Cars we want to see revived before the world goes all-electric
09 Sep 2022|8,878 views
From the Acura Integra, BMW M4 CSL, and Ford Bronco, all the way to the Nissan Z, the past months have seen many old and well-loved nameplates revived as modern, all new models.
And we don't think this is all a coincidence either: As product development budgets become increasingly directed to new, all-electric platforms, these next few years could well already be the very last for manufacturers to develop their final combustion-powered reminders of what made their brands so great in the first place. Before we all embrace a cold, all-electric and self-driving future, that is.
With this in mind, we naturally had to take some time off to do some blue sky thinking ourselves, in order to came up with a few models of our own that we think you would love to see revived with petrol-powered hearts before the world goes all-electric. And here's the list!
Audi RS 2 Avant
A new compact Avant will make a fitting final car from RS Why we want to see it revived: It's the car that started out the entire line of RS vehicles we know and love, and we think that for that reason alone, it will make a fitting tribute as one of the final models from the performance brand before it goes all-electric. Plus, it will be a blisteringly fast compact estate. What's not to love?
How we'd go about making it: A slightly stretched version of the current RS3 Sportback won't be too difficult to accomplish, we figure, for Audi back at Ingolstadt. And building the new car this way will allow the new tribute model to carry on the all-wheel drive, five-cylinder drivetrain of its classic namesake.
Give it some unique badging, make the roof rails of the RS3 standard, and throw in a classy set of wheels that recall the Porsche Cup items on the classic RS2 Avant and we think the new model will be a highly sought-after car.
Are you looking for an estate yourself? Check out what's available on our used car listings here!
BMW 2002 tii
We'd love to see a new 2002 tii, perhaps based on a regular 2 Series (right) but with a few handling upgrades just like what was done to the 128 ti? Why we want to see it revived: With BMW having recently revived the ti as well as the CSL name, we think it could be high time we see a revived 2002 tii.
A modern-day sports coupe with a screeching hot four-cylinder is surely needed as a homage to one of the cars that started BMW's long tradition of making sporty compacts, before BMW M fully embraces hybrid and electric drivetrains.
How we'd go about making it: We think the current 2 Series Coupe could be quite the suitable donor car for a new 2002 tii. Equip it with BMW's 242bhp 2.0-litre engine (as in the BMW 430i Convertible, for example) alongside a limited-slip differential and a few handling upgrades just like the 128 ti, offer it in a bright orange just like the original, and we are certain there will be high market appeal for one.
Shopping for something a little sporty? There's plenty available for you to shop from here!
Honda CR-Z
An eye-catching compact coupe like a new Honda CR-Z could be just the thing to attract a new generation of young buyers to the brand Why we want to see it revived: With young families steadily shifting towards crossovers, compact and affordable coupes are becoming few and far between.
Which is why we think a new CR-Z would be a pretty interesting model to add into Honda's lineup. It could be just the thing that will woo a new generation of young buyers looking for something less cutesy than the Jazz, or more flamboyant than the HR-V, into the brand.
How we'd go about making it: Build it off the platform that underpins the new Integra, give it some extraverted styling, and shoehorn the engine that currently goes into the Civic e-HEV and Honda could have an appealing new coupe on its hands.
Want to go hybrid? Perhaps you'd like to start from here!
Mercedes R-Class
Should Mercedes-Benz build a new luxury MPV to take on the Alphard and Vellfire? Why we want to see it revived: Why wouldn't a new Mercedes R-Class sell? Cars like the Toyota Alphard and Kia Carnival are becoming commonplace on our streets, and concepts like the Audi urbansphere and the MINI Vision Urbanaut all suggest that the MPV could soon become popular again.
And what brand does luxury travel better than Mercedes-Benz?
How we'd go about making it: We'd give it dimensions that would rival the S-Class, and throw into the cabin the stunning MBUX Hyperscreen of course. And we'd might as well also snatch up 550bhp V8 that currently serves duty in the GLS Maybach. Surely that should make this new R-Class a hoot booth to drive and be chauffeured around in?
Catch your next MPV at a sensible price here, before they start becoming cool and overpriced!
Subaru Brat
Hyundai thinks there's a market for the Santa Cruz, we think there's one for a new Subaru Brat! Why we want to see it revived: Hyundai now has the Santa Cruz, and we think the brand that's famously associated with rallying, as well as making camping trips into the great outdoors should have its own cute ute as well.
How we'd go about making it: With Subaru already officially stating that there won't be another STI for this generation WRX and already launching its first all-electric Solterra, this new Brat will need to be powered ay a flat-four, in celebration of the firm's long line of boxer engines.
Shopping for something different? This page here should net you something interesting!
Volkswagen Phaeton
The Phaeton takes understated design to a whole new level Why we want to see it revived: Volkswagen only recently revealed images of a drivable one-off model of what was supposed to be the second generation Phaeton, and we can't help but want one.
The original Phaeton combined all the space and luxury of a large saloon with discreet styling and unpretentious badging, and we think a new Phaeton will be the perfect car to for the firm to wave goodbye to combustion engines while still emboding both the unpretentious design and high build quality you get from every Volkswagen.
