5 Classic Car Nameplates That Deserve a Comeback
Ford CEO Jim Farley stopped by The Smoking Tire podcast earlier this month to talk vintage sports car racing, EVs, and driver assistance, so if you’re a fan of events like the Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion, you should give it a listen. We also took note of some of Farley’s comments about the new car market—comments specifically about cars rather than SUVs.
“I do not like generic cars and trucks,” said Farley as he railed against “appliance-like vehicles” while defending Ford’s decision to leave the sedan market. It’s a segment that Ford hasn’t completely written off for good, and he noted that there are good reasons to keep them in mind. “The bottom line is sedans are very aero[dynamic]. In a world where batteries are expensive,” Farley noted. “A sedan or a hatch is a great silhouette for aero.”
Farley didn’t commit to any future products, but did say, “If we do one, it’s probably gonna feel, look, and smell a lot different” than current offerings. One vintage nameplate he brought up was Fiesta, mentioning that Ford could make a more premium compact car relevant in the market.
After listening to this comments, we couldn’t help but wonder what such a car would look like, and how it would fit into Ford’s current lineup. With the recent resurrection of both Bronco and Maverick (the latter could have made a nice midsize sedan) there are a few nameplates we’d like to see considered for a possible return to production. Of course, while daydreaming about Ford resurrecting a few, we couldn’t help but pine for a couple other nameplates from Detroit that deserve a comeback.
XR4Ti/Sierra
When we spotted this beautifully customized 1987 Sierra built by JH Restorations, we were suddenly nostalgic for an ’80s car that never even happened here. We got the three-door Mercur XR4Ti in the States, but never the smallest Sierra, as Ford didn’t sell the full range of European-market Sierras in the United States. It’s time to fix that. There’s been a bit of a resurgence in ’80s style, so why not bring big wings back with a rally-inspired XR4Ti hot hatch at the top of the lineup? Let’s not let the Hyundai have all the fun.
Galaxie
Ford could lean into the futuristic Galaxie name and build a large, powerful sedan in the vein of the Lucid Air. Let designers go wild as they have with past concepts, like Lincoln’s L100 shown above. This was one of the first vehicles that came to mind when Farley mentioned a sedan with great aerodynamics. Add just a bit of height to the greenhouse, some smaller wheels, and shorten up the wheelbase just a touch and we can already start to see how a production version could look as a Ford.
Thunderbird
Ford has a history of adding a pair of doors to models that previously only had two. We’ll give them the mulligan and pretend the Mach-E was never affiliated with the Mustang name—yes, that dead horse is still taking a beating and it still bothers us. OK, OK, ignoring the Mach-E, the brand also built four-door Thunderbirds, so how about the Thunderbird name applied to a big, luxurious sedan like the more recent Continental Coach? The fifth-generation Thunderbird, available from 1967-1971, also had rear-hinged doors like the massive custom-built Continentals, so it wouldn’t be that big of a departure.
Of course, plenty of other companies are redefining their brands and restyling their lineup to reflect modern style and powertrains. How about a couple from GM?
Nomad
It’s been 20 years since Chevrolet showed off the compact Nomad concept, based on the same Kappa platform that gave us the curvy Pontiac Solstice and sharp Saturn Sky. We think it’s about time for the storied wagon nameplate to make a comeback, and we like the thought of it returning as a sporty compact. How about a Cadillac CT4-sized two-door wagon to help relieve some of the sting of losing Camaro?
Wildcat
The full-size Wildcat was Buick’s answer to the Impala. In the late ’60s especially, it was offered as an elegant muscle coupe that we still feel is underrated. We don’t have to imagine what a modern version would look like, thanks to Buick’s 2022 concept. This one is an EV and brings the personal luxury car into the 21st century. Buick has been without a coupe or sedan of any kind since the Regal ended production in 2020. We’d welcome one back if it looked like this sleek, comfortable fastback coupe.
