10 Dead Car Models We Want To Bring Back From The Grave – CarBuzz

There have been many incredible cars over the years, but unfortunately, our society doesn’t have room for all of them. Sometimes the class is crowded, the vehicle has a lackluster generation, or it was just around at the wrong time, with changing legislation stopping them dead in their tracks. We’re seeing this more today thanks to the EV revolution, but this cycle has been happening since the dawn of the automobile and will continue into the future.

This hasn’t stopped us from dreaming about many of these models, and we’ve picked 10 different ones automakers need to bring back from the grave. The list is filled with low-production units, single-generation models, and vehicles that were just around at the wrong time, and even if it won’t happen, we hope to see them back on the road one day. So if you agree with any of these, please write to your local automaker, because every passionate letter can make a difference.

1 GMC Syclone

1991-1992

The GMC Syclone was one of the baddest factory performance trucks of all time (and a big part of that was thanks to its sweet name). Based on the GMC Sonoma, the small pickup received a host of upgrades, like all-wheel drive, a turbocharged six-cylinder engine, ABS brakes, and more to help it claim the spot of the fastest production truck in the world. There was an identical version for the GMC Jimmy at the time called the Typhoon, and although we’d love to have that one back too, we feel the Syclone is just a bit cooler and doable. Just imagine GMC upping the power output of its Turbomax engine, lowering the Canyon, and tuning the suspension. You’d have a beast on your hands.

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2 Ford Thunderbird

1955–1997, 2002–2005

The Ford Thunderbird, originally introduced in 1955, was Ford’s answer to the Chevrolet Corvette and quickly became an American icon. Over the course of eleven generations, the model was nearly a continuous part of American society, only disappearing for a few years in the late 90s and early 2000s before returning. Unfortunately, the last generation had too much of a retro design to catch on with consumers, and ever since its discontinuation in 2005, the nameplate has been dormant.

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It’s time for the “T-Bird” to return, and we could really see it happening as a luxury or performance EV in the following years. Ford has recently said it’s ready to stop making “boring cars” with the Mustang GTD as evidence, and what better way to make a splash than by resurrecting one of the brand’s most iconic models of all time?

3 Honda S2000

1999–2009

Remember when Honda made an attractive, nimble roadster with 50/50 weight distribution and a peaky VTEC engine? We do, and we’d love to relive those glory days with a new S2000 on the roads. We know the company is planning on rebooting the Prelude, and while that is all great and dandy, we can admit that it was never the performance vehicle the S2000 was. The S2000 offered RWD, a sub-2,800 lbs curb weight, and an 8,900 RPM redline that rewarded the driver for pushing it hard. We’d love to see Honda jump in the performance convertible game again, and given how great its performance vehicles have been of late, we have no doubt the company would whip up something special.

4 Toyota FJ Cruiser

2006–2014

In the early 2000s, a wave of retro-styled vehicles took the world by storm, and the FJ Cruiser was one of the few that tackled the SUV space. It shared many components with the Tacoma and 4Runner of the time, like the transmissions and engine, but it was much more of an off-road focused vehicle with great angles from the factory and full-time four-wheel drive. It had a funky design that made the model appear to have only two doors, but it did feature a split door in the rear for easier access, and you can’t forget about its three windshield wipers. While we don’t think a new model needs to be as idiosyncratic, a funky off-roading model akin to the Bronco Sport would be a welcome sight for Toyota, whose off-roading models have gotten much more expensive in recent years.

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5 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

1992–2016

Ask any enthusiast what car they would bring back, and we bet at least half of the time they’ll mention the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. Not only did this car have one of the coolest-sounding names of all time, but it was a legitimate rally car turned road car that offered a slightly more unhinged yin to the Subaru WRX’s yang. It may be hard to believe these days, but in the 90s Mitsubishi was a well-respected enthusiast company, putting out some incredible vehicles and dominating races around the world. Let’s get the company back to this success with a new Evo, and hopefully, the company can find room for one in its upcoming onslaught of vehicles.

6 Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky

2006–2010

The Recession in the late 2000s ruined many things, and one of the biggest was how it killed GM’s performance ambitions for a time. The company had been on a roll for a few years with Pontiac, releasing the Pontiac G8, G6 GXP, and GTO, but one of the real crown jewels was the Solstice roadster that shared its platform with the Saturn Sky. These Kappa platform twins were championed by GM Exec Bob Lutz at the time, and they featured simple, attractive designs.

Two different turbocharged four-cylinder engines were available, with the high-performance GXP and Redline versions making 130 horsepower per liter. To this day, we feel the models have aged very well, and we think it’s about time GM released a new roadster to get customers excited again. Something to compete against the Mazda Miata would be incredible, and we know the company has the talent to do it.

7 Toyota MR2

1984–2007

In the eighties and 90s, Toyota offered a slew of sports cars to entice customers, and one we’d love to see make a return is the mid-engined MR2. This wasn’t a half-baked vehicle. Toyota wanted to create a vehicle that was fun to drive while also fuel-efficient and felt the mid-engined design would help to achieve both of these goals. While garnering a reputation for punishing unskilled drivers who pushed too hard, the early generations offered a highly rewarding analog driving experience, and the final generation combined with the ability to drop the top. Given the company is experiencing a performance renaissance, now is the time for the MR2 to make a return.

8 Dodge Viper

1992–2017

It’s been seven years since Dodge killed off the Viper, and every single day, we miss it. It was one of the most unique vehicles an American automaker had ever made. A V10-powered, RWD sports car with no driver aids to speak of, it was a force to be reckoned with when it debuted and signified an exciting time for the company. Through successive generations, the car grew meaner, sleeker, and more powerful, becoming a pointed weapon that culminated in one of the greatest sports cars of all time: the Viper ACR. It sort of competed against the Corvette, but unfortunately, its high price put it out of reach for most buyers. We wish it never died, and hope to see Dodge take another stab at it soon, preferably without full electrification.

9 Nissan Xterra

1999–2015

Nissan lost its way somewhere around the middle of the last decade, and we feel that started with the death of the Xterra with no replacement in sight. It was a no-nonsense off-road SUV that combined a sturdy V6 engine with body-on-frame construction and genuine capability thanks to models like the Pro-4X. It was Nissan’s version of the 4Runner, yet it was never able to garner the same fervent fanbase and well-respected reputation, leading to Nissan canceling it after years of declining sales. It died before the off-road space really took off in the US, and if Nissan is serious about reinventing itself in the US, a new Xterra that builds off of the success of the new Frontier and Armada would be a great place to start.

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10 Buick Grand National

Off-And-On 1982-1987

Before Buick was known as an old person’s brand or a seller of decent crossovers, the company took performance seriously, and the absolute best example of this is the Grand National. Sold throughout the 80s, it was based on the Buick Regal and featured updated looks, suspension, and powertrain, that consistently made it one of the fastest vehicles on the road. This culminated in the Grand National eXperimental of 1987, which beat a Ferrari F40 and a Porsche 930 at the drag strip. These were seriously cool cars, and even today there is serious respect for them in the enthusiastic community. Buick could use a boost, as sales are starting to stutter in China and its lineup isn’t what it once was, and we feel a performance model is the ticket.