6 cars that need to be revived

 

                    

By Jeff Perez            

      

 

Photo: Aaron Lai | Flickr

 

 

The rumors are constantly flooding into our inboxes of cars X, Y and Z being revived with hybrid powertrains, all-wheel drive and a bunch of other claims that no one can really back up. But can you blame them? Of course I’d like to see a new Supra with 500 horsepower, or an RX-7 with twin-rotaries and a six-speed. For the most part though, we take these rumors with a grain of salt.

The fun part of it, really, is thinking about your favorite childhood cars coming back to life. Those icons of your generation living on in a new form. That being said, here’s six that we think need a new chance at life (click the links to see more):

DeLorean DMC-12

Great Scott, there are going to be a lot of puns in this paragraph! The iconic DeLorean gained fame as Doc Brown and Marty McFly’s ride of choice throughout the Back to the Future movie franchise. But realistically, the out-of-this-world design was what really sold it for many enthusiasts.

Now, more then ever, might be the perfect time for us to go back and bring this car to the future. I’m sorry.

Lancia Stratos

Lancia Stratos Stradale

If the Lancia Stratos doesn’t induce hot flashes and/or tingly feelings in your underneath— you might want to check your pulse. Produced in 1972, it was an instant classic based on looks alone, not to mention a prestigious racing history to go along with it.

There was an attempt by some rich investor back in 2010 to bring the car back from the dead — and the retro-modern design was actually really stunning — but it was shut down by Ferrari never to be heard from again. It’s a shame, really.
Mazda RX-7

Any car nut that grew up in the 1990s will tell you that the RX-7 is a perfect car to revive. It is one of the most iconic sportscars of the 90s. Production started in 1978 and lasted all the way until 2002, but the “FD” final generation seen here is the one we lust after.

Rumors here and there have been hinting at a revival. But we’ll believe it when we see it. And we sure as hell hope we see it.
Pontiac Fiero

Is it really all that crazy to want a new Fiero? It is? Ok. But can you blame me? The Fiero was a Ferrari-inspired, mid-engined, rear-drive American piece of goodness that practically everyone fell in love with.

Truth be told, you can still pick one up for pretty cheap off of eBay, but how cool would it be to have a new one? I guess that would also mean a revival of Pontiac altogether, which might be a little harder…
Toyota Supra

Like the Mazda RX-7, the Toyota Supra was the object of every 18-year-olds’ desire back in 1993 (when the Mark IV came out). It was beautifully designed, sporty, powerful, and came with a manual gearbox, back when Toyota still built those kinds of things.

While the Supra has been the most active in the regular rumormill, we’re still unsure whether Toyota has enough cojones to bring it back to market. We hope they do.

TVR Sagaris

It was only eight years ago that TVR ended production of the Sagaris…and then ended production of everything else, too. But the Sagaris was a stunning piece of British sportscar engineering that we need back in our lives. And with a TVR revival looming, it could actually happen.