History has given us plenty of great automotive nameplates over the years, which ones do you think are due for a return at Ford and elsewhere?
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To be honest the The Thunderbird name was way over used and abused. Is is a two seat sport car? Is it a large luxury car? Is it a mid size coupe? There is no real definition of the car anymore.
The XR4TI was a flop here. Maybe Europe.
The Wildcat is forgotten and could be used.
To be honest the Nomad name should have been on the Blazer and save the Blazer name for a more truck based model as it is more car wagon like a Nomad now.
Galaxie would have been ok if they had not used it on the renamed 500,
Time to stop living in the past and start cars with new original names. Same on styling. I think the Camaro suffered as it was the same car over and over in the late years. Yes redesigned but it still looked like the 69 Again. Time for an original design. I know they could do it if they really were willing to.
To get to the top of a Car Company you have to be a Psychopathic Nutbag. Ford CEO Jacques Albert Nasser had the bright idea to change Windstar to Freestar and Taurus to Ford 500 so they all would start with the letter F. 🤣🤣🤣
Agreed on the XR4Ti. No one in America but the author cares if that overwrought nameplate ever sees the light of day again.
Why was the picture for this a fully built and pimped euro racecar instead of the original uglymobile that the uniformed consumed was offered? NOPE.
The European model was one heck of a car.
Chevy did the same before with Chevelle, Corvair, Corvette, Captice, Chevette, etc.
And the GM fools did the same thing with Corvair as Ford did with Thunderbird. For three years Ford had captured the market with an American 2 seat luxury roadster and then decided to try to make it all things to all people. Just like the 4 door all electric “Mustang” Mach E SUV. Chevy had a potential Porsche beater (from a market standpoint) in the sporty turbocharged Corvair models, but they hadn’t prepared their dealers to service them. I had a ’62 Monza coupe in college and tried to take it to a dealer for service in ’64. Nobody in the large maintenance department knew the first thing about the little pancake, air cooled 6. I had to do my own fan bearing if I wanted to drive it to school. BTW, the swing axle problems, which it shared with VW and Porsche, had been re-engineered by ’65 before Ralph Nader killed the car. I still have a first gen Mustang and would love to have a Corvair Corsa Spyder.
Kind of like the grade he deserved
@hyperv6….I agree with your post until the last paragraph.
IMO, ‘the past’ was far superior in many ways to the world we living in today. Car styling was fabulous, and changed nearly every year in the 50s and 60s. Then the government got involved in the 70s with smog pumps, etc and it was downhill from there.
Young lads back then could identify most cars from 100 yards away….I defy anyone to do that today. Design has gone by the wayside, the cars all look alike, the sheet metal is so thin that a whole industry have developed doing ‘paintless dent removal’ it’s pretty amazing what they can do.
I’m so glad I have a 1967 Pontiac Catalina Ventura 2-DrHt and a 1990 Mustang GT Convertible in my garage.
They both grab many eyes when I have them out on cruises…….not so much with my expensive Lexus.
We should cherish and promote our history…not look to escape it.
69 Pontiac Grand Prix, 75 F100, 89 E150 Hi top Conversion, 94 Tbird, 94 Lexus ES300, 98 BornFee 26RB.
Cool. Yep I love 1967 4 door Thunder Bird, 1970 Ford F100 PU w/350 Chevy 4 bolt main & 1979 Ford F100 PU SuperCab with older 390 V8 & 5′ custom lift 35′ tires & it’s 2WD Haha.
350 in a Ford f100? 😢😫 1073 F100 Ranger XLT 390fe rebuilt to a 398.
“Young lads back then could identify most cars from 100 yards away….I defy anyone to do that today. ”
Just because you can’t doesn’t mean no one can. There are plenty of identifying features on modern cars, and there are a lot of cars from “back then” that looked and still look very similar to each other. Saying everything was unique styling and changed year over year is just revisionist history.
Sorry, I disagree. most modern cars today look like jelly beans.
