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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I 1986 I bought a Merkur XR4ti after spending time in Europe. It was a nice car, but the Mercury technicians did not know about how to maintain it. Cooling system flushes were not normal for them. Result was a dead heater core and then radiator. All within 4 years.
The suspension was modified on the advice of Jackie Stewart. Unlike the Sierra version, it had a scary lean going into a corner, then it would stiffen up. Heel and toe was the only answer.
Brakes were rear drums and front discs, no ABS. For the weight and power they really were not up to the task.
I sold mine after 4 years and bought a 3 series. In those days the BMW shop was a car enthusiast’s place. Nothing fancy, just the smell of tires, grease, oil and exhaust. My kind of place.
No mention of AMC? The author should open the garage door when warming the car up in the morning.
Personally I can do without the new Ford Thunderbird VI EV SUV. Kind of like sequels at the movies. Rarely as good as the original.
Chrysler Newport: being an EV, it would use a new port to fuel.
It’s sad how GM’s car designs have grown mediocre. The Nomad & Wildcat designs would have outclassed the competition if GM got off the dime and made the decision to go into production with those concepts. GM needs to get out of the “no/low risk” mentality and start taking a few chances.
RIVIERA !!!!!
It amazes me how some car names get approved and not approved. Ford got it so wrong when it called their electric car the “Mustang Mach-E”. Should have been named “Fusion”. A name they already had and was a dropped model. Reuse “Fusion” for your electric car or bring back the “Futura”! But yet they got it so right when they named the Electric F-150 “Lightning” and bringing back the “Bronco” on a full size open top truck. But then they call the smaller Bronco the “Bronco Sport”. Why not bring back the “Bronco II” name! Then Chevy brings back the “Blazer” name and puts it on a crossover suv. That should have been a competitor to the retro full size Bronco. Make a full size SUV and call that “Blazer” and name the small crossover the “Trailblazer”. Acura got it right bringing back “Integra” but where’s the “Legend”!!? That will have people swarming the dealership to drive a new “Legend”. Where’s the electric Jaguar “E- Type”? How about and electric Mitsubishi “E-clipse”? Why is Toyota using “bZ4X”?? What even is that? Bring back the “Celica”. I would love to be in the rooms as these decisions are being made and someone says “I got it!” We’ll call it the “bZ4X” but the B will be lowercase! And everybody in the room is like that’s it!
The normal size Bronco is a Bronco. The 4-door is an open top Excursion. Or maybe an open top Super duty. It should not be called a Bronco.
(As a Ford guy) I will admit that Impala is one of my favorite car names ever. It’s an epic name for a car.
But it’s also painful to see a great name like that on an unworthy car. I would love to see modern a Galaxie, Thunderbird, Cougar, etc but only on vehicles that earn those names; e.g. the Nomad name on that concept car just doesn’t work – that’s not a Nomad, it’s an AMC Pacer.
How about bringing back a whole division? Really miss Pontiac.
You have to choose which other line(s) to kill off. I propose killing Chevrolet and Cadillac.
In 1969 i had a 1965 Honda, a no soul appliance then as now. OK the Beach Boys wrote a song about them sooo maybe.
I thought the Honda song was about a 55-cc. almost-motorcycle, and by the Ripcords? Did the BB write it?
From the early 50’s, my 1952 Kaiser Manhattan has styling equaled by few. Great name for the top of the line!
The problem I see is that the age group these names resonate with is not the age group car makers want/need to reach.
Being a Ford lover since the Mustang’s 1963 intro, I cringed at associating the name with a 4 dr EV! We daily (not as much as we used to hear) get so much push back on that association, I have resorted to dropping the Mustang and just calling it the Mach e. I do agree with Matt and think Galax-E would have been much more popular.
Ford and GM should first start bring back cars, period. I’m sick of these fat ugly SUVs.
How Ford hasn’t used the “Fusion” name again on an EV is beyond me. Seems like a perfect fit.
Yeah, Cougar, Nova, and LeMans quickly come up as past names that went on cars they didn’t belong. The Nova was a Toyota Corolla, so not a bad car, but that Cougar was just a garbage 2-door Contour. The last Mercury Capri in this country that was that Australian roadster was not too bad of a reuse, even if it was FWD.