Back to the Future: Retro Cars and Nameplates Coming Back In 2021
This year, there are going to be a ton of old names flooding the market.
The retro car design trend may have peaked in the mid-2000s with stuff like the Volkswagen New Beetle, Chrysler PT Cruiser, and the decade's then-new Ford Mustang roaming America's streets, but that doesn't mean the idea is dead. Automakers are just a little more careful about going back to the well these days, often just resurrecting classic names rather than trying to make a new car look like a modern interpretation of an old one. The retro design trend is heating back up, with a slew of well-known nameplates returning to the market and some even carrying heritage-inspired styling. Here are old car names you can expect to see return to new vehicles in 2021:
Volkswagen ID Buzz (née Microbus)
Volkswagen has been toying with the idea of bringing back the famous Type 2 microbus for 20 years now, and it's finally happening . Modern crash regulations made it a serious challenge, as did finding a place for a modern engine, but the move to an all-electric foundation has finally made it possible to build a van that looks worthy of the heritage. It's just too bad they're sticking with the silly ID naming convention.
GMC Hummer EV
Hummer is back , but it's complicated. No longer a standalone brand, it'll now be sold as a GMC model. Oh, and did we mention it's an electric car now? That's right, forget the gas hogs of old. This one runs on batteries, big ones. Big enough for 400 miles of range and the ability to hit 60 mph in three seconds flat. Plus, air suspension, four-wheel steering, and big chunky tires for serious off-roading.
Land Rover Defender 90
If you live overseas, the Defender never really went away, but the new one is so radically different it's hard to remember how long the old one lasted. The Defender launched in 2020 as a four-door model (and promptly won our SUV of the Year award ), and now the two-door 90 model is coming for 2021. Shorter length and wheelbase will make it the more capable off-roader of the family, and it just looks cooler, too.
Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer
This is a case of just the name and spirit being revived, not the design. The new Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer will look like thoroughly modern Jeeps despite their famous names. In the spirit of their ancestors, they'll be the most luxurious models Jeep offers, not to mention the biggest and most spacious. No word yet on whether the wood paneling option is coming back, but don't bet on it.
Ford Mustang Mach 1
Here's another classic name revived for a modern car. While the current Mustang has a lot of retro cues, it's come a long way from the super-retro model of the mid-2000s. Now, with the Shelby GT350 model going out of production, the Mach 1 name is being brought back to identify the second-highest performance Mustang. No supercharged engine like the mighty GT500, but plenty of handling and aerodynamic upgrades to make it a serious sports car in its own right.
Ram Dakota
The old Dodge Dakota died right about the time Ram became a truck brand rather than a model. Midsize trucks are desirable again, and parent company Stellantis (nee FCA) has already invested in the Jeep Gladiator, so even though they're not calling it the Dakota yet, we know a midsize Ram model is coming. It'll be less off-road focused than the Jeep and aimed instead at the Ford Ranger, Chevrolet Colorado, and Toyota Tacoma.
Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
While several automakers are bringing back classic names that've been dormant for years or even decades, others are giving their living legends a total rethink. The Mercedes-Benz SL-Class has been around continuously since the 1950s, but the current generation has fallen out of the spotlight. Benz plans to fix that with a little help from AMG , including a new platform derived from the AMG GT Coupe, a 2+2 four-seat configuration, and new styling.
Nissan Z
As best we can tell, the Nissan Z Proto was built out of an existing 370Z , but it takes a sharp eye to notice . It's a smart business move from Nissan, which only has one rear-drive car platform left and isn't in the financial position to be engineering an all-new one for such a low-volume segment. Still, with new retro-inspired body work, a new twin-turbo engine, and some modern chassis upgrades, the new Z car should reignite excitement in the long-running sports car.
Audi TT EV
The Audi TT made an enormous fashion statement when it first arrived on the scene, but it's gotten less and less attention as its evolved over the last two decades. Audi's got a plan to put it back on the map, and like Hummer, it involves batteries. Audi's completely reimagining the TT as an all-electric two-seat roadster in the same vein as the original Tesla Roadster. Details are scarce right now, but we know what the platform underneath is capable of, so we expect good things.
Jaguar XJ EV
Like Audi, Jaguar is completely rethinking its flagship XJ luxury sedan . Long powered by eight- and even 12-cylinder engines, the big car has gone a radical transformation into an all-electric fashion statement . Jag has kept the car under tight wrap, but we expect big range, big performance, and big luxury from the brand's cornerstone.
Ford Bronco
Years in the making and the waiting, the Ford Bronco is finally back and it's the real deal. Not just an old name applied to a new vehicle, and not just retro styling thrown over an existing model, the new 2021 Bronco is built to uphold its reputation . With four-wheel drive, big tires, off-road suspension, and optional manual transmission, it's got all the hardware it needs to stick it to the Jeep Wrangler off-road.
Were you one of those kids who taught themselves to identify cars at night by their headlights and taillights? I was. I was also one of those kids with a huge box of Hot Wheels and impressive collection of home-made Lego hot rods. I asked my parents for a Power Wheels Porsche 911 for Christmas for years, though the best I got was a pedal-powered tractor. I drove the wheels off it. I used to tell my friends I’d own a “slug bug” one day. When I was 15, my dad told me he would get me a car on the condition that I had to maintain it. He came back with a rough-around-the-edges 1967 Volkswagen Beetle he’d picked up for something like $600. I drove the wheels off that thing, too, even though it was only slightly faster than the tractor. When I got tired of chasing electrical gremlins (none of which were related to my bitchin’ self-installed stereo, thank you very much), I thought I’d move on to something more sensible. I bought a 1986 Pontiac Fiero GT and got my first speeding ticket in that car during the test drive. Not my first-ever ticket, mind you. That came behind the wheel of a Geo Metro hatchback I delivered pizza in during high school. I never planned to have this job. I was actually an aerospace engineering major in college, but calculus and I had a bad breakup. Considering how much better my English grades were than my calculus grades, I decided to stick to my strengths and write instead. When I made the switch, people kept asking me what I wanted to do with my life. I told them I’d like to write for a car magazine someday, not expecting it to actually happen. I figured I’d be in newspapers, maybe a magazine if I was lucky. Then this happened, which was slightly awkward because I grew up reading Car & Driver, but convenient since I don’t live in Michigan. Now I just try to make it through the day without adding any more names to the list of people who want to kill me and take my job.
Read More