I have to agree that many cars on the road look like jelly beans, but guess what? There are plenty of car enthusiasts who can tell those jelly beans apart.
I’ve been on a walk with a young enthusiast who could tell the different trim levels of a Honda CRV from across a big parking lot. He was always looking for the ones powered by K-series engine as they made for good swap donors. He knew a lot about what many old heads would call “jelly beans” and it was all so he could build some really neat hot rods.
Good!
Or “Bubble Cars”…
Roger that.
So true
Today’s cars have no character
Just plastic with to many bells and whistles
I agree. Current design is influenced by safety concerns and scientific concerns.
Every car is different and identifiable. I wouldn’t go back to the days of yore; I have 1973 cars to 2018 cars and I totally prefer the 2018. Even two of my 2003s are archaic now.
Well to be fair you are posting the point I have on modern design. We are in a box on how and what we can do per laws.
That does not mean we had some great styling in the past.
The point I am making be original vs just trying to adapt an old style to new rules.
Stop being lazy.
But it’s an overreaching government that has forced these cars into the approved jellybean form through the application of their rules and restrictions. As a smaller example, as a kid I remember watching Fireball Roberts on the NASCAR circuit in a Pontiac that looked just like the one your dad could buy at the local dealership, with his elbow out the window on the high bank. Now all the cars fit the NASCAR imposed formula. They’re all alike with fake painted on grilles and markings to relate them back to actual cars. I’ve belonged to lots of vintage Mustang clubs and I’ve always noted how, when we went on trips or cruises, the column was a rainbow of colors (my convertible is Meadowlark Yellow) and the rest of the traffic are all black, gray or white jellybeans. Boring!
50 shades of grey!
American automotive design has stagnated since American Motors disappeared from the scene. The big Three’s love affair with ‘eurostyle’ has caused automobiles to become boring and uninspired. Hate EVs if you like, but at least they actually have style. Look at Canoo and Olympic.
What the heck is a Canoo and Olympic?
I could not agree more with your statement. I am a Canadian in my 81st year.
I lived through the 50s and 60s with excitement and have owned several 50s cars which I loved.. Mostly Fords. Today, there is very much in the auto mobile to get excited about. I get nothing from self driving and parking cars. Maybe the technology the companies present now is oh so exciting. Well not to me. The EV in my opinion is a joke and a disaster. I am glad I lived through those wonderful times. before ever wild innovation looks like yuke. The
fact that it costs a million dollars and will go 300 miles an hour is just BORING
John we need to stop living in the past as the same rules do not apply.
Today we have different crash standards, different aero needs due to fuel regs, we have different needs due to smaller vehicles.
Applying these rules give us some really distorted versions of past looks.
We can do better. Look at the new G8 GM had planned. There was no question it was a Pontiac but it was a honest modern look. The photos were just release last week.
The chrome, size and shapes are gone as they just are not doable. Also no one buys the small sedans as the CUV is more usable. They are now starting to try to improve a difficult two box design. The new Chevy Trax is taking on a car look as a CUV.
Sorry about the thin steel and all the other things you hate but you just can do that due to rules. It still does not prevent people being original vs rehashing an old look over and over.
You forget the number one top selling car in canada has been the Honda Civic for 30 years. It is a 4 door sedan. It’s also one of the top selling cars in America along with the Corolla.
I do not live in the past but I sure as heck appreciate the automobile styling of the mid-50’s to the early 70’s. Most of today’s vehicles look like the stuff I saw in Hong Kong, the Pacific Islands and the Mideast when I traveled for work in the 80’s. They were boxy mini SUV’s that were ugly then and nothing has changed except American manufacturers have gone brain dead on styling mimicing the cheap overseas stuff of yesteryear.
Yes, to all of that. Ultimately, the bme won’t matter if they continue with problematic builds.
“To be honest the The Thunderbird name was way over used and abused. Is is a two seat sport car? Is it a large luxury car? Is it a mid size coupe? There is no real definition of the car anymore.”
