
When Honda designed the Honda e electric vehicle, it went directly back to the original design of the 1970s. Civic hatchback. Even as they look toward the future, automakers have a hard time resisting the urge to look to the past for inspiration. The Honda e is Honda's signature car, a fully electric city car that showcases the technology the brand hopes will power it for decades to come, but whose design is unashamedly retro.
The Honda e takes styling cues directly from the first-generation Honda Civic in the 1970s, with its round headlights located The rear taillights feature a similar pattern in the full-width front grille. Inside, a large touchscreen spanning the entire dashboard complements the old-school wood veneer.
The Honda e has an electric motor at the rear that drives the rear wheels. The car is equipped with a premium battery that delivers 152 horsepower and a 0-100 km/h sprint of 8.0 seconds. Honda claims a range of 219km using a 7kW wall charger, but a 100kW fast charger can boost range to 80% in 30 minutes.
?Suzuki Jimny?
Suzuki’s Jimny has enjoyed a revival in the guise of its fourth generation. This small The SUV returns to its roots through its square, retro styling, which brings it into the eyes of fashionable urban buyers. Jimny is a classic small and practical four-wheel drive vehicle from Suzuki. This model has been produced since 1970 and has maintained a clear design theme. There has been a strong resurgence of interest in the Jimny since the brand released the fourth-generation Jimny in 2018, largely due to its return to the ultra-boxy retro lines that characterized earlier Jimny models.
In a market where small SUVs are proliferating at an alarming rate, the Jimny manages to stand out and stay true to its roots as a small, go-anywhere vehicle. and 4x4 models. Unlike most of its rivals, this car is still capable off-road, thanks to a rugged ladder-frame chassis and ALLGRIP Pro 4x4 system with low-boom settings.
This focus on all-terrain capability makes the Jimny a bit rough around the edges, with the 101bhp 1.5-litre petrol cruising quickly, steering slowly and over bumps. It's quite noisy when driving.
Retro done well is a good thing. The creators of our favorite retro cars manage to embellish a strong engineering foundation with a good old-school aesthetic, producing something that works on every level, but no amount of historical references can save a foundation Bad car. Even Volkswagen's attempt to create its own retro-style success story failed.
Introduced in 1998, the New Beetle looked like a convincing visual modernization of a classic VW design, but mountains of headroom and a flower-powered vase on the dashboard didn't stop it from feeling like its own from the steering wheel. Mk4 golf donor car.
And retro is not limited to the upper echelons of the sports car market. Caterham 7 was not included, mainly because its current design is not a recreation or a reference to the original.
The editor has something to say: No matter what, these typical retro models are more of a kind of sentiment, a kind of persistence, and even innovation. They have made meticulous innovations in details that you can’t see. Provide you with an irresistible desire to buy and own. Are you excited about these cars?