How we'd go about making it: We'll have ours designed exactly as Volkswagen's designers wanted per the revealed model, but equipped with a stunning W12 engine of course.
Volkswagen Touareg R50
A new Volkswagen Touareg R50 will have the torque to challenge this current generation of electric SUV Why we want to see it revived: Don't raise those pitchforks just yet. We know the Touareg is still alive and kicking.
But, given Volkswagen's unfortunate history with diesel, this specific Touareg R50, equipped with a 5.0-litre diesel-drinking V10, will probably never see the light of day again. And that's why we have included it in this list.
How we'd go about making it: A torquey and ridiculously powerful V10-powered Touareg remade today could give Volkswagen a competitor within the super SUV segment. Give it a capable all-wheel drive system, fittingly rugged exterior styling, and this could be a rather tasty final guilty pleasure before we go all-electric.
Catch your next SUV from our listings here!
You might also be interested in these articles:
These nameplates were in Singapore for only one generation
Singapore's forgotten EVs, Part 1: The Geometry A
Five cars where their previous versions are favoured more than the current one
Is the SUV era slowly on its way out?
And we don't think this is all a coincidence either: As product development budgets become increasingly directed to new, all-electric platforms, these next few years could well already be the very last for manufacturers to develop their final combustion-powered reminders of what made their brands so great in the first place. Before we all embrace a cold, all-electric and self-driving future, that is.
With this in mind, we naturally had to take some time off to do some blue sky thinking ourselves, in order to came up with a few models of our own that we think you would love to see revived with petrol-powered hearts before the world goes all-electric. And here's the list!
Audi RS 2 Avant
How we'd go about making it: A slightly stretched version of the current RS3 Sportback won't be too difficult to accomplish, we figure, for Audi back at Ingolstadt. And building the new car this way will allow the new tribute model to carry on the all-wheel drive, five-cylinder drivetrain of its classic namesake.
Give it some unique badging, make the roof rails of the RS3 standard, and throw in a classy set of wheels that recall the Porsche Cup items on the classic RS2 Avant and we think the new model will be a highly sought-after car.
Are you looking for an estate yourself? Check out what's available on our used car listings here!
BMW 2002 tii
 |  |
A modern-day sports coupe with a screeching hot four-cylinder is surely needed as a homage to one of the cars that started BMW's long tradition of making sporty compacts, before BMW M fully embraces hybrid and electric drivetrains.
How we'd go about making it: We think the current 2 Series Coupe could be quite the suitable donor car for a new 2002 tii. Equip it with BMW's 242bhp 2.0-litre engine (as in the BMW 430i Convertible, for example) alongside a limited-slip differential and a few handling upgrades just like the 128 ti, offer it in a bright orange just like the original, and we are certain there will be high market appeal for one.
Shopping for something a little sporty? There's plenty available for you to shop from here!
Honda CR-Z
Which is why we think a new CR-Z would be a pretty interesting model to add into Honda's lineup. It could be just the thing that will woo a new generation of young buyers looking for something less cutesy than the Jazz, or more flamboyant than the HR-V, into the brand.
How we'd go about making it: Build it off the platform that underpins the new Integra, give it some extraverted styling, and shoehorn the engine that currently goes into the Civic e-HEV and Honda could have an appealing new coupe on its hands.
Want to go hybrid? Perhaps you'd like to start from here!
Mercedes R-Class
And what brand does luxury travel better than Mercedes-Benz?
How we'd go about making it: We'd give it dimensions that would rival the S-Class, and throw into the cabin the stunning MBUX Hyperscreen of course. And we'd might as well also snatch up 550bhp V8 that currently serves duty in the GLS Maybach. Surely that should make this new R-Class a hoot booth to drive and be chauffeured around in?
Catch your next MPV at a sensible price here, before they start becoming cool and overpriced!
Subaru Brat
How we'd go about making it: With Subaru already officially stating that there won't be another STI for this generation WRX and already launching its first all-electric Solterra, this new Brat will need to be powered ay a flat-four, in celebration of the firm's long line of boxer engines.
Shopping for something different? This page here should net you something interesting!
Volkswagen Phaeton
The original Phaeton combined all the space and luxury of a large saloon with discreet styling and unpretentious badging, and we think a new Phaeton will be the perfect car to for the firm to wave goodbye to combustion engines while still emboding both the unpretentious design and high build quality you get from every Volkswagen.
How we'd go about making it: We'll have ours designed exactly as Volkswagen's designers wanted per the revealed model, but equipped with a stunning W12 engine of course.
Volkswagen Touareg R50
But, given Volkswagen's unfortunate history with diesel, this specific Touareg R50, equipped with a 5.0-litre diesel-drinking V10, will probably never see the light of day again. And that's why we have included it in this list.
How we'd go about making it: A torquey and ridiculously powerful V10-powered Touareg remade today could give Volkswagen a competitor within the super SUV segment. Give it a capable all-wheel drive system, fittingly rugged exterior styling, and this could be a rather tasty final guilty pleasure before we go all-electric.