I would have to agree with that. My grandfather was on the original T-Bird design team, and as a reward for his contribution, he was loaned each new model T-Bird every year. I remember him coming over in a later model, slamming the door, and glaring at it as he walked past me and angrily said “That’s not a T-Bird”.
I was glad the 2002 version went back to it’s roots somewhat, but the driving experience was rather generic
Well said. Look at what a poor job they did for the Mustang name. Wake up Ford
Agree on the Camaro. I think the original design is the best and was more sleek than the Mustang, but since you cannot replicate the original due to all the safety improvements required, it is time for GM/Chevrolet to come up with something all new, which might mean never reusing the Camaro name. It is time to leave retro behind. If you have the money you can still buy a 67 Camaro or whatever generation you prefer.
Can you blame the marketing people? Reruns are familiar and sell well. When was the last blockbuster original movie?
XR4ti wouldn’t be a great one, but Sierra would be. I would love it if there were American cars that fit a “Euro performance” niche again; not only Sierras but Escorts and Capris, too.
The Merkur was a main stream sedan in England.
Wildcat, yes! Wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick?
Agreed. The Wildcat is definitely the best looking in this lineup.
Actually, no, I’d really rather have a Pontiac. Why they killed Pontiac and kept Buick still boggles my mind. Bonneville, Grand Prix, GTO, Tempest, Catalina, Firebird, Trans Am, Fiero, Safari. Need I go on? These were all great cars. And they dropped the exciting cars and kept the “old man’s car”? Beats me!
I’m pretty sure GM kept Buick because they signed up Tiger woods. The Chinese worship him. It made Buicks sell very well in China. I don’t think Pontiac sold many cars outside of the USA. International sales is or was a very large part of not most of the big three’s business model
Actually, a Pontiac was always your father’s Chevrolet in the 50’s. I was 16 when my “Old Man” bought a brand new ’62 Buick Wildcat. He was a blue collar guy who worked his way up to Buicks. When I could get my hands on the Wildcat I would take it to the Friday or Saturday night cruises where it bested a whole lot of Grand Prix’s, Bonnevilles, Catalinas, etc. The Old Mans Car was powered by a stock 401 c.i. “nail head” V8 which produced a monster 445 f.p. of torque. They were low end beasts. Later (1965) Buick installed the 401 in their mid-sized Special and produced a car that was hotter than Pontiac’s GTO. The later Stage 1 versions with a 455 V8 were considered the quickest muscle cars of the era. Know your enemy.
Well, Tom,
Maybe because the Buick Grand National was coming on board in the mid-eighties. At the time, the turbo Vee-Six was the fastest production car in Detroit. Thanks to Waren’s Tech Centers Engineers.
I’d rather have my father’s Oldsmobile
Pontiac Grand Am
Pontiac Bonneville
Pontiac Firebird Trans Am SE
Chevrolet El Camino
GMC Jimmy (both full and Sonoma sized)
GMC Astro van
Ford Ranchero
Ford Econoline
Are a few I could see a niche for, and the names resonate with me.
As long the new design doesn’t degrade the original. Remember the Pontiac lemons,er lemans? Nothing at all like the original.
Ever drag it out with a 326 powered LeMans? They were tough little coupes and the progenitor of the GTO.
’64 LeMans coupe with 326 HO and 4-speed: trouble for any other car on the street in that era! The 389 crank in those mills would twist the front metal up with ‘torque rake’ at any stoplight, and a lot of us thought PMD should have just popped the 421 SD into the A-bodied Tempests for the GTO. Which, I guess, they did for the Car/Driver test car!
