If you could resurrect one dead car brand...

[Christian_C]

Lancia.

As they were pre 1994.

No one can argue with that surely?

 

[Dennisch]

Have you been in a Cadillac recently? The luxury/build quality today is leaps & bounds ahead of what they were 5 years ago.

The last time must have been 4 or 5 years ago.

 

[marluxiaXI11]

Obviously Delorean.

There is always the electric Delorean.

 

[E28]

Lancia.

As they were pre 1994.

No one can argue with that surely?

With better rust proofing.

 

[Dennisch]

With better rust proofing.

FTFY!

 

[Doog]

I'll go a different direction: Oldsmobile


In its glory days, Oldsmobile was the cooler cousin of Buick, like Pontiac... But with a real job. Although Buick is doing a commendable job walking the entry-level-luxury line, their vehicles are not particularly exciting to drive, and do not appeal directly to younger people. A new Oldsmobile would need to offer a reasonable amount of luxury at a fair price, while still keeping the "fun to drive" ideals in tact. We'd need a four-model strategy:

1) Super 88: Bring over the Chevrolet Caprice Royale V8 from the Middle-East, don't offer any options on the car, and make it $45K, exactly where the Hyundai Genesis is.

2) Cutlass: Use the Alpha chassis from beneath the Cadillac ATS, offer only the 2.5L I4 or the 2.0T with the six-speed automatic. Keep options to a minimum, price it out the door from $28-32K

3) Toronado: Go for more of the '80s vibe, make it a small sports coupe based on the ideals of the 140R Concept by Chevrolet. Swoopy coupe with turbo power. Again, minimize the options, price it out the door for about $25K.

...a wildcard?

4) Starfire, basically a Toronado convertible. A hard-top convertible. One engine and transmission offered, same limits on options, $28K.

Yes, yes, yes! They should have killed off Buick instead. Oldsmobile was quirky and neat, kind of like Saturn, which I also like for those qualities. But Buick is just, meh, so boring, and I like a lot of boring cars. Their current styling language is so un-distinctive and forgettable, and they aren't very photogenic either. I saw a new Verano on Youtube, and I thought it looked so bland. I saw it in real life, and I thought it looked kind of nice. Not so good. But Oldsmobile, they had their own distinct styling language, they had the Aurora, and they seemed to actually be different than the other GM cars, unlike Buick, a rebadged Chevrolet. Same goes for Pontiac, it was just rebadged garbage in later years, and frankly, the only Pontiac I ever liked was the Firebird. Maybe they could make Pontiac a special, small brand for performance vehicles in the future. I'd like that.

 

[Endless-Wilso]

They made one model and it was a mechanical nightmare.

Then John DeLorean was charged with drug trafficking and other offences. £10 million of taxpayers' money went missing, I heard.

Well what do you expect from a start up company they didnt have alot of money to work with off the bat. it took almost 4 years to engineer the Delorean and then had the Irish build it. all the money went in to development , i mean Loutus did the final design and stainlees steel aint cheap.

The whole thing with drugs was and FBI sting basically they framed him.

 

[savage388]

Well what do you expect from a start up company they didnt have alot of money to work with off the bat. it took almost 4 years to engineer the Delorean and then had the Irish build it. all the money went in to development , i mean Loutus did the final design and stainlees steel aint cheap.

The whole thing with drugs was and FBI sting basically they framed him.

It's long been a conspiracy that he was framed and even though I think that was the case no evidence has been brought up either way.

 

[roamer2629]

They made one model and it was a mechanical nightmare.

Then John DeLorean was charged with drug trafficking and other offences. £10 million of taxpayers' money went missing, I heard.

He wrote a book with an author named J.Patrick Wright about his GM years and the DMC short era called "On a clear day you can see GM" (In reference to the logo on top of the corporate building). Every maverick got under intense pressure by the big three, and they didn't make it easy on him either.
The book is a great way to understand how corporations the size of GM were run in the 60'
By the way, how about Hispano-Suiza??

 

[eiriksmil]

Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaab. With a Tuuuuuuuuurboooooooooo.

 

[X-Power]

MG.

Why? They were a simple little British car Manufacturer who built some of the best cars of the 80's like the Midget

Well, I can't choose. No really, I want: TVR, MG, Triumph, Pontiac, and Saab.