Catch your next SUV from our listings here!
You might also be interested in these articles:
These nameplates were in Singapore for only one generation
Singapore's forgotten EVs, Part 1: The Geometry A
Five cars where their previous versions are favoured more than the current one
Is the SUV era slowly on its way out?
From the Acura Integra, BMW M4 CSL, and Ford Bronco, all the way to the Nissan Z, the past months have seen many old and well-loved nameplates revived as modern, all new models.
And we don't think this is all a coincidence either: As product development budgets become increasingly directed to new, all-electric platforms, these next few years could well already be the very last for manufacturers to develop their final combustion-powered reminders of what made their brands so great in the first place. Before we all embrace a cold, all-electric and self-driving future, that is.
With this in mind, we naturally had to take some time off to do some blue sky thinking ourselves, in order to came up with a few models of our own that we think you would love to see revived with petrol-powered hearts before the world goes all-electric. And here's the list!
Audi RS 2 Avant
A new compact Avant will make a fitting final car from RS
Why we want to see it revived: It's the car that started out the entire line of RS vehicles we know and love, and we think that for that reason alone, it will make a fitting tribute as one of the final models from the performance brand before it goes all-electric. Plus, it will be a blisteringly fast compact estate. What's not to love?
How we'd go about making it: A slightly stretched version of the current RS3 Sportback won't be too difficult to accomplish, we figure, for Audi back at Ingolstadt. And building the new car this way will allow the new tribute model to carry on the all-wheel drive, five-cylinder drivetrain of its classic namesake.
Give it some unique badging, make the roof rails of the RS3 standard, and throw in a classy set of wheels that recall the Porsche Cup items on the classic RS2 Avant and we think the new model will be a highly sought-after car.
Are you looking for an estate yourself? Check out what's available on our used car listings here!
BMW 2002 tii
We'd love to see a new 2002 tii, perhaps based on a regular 2 Series (right) but with a few handling upgrades just like what was done to the 128 ti?
Why we want to see it revived: With BMW having recently revived the ti as well as the CSL name, we think it could be high time we see a revived 2002 tii.
A modern-day sports coupe with a screeching hot four-cylinder is surely needed as a homage to one of the cars that started BMW's long tradition of making sporty compacts, before BMW M fully embraces hybrid and electric drivetrains.
How we'd go about making it: We think the current 2 Series Coupe could be quite the suitable donor car for a new 2002 tii. Equip it with BMW's 242bhp 2.0-litre engine (as in the BMW 430i Convertible, for example) alongside a limited-slip differential and a few handling upgrades just like the 128 ti, offer it in a bright orange just like the original, and we are certain there will be high market appeal for one.
Shopping for something a little sporty? There's plenty available for you to shop from here!
Honda CR-Z
An eye-catching compact coupe like a new Honda CR-Z could be just the thing to attract a new generation of young buyers to the brand
Why we want to see it revived: With young families steadily shifting towards crossovers, compact and affordable coupes are becoming few and far between.
Which is why we think a new CR-Z would be a pretty interesting model to add into Honda's lineup. It could be just the thing that will woo a new generation of young buyers looking for something less cutesy than the Jazz, or more flamboyant than the HR-V, into the brand.
How we'd go about making it: Build it off the platform that underpins the new Integra, give it some extraverted styling, and shoehorn the engine that currently goes into the Civic e-HEV and Honda could have an appealing new coupe on its hands.
Want to go hybrid? Perhaps you'd like to start from here!
Mercedes R-Class
Should Mercedes-Benz build a new luxury MPV to take on the Alphard and Vellfire?
Why we want to see it revived: Why wouldn't a new Mercedes R-Class sell? Cars like the Toyota Alphard and Kia Carnival are becoming commonplace on our streets, and concepts like the Audi urbansphere and the MINI Vision Urbanaut all suggest that the MPV could soon become popular again.
And what brand does luxury travel better than Mercedes-Benz?
How we'd go about making it: We'd give it dimensions that would rival the S-Class, and throw into the cabin the stunning MBUX Hyperscreen of course. And we'd might as well also snatch up 550bhp V8 that currently serves duty in the GLS Maybach. Surely that should make this new R-Class a hoot booth to drive and be chauffeured around in?
Catch your next MPV at a sensible price here, before they start becoming cool and overpriced!
Subaru Brat
Hyundai thinks there's a market for the Santa Cruz, we think there's one for a new Subaru Brat!
Why we want to see it revived: Hyundai now has the Santa Cruz, and we think the brand that's famously associated with rallying, as well as making camping trips into the great outdoors should have its own cute ute as well.
How we'd go about making it: With Subaru already officially stating that there won't be another STI for this generation WRX and already launching its first all-electric Solterra, this new Brat will need to be powered ay a flat-four, in celebration of the firm's long line of boxer engines.
Shopping for something different? This page here should net you something interesting!
Volkswagen Phaeton
The Phaeton takes understated design to a whole new level
Why we want to see it revived: Volkswagen only recently revealed images of a drivable one-off model of what was supposed to be the second generation Phaeton