Living in the past: at least it was real LIVING. Today… I dunno! Wick
The problem with comeback cars is that with all of the regulations and increasingly picky and inattentive drivers, you can’t really build the cars that gave that nameplate its reputation, and you would just wind up slapping it on some cookie-cutter CUV in 90% of cases
@TG I agree. Don’t return the nameplate to modern vehicles if they aren’t similar to historic counterparts. I think Dodge did a great job with the Challenger, Ford with the Bronco, and Chevy with the Camaro. I don’t own any of them but I like seeing them on the road. I can’t speak to reliability, quality or performance but I appreciate seeing them.
@Randy Ol Jar has a point. Many cars of the past were similar when you see them grouped together but when I see them independently, I see the difference in the design and they stand out when well maintained. I never saw a Wildcat in person and just learned of the nameplate recently.
@Toivok For my daily commute, I drive modern but would prefer a restomod.
Well the danger is if you get the car wrong for the name it does more damage vs good.
The Korean Lemans, Blazer and 04 GTO suffered due to the name not living up the the memory of those it was meant for.
I know it cost money to create a name investigate it and register it but some times it is just the right thing.
But at the end of the day a great car makes a name great not a great name on a crap car.
You can slap Eldorado on a bad car and still not be able to sell it.
Absolutely, The Pinto was a great name on a horrible car. So was the Dodge Aspen, Cadillac Cimaron the Dodge/Plymouth Omni, the Dodge Rampage ( you have to look that one up!) the Dodge Lancer! Pontiac Aztec, Fiero!
I’m not getting this story exactly right but close enough for jazz. When Shelby was looking to name his Mustang he (allegedly) asked Remington how many feet it was to the production shops . Remington said – ” About 350 ” – Shelby said – ” Then we’ll call it the GT -350. If it’s a good car the name won’t matter and if it’s a bad car the name won’t save it.”- In the world of advertising things are different. You want, for example, to name a car with a little pizzaz but not so much that it’s a letdown in terms of what it is. THE NEW BUICK WILDCAT ! … suv. I name my cars based on their personality, some time and a sudden moment of inspiration. Every older guy called my Mustang Sally – ‘Mustang Sally ‘ obviously – not bad, close but didn’t fit the bill. Till one day – ” Good girl Lucy.” popped out of my mouth. So a name to bring back…in todays world..how about Jack or George ?
The only one in my collection with a name is ‘Henry’… the only Ford among primarily GM products
Bring back the Ford Torino / LTD 2. And Mercury Cougar/ Montego.
CEO FARLEY need to “RESUME BUILDING ALL OF CARS PROMOTED ON YOU TUBE ETC. FORD stocks will increase enormously. I concur with you, Reed !!!!
As an owner/driver of a 68 Cougar XR7, may I say bravo!
The only vehicle I have ever owned that was named is my 96 Ford F350, crew cab long bed that my wife named The Beast. It sits so high that even with a frame mounted step, my wife, at 4′ 10″, has to have a step stool to get in and out.
Yeah. I had to put those diamond plate aluminum running boards on my ’83 Bronco for my wife, and she was 5’5″.
The musical duo called “Trout Fishing in America” used to drive a red Ford pickup truck on tour. They named it “Robert.”
I name kids and dog not cars. Cars already have a name and do not have a heart beat.
Bring back the Fury nameplate!!
YES!
Right on, John!
I’m an old fud (81) and loved the name Fury way back when the Fury was first introduced in 1956. Indeed, in 1964 when I was buying my first new car, one of the deciding features was the name “Sport Fury” because of its panache. Belvedere? UGH!
Since I’m striving mightily to return to the days of my misspent youth, there is a ’60 Fury 2 dr. H/T (with cross-ram SonoRamic Commando mill) and a ’65 Sport Fury 2 dr. H/T (426 Street Wedge/4-speed) in my garage, and both come out regularly for cruising and shows.