MG aren't dead anymore. http://mg.co.uk//
They're now Chinese owned, but all of the design and engineering work is still done at Longbridge in Birmingham, therefore they are still mostly British. The latest rumour is that they've got a new sports car in the pipeline. 👍

 

[Ross]

MG aren't dead anymore. http://mg.co.uk//
They're now Chinese owned, but all of the design and engineering work is still done at Longbridge in Birmingham, therefore they are still mostly British. The latest rumour is that they've got a new sports car in the pipeline. 👍

I meant the old MG. Not the MG where there cars were Rovers with the badges swapped.

 

[BubbleBelly542]

Plymouth. I like their muscle cars.

 

[Katiegan]

Mercury.

Despite Mercury not being sold in the UK, I still want it back. I love the Marauder and Grand Marquis... and of course, who could forget the 90's Cougar? Damn, I wish that gen was sold over here...

TVR would be nice too. My grandad used to be best buds with the owner of TVR. Pontiac too. I would say DMC... but electro-DeLoreans are being made right now, so that's kind of resurrecting them. Even if I can't stand electric cars.

 

[Sens3582]

American classic cars really any like AMC, Mercury, Pontiac, Plymouth, AC, Eagle. Etc

I miss the old fashion classics back when muscle cars had style and power !!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Sens3582]

Yes, yes, yes! They should have killed off Buick instead. Oldsmobile was quirky and neat, kind of like Saturn, which I also like for those qualities. But Buick is just, meh, so boring, and I like a lot of boring cars. Their current styling language is so un-distinctive and forgettable, and they aren't very photogenic either. I saw a new Verano on Youtube, and I thought it looked so bland. I saw it in real life, and I thought it looked kind of nice. Not so good. But Oldsmobile, they had their own distinct styling language, they had the Aurora, and they seemed to actually be different than the other GM cars, unlike Buick, a rebadged Chevrolet. Same goes for Pontiac, it was just rebadged garbage in later years, and frankly, the only Pontiac I ever liked was the Firebird. Maybe they could make Pontiac a special, small brand for performance vehicles in the future. I'd like that.

Why look at the the Buick Skylark, Buick GNX, Buick GSX, Buick LeSabre Etc. The same for the Oldsmobile look at the Cutlass, 442, Etc. you gotta know what your talking about. They should have kept the classics and just updated like they did with Chevy, Ford, and Dodge why would you kill off either.

PS the Cuda is replacing the Challenger and the Dart is coming back out again.

 

[Leonidae@MFT]

AMC would be nice too.. Because Gremlin and Eagle.

 

[YSSMAN]

Why look at the the Buick Skylark, Buick GNX, Buick GSX, Buick LeSabre Etc. The same for the Oldsmobile look at the Cutlass, 442, Etc. you gotta know what your talking about. They should have kept the classics and just updated like they did with Chevy, Ford, and Dodge why would you kill off either.

They tried to do that...

GM phased a good number of these vehicles in and out over time with varying success. Part of the problem was that, while they may have stuck with some of the original's ideas, it was never enough to actually take it back to the good-ol-days.

The brands died because they no longer had a place in the market. The same goes with Plymouth and Mercury. Whereas they were brands that showed you were moving up in the world, lines were becoming blurred with so many models moving up and down market, new brands coming into the fold, and expanded competition from foreign makes.

 

[Gil]

Most car brands died for a reason. Not all of them good and not all of them fair.

But it's a crime that TVR isn't around. Griffith. Cerbera. Chimera. Tuscan. V8S.

On a tangent, I want the Rover V8 engine back.

You mean the 3.5L?
It started life as an Oldsmobile small block in the '60's.

I agree about TVR. I'd love to see a LHD version of the Cerbera...in my garage.

 

[savage388]

They tried to do that...

GM phased a good number of these vehicles in and out over time with varying success. Part of the problem was that, while they may have stuck with some of the original's ideas, it was never enough to actually take it back to the good-ol-days.

The brands died because they no longer had a place in the market. The same goes with Plymouth and Mercury. Whereas they were brands that showed you were moving up in the world, lines were becoming blurred with so many models moving up and down market, new brands coming into the fold, and expanded competition from foreign makes.

With gm Pontiac and oldsmobile had to die because of the badge engineering. Having a chevy a Pontiac a Buick a Saturn and an oldsmobile that looked similar and were the same mechanically just made no sense. Furthermore it confused buyers who couldn't tell the difference between them other than the front bumper because there was none. Although Pontiac did have a few good products.

 

[Conza]

Amazing as it is, I'm only the third person to list this.

SAAB

With a kick off, bring in a Sonnet Mk IV, that'd be awesome, as long as they don't get obsessed with safety, and keep it under 1000kgs, and maybe skip the V4 this time, go with a I4/V6, I mean what a beautiful car (just ignore the Mk III, no offence to anyone, but I think that was a mistake). There's a competitor for the MX-5, and it'd be a great time too, since I think the next MX-5 will be rubbish.

Then, bring in a revival of the 99/Turbo, a sort of B segment hot/hatch, to compete with Clios, Polos, 208s, ect.

Then a couple of civilised, safe cars, a C segment hot/hatch and a RWD 5 series competitor, and you'd have quite a brand in that.

 

[hawkeye122]

Tucker. Just because.

 

[Grayfox]

Lancia.

As they were pre 1994.

No one can argue with that surely?

No, we do not need anymore Betas.

Lancia made only 2 good cars, Stratos and Delta.

Or we can bring back AMC while were at it.

 

[Driving Park]

For me it's a toss up between Plymouth, AMC and Pontiac.

It would be really interesting to see what a modern day AMC Javelin would like. Or a Pacer, or a Gremlin, or a Matador, or basically everything else they made, for that matter. And by interesting I mean awesome.

Plymouth would be awesome not only because of the prospect of a modern day 'Cuda and Satellite and every other great muscle car they made (Superbird anyone? ), but also a budget brand below Dodge, which was Plymouth's original brief. I'm a sucker for the really bargain basement, simple, basic cars out there (given the choice between a Chevy Bel Air and a Chevy 150, I'd take the 150.), so the prospect of having a budget-oriented car brand return is something exciting to me.

Pontiac is here just because when I found out that GM was axing Pontiac I was really confused. From my eyes there was no reason to axe Pontiac at all; with new models like the G8 it seemed to me like sales were improving, and Pontiac is one of GM's oldest and most storied brands. I couldn't understand why it was killed off. Now that GM has largely done away with its boring badge engineering it was so infamous for in the late 90s/early 2000s, a reborn Pontiac could produce some seriously interesting cars. Think about a new Firebird, a new GTO, and even a new Fiero. They could be really cool. Then you'd have a Grand Prix, a Grand Am, and maybe a Tempest (small sedan below the GA?). The brand would be all about cars and all about driving/sportiness/performance/whatever you want to call it.

 

[marluxiaXI11]

and Pontiac is one of GM's oldest and most storied brands.

Pontiac didn't exist until 1926, Oldsmobile and Buick were the oldest(but Olds was slightly older), and Chevrolet and Oldsmobile are the most storied.

 

[Grayfox]

It would be really interesting to see what a modern day AMC Javelin would like. Or a Pacer, or a Gremlin, or a Matador, or basically everything else they made, for that matter. And by interesting I mean awesome.a

It would be a bad fuel injected system that uses more fuel than an old carbie and the car will be riddled with electrical faults.

 

[Driving Park]

Pontiac didn't exist until 1926, Oldsmobile and Buick were the oldest(but Olds was slightly older), and Chevrolet and Oldsmobile are the most storied.

I didn't say THE oldest and most storied, and I know that it isn't. But compared to, say, Saturn (which admittedly got cut as well), it's weird to see a nameplate with a rich history and some seriously famous cars such as the GTO get sent to the chopping block.

It would be a bad fuel injected system that uses more fuel than an old carbie and the car will be riddled with electrical faults.

You're forgetting that we can actually build good cars now.

 

[NCRthree]

I would say Pontiac too but some the best cars in their lineup were Holdens. Wish GM could have kept the G8/Commodore as a Chevy. Rebranding deluted too many Olds and Pontiacs models in the last 20 years to make those brands interesting. You would have to bring back the Glory Days of the 50's and 60's to warrant getting excited about any of the chopped American brands to me.

I'm not crazy about the exterior styling of the latest Buicks but it looks like GM is heading in the right direction. New Caddies are damn nice, go by a dealer and see for yourself. The Vspec is pretty awesome.

 

[marluxiaXI11]

Fun fact: Pontiac was the 20th U.S. brand owned by GM.

It's kind interesting how some of GM's brands make some of their best cars right before they get shut down.

 

[BobbyBRAKEaNek]

None, if it's gone... it's gone for a reason.