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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American automakers on the most part are stuck on the idea that all of America wants is a utilitarian, SUV vehicle that looks the same with every ‘new’ edition. Do the designers have ‘designer block’. What ever happened to beautiful looking coupes that are a pleasure to drive and a pleasure to the eye.
That’s hands down the nicest Merkur I’ve ever seen. The Cosworth model from Europe was not bad as far as making a homely car look ok. I never understood Ford’s marketing with these cars. (Right up there with reviving the Fiesta or the confusion it had with the Festiva) I suppose they couldn’t call them the Sierra in NA because Chevy had that tied up and Granada was a name we knew as Dad’s sedan. Yes my Dad owned a Granada. The problem I saw while working at a Ford dealer at the time was most customers wanted to know why they changed Mercury to Merkur. They thought it was dumb. And while the XR was once popular here on Cougars and was on European Escorts and the like, that too was lost on buyers here. Scorpio was just lost on everyone. The sales guys used to joke that the 4-door Merkur was a Serpico. We at the dealership just shook our heads when we saw the first XR4ti come off the truck. I kept laughing until I drove one. I even encountered one bubble-headed blonde in traffic who asked me if it was a Porsche. Why yes I said. Thankfully it didn’t say Ford anywhere… Later when visiting friends in the UK who drove a 4-door 1.6L Sierra, I enjoyed telling them about the turbo 2.3 we got in Canada. They were envious and I started to like the little Pacer like car that has become rare in NA. Those cars also converted some of my V8 or bust thinking the first time I ran an errand in the sales manager’s red automatic. That car was fast and that Euro suspension surprised me. I suddenly understood what Car and Driver had been going on about for years. I still went out an bought a 400hp Maverick as a second car but my thinking was broader.
How about a four seater T-bird built off of the new Mustang architecture? A small stretch here, add a little more rear seat space, give it the kind of elegant speedy body a T-bird must have, and add a luxe suspension to complement the Mustang’s muscular setup, and voila, you can have your Bird from mild to wild with the Mustang engine choices. Don’t make it mild only like the last revival
Your Chevy Nomad has actually been produced… only by another auto maker. Mini Cooper Clubman
All – I’m finding all your comments, historical notes, and some comical comments much more interesting than the article! Thx!
Cars today, (or as I call em) “four wheel sh!t boxes” nothing impressive about them computerized touchscreen, not a button left on the dash.i
Let’s see how that’s gonna work after a few years in the hot sun?
You think there’s a lot of electronic scrap now? Just you wait…
I like driving 300 miles, pulling into a gas station for 10 minutes to fill the tank, take a leak behind the dumpster, then back on the road for another 300 miles.
Life is fleeting, enjoy every minute you are given. Live smart and pragmatic,
Don’t worry about global warming, it most likely will be corrected by a nuclear winter…
If the American car industry could make a comeback based on style first, maybe, just maybe everything else would fall into place. If you are making something beautiful that is of your own making and not something trying to be something else the feeling of pride and the happiness it brings inspires.
Electra. Futura. Comet. Meteor. Galaxie Starliner. Rocket 88.
I am waiting for an EV Buick Wildcat before I give up my 2017 Lincoln Hybrid which gets +600 miles per 14 gal. gas tank in the Summer time
Bring back the Pinto, I dare you.
Buick should bring back the car name the Wildcat superseded “INVICTA” for large ICE sedan like the CT6.