A car makes a name for itself. Fifty five Chevys for instance had no names except two doors, hardtops, etc, excluding the Nomad. They now live in a special place in people’s minds. Of course there is an element of human desire to have what it never can, a kind of immortality enshrined in names of hallowed objects: Excalibur, Secretariat, Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Silver Chalice, Sputnik, and so on, all of them entertained in a story that wraps us up in a legendary event we can use to get a kind of buzz from that includes a certain element of nostalgia in it, as we are all big babies when it comes to letting go of those things we grew up with that gave us some form of pleasure. So it not the place name cars that we remember, Yukon and Sierras. But, who forgets a Cobra? But a LaSabre? Or, a Vega? Dork.
Or even any number of blanks and duds Detroit produced just to have something, designed by the Three Stooges during a lunch break on a napkin. We deserved better.
Aren’t the 1955 Chevrolets broken into 150, 210, and Bel Air? Saying there was no naming is a lie, whether you want to believe it or not.
Well, Ford had style names since 1933, and it’s important. Many parts for a 1940 Standard will not fit a 1940 Deluxe.
My folks had a Mercury Monterey back in the sixties. I think the Monterey name would be great for a return. Barracuda and Javelin too.
What was wrong with the 04 GTO? If the answer was looks that’s a pretty lame criticism.
It was a fine car it just wasn’t a GTO which was originally the Grand Turismo Option based on the coupe version of the Tempest, a family car. They should have picked another iconic Pontiac name from the trademark folder, IMHO.
GTO wasn’t original to Pontiac, John DeLorean “borrowed” it from Ferrari.
GTO is a description of the style. “Gran Turismo Omologato in Italian (Grand Touring Homologated in English).”
Homologated refers to the process of getting cars approved as meeting the technical specifications and the minimums for production and sales. Basically, a GTO is a grand touring class race car that’s street legal.
GTO was not “Grand Turismo Option,” it stood for Grand Turismo Omologato. Borrowed from Ferrari for approved race cars. I though everyone was aware of that by now.
I am old enough to have owned many of those 1960 and 70 cars, and learned to drive in the 50’s.So I am really old!! . The songs then like “Hey little Cobra” “Little GTO”, “Giddy up my 409”, “Mustang Sally,” “Beep Beep, Nash Rambler”, and others ETC. It seemed that it was more about the car ,and some of its extras, as in the (409 speed, dual quad , Positraction) than just a mention in a song about something else. It is hard to say if the car made the names or the names made the car
I had acquired a ’55 Buick Century HT in ’64. It was professionally overbuilt to compete in C/”Stock” at the drags. Note the quotes around Stock. It was converted from the Dynaflow 2 speed auto to an earlier 3 speed manual. 11.5:1 c.r., 445 gears, bored and stroked to 352 c.i. I was street racing it regularly and things were always breaking, like clutches, transmissions and axles. My dad hated the car and my buddies used sing “Son, you’re gonna drive me to puke if you don’t stop drivin’ that hot rod Buick”. I trust you older guys remember that line from “Hot Rod Lincoln”. 🙂
Hard to beat the 58 Chevy Nomad for a classic.
Not in the day- it was a gussied 4 door wagon. I’m sure you mean the ’55-7 two door Nomad, which never really became an “old used car”.
Hear hear! Lady in our town waited fifty years for her ’58 ‘Nomad’ 4-door to become desirable enough to sell for more than used-car prices! We know what a Nomad was!
Ford missed a golden opportunity, not naming one of their electric vehicles (or concepts) the Galax-E.
That got an approval groan from me.
I’ll second that Kyle, with a nod to DUB6. Particularly wrt the ev Mustang, never should have put that name on anything but a ‘Stang coupe. The Galax-E would have been good for the mis-named new ev crossover.
Got a groan from me, too – not sure if it was one of approval, though…😁
THAT is fun-E!
Good one!
I love the 57 Oldsmobile, the 58 Buick, the 63 Pontiac, and the 62 Cadillac.
They are works of steel to marvel at.
Most of all is the 46 Hudson Coupe.
I don’t own any, yet.
They are art on wheels.
To say “I want” is an understatement.
’58 Buick Roadmaster. More chrome than a fleet of 90’s cars. Those were chrome horses.