These Are The Cars That Got Retro Design Right

Hyundai N Vision 74

Looks rad as hell with a retro-futurist design that calls back to the Hyundai Pony Coupe concept.

The S197 Mustang, especially the Bullitt model in 2008/2009.

There was no mistaking that this was a Mustang. All of the heritage cues were there. The shape of the headlights, the view from the side, the triple element taillights. This was retro done right.

Ok, part of me is doing this just to be contrarian and see how hot the flames get stoked in the comments... but I’m going out on a limb and saying this anyway:

The Mustang II.

Really. For real. Put a 1974 Mustang II next to a 1964 1/2 Mustang. Now compare with a 1973 Mustang. Which one looks closer to the original spirit of the car? The Mustang II went back to the small car roots of the original, with a more on-brand face, the correct proportions and profile. The ‘73 didn’t even look like a Mustang anymore. Sure, the Mustang II was underpowered and its looks were hurt by mandatory bumpers, but it still did way more design-wise to capture the spirit of the original than people give it credit for.

Plymouth Prowler

Looks like sex on wheels.

Goes like meals on wheels.

Form over function.

If we’re asking “What car ...got retro *design* right?” instead of “What *production* car (ok, they claim to have built 25 of them) got retro design right?” the answer is the New Stratos.

2006 Lamborghini Miura Concept

So beautiful. A modern take on the originals classic lines.

They should have put them into production, or at least a special limited run.

IMO, the Ford Flex is a retro version of a 1970s I-H Travelall, right down to the white roof.

I’m surprised no one has mentioned the 5th generation Camaro.

Of course the look went from “retro” to “stale” because Chevy kept the same basic design cues from the original 2006 concept car to the present - over 15 years now.

New Ford Bronco. Looks modern yet with enough retro cues to look timeless and tie back into the old Broncos. They also look better in person than in photos to me too. I really think Ford nailed it visually.

Aside from what was already mentioned, I’m gonna put my vote in for the PT Cruiser.

I think this is a great example of retro design. Plus it was a decent practical car. And the rear seats were easily removable which turned it into a small van. And it’s great as long as you didn’t get the base engine paired with the slushbox.

Base engine with the manual (which is what I owned) was quite good, had peppy performance (faster than regular Civics of the era) and I typically beat the EPA fuel economy numbers by 20-30%.

If you must get one of these with the slushbox, then get one with the turbo engine as well. But that powertrain will have fuel economy similar to a midsize V6/automatic sedan.

The new Beetle was a really, really big deal in 1998. People were absolutely clamoring for these things. Like them or not, they carried the spirit of the original forward and everyone, young and old, went nuts for it. This compelled almost every automaker to climb onto the retro bandwagon, quickly turning it into a cynical exercise.

The Challenger hands down. Sure it’s alot bigger than it’s elder, but they captured the look extremely well. I wanted to say the new countach, but that’s a little too modern looking in respects to the old one and they didn’t even include the wing.

I don’t hate a lot of the retro designs, but I also don’t love them either. But, the Ford GT looks amazing.

Since we are only looking at this from a design perspective, I think Ford nailed the Thunderbird revival in the mid-aughts. Apparently, they were way better to look at than to drive, but for every boomer that had one, at least they got to drive to the buffet and podiatrist in style.

It’s always the answer: the NA Miata. Not the most recent example - but they nailed the look, feel and sound of the Lotus Elan. My understanding is that the Mazda engineers benchmarked a specific Elan and then designed a new car from the ground up to be the ‘new Elan’ - right down to ensure that the exhaust note was right. Maybe not ‘retro’ in the way the new Bronco is, or the way the early ‘oughts T-Bird was. But definitely still ‘retro’ in that it paid clear homage to a specific car by making a modern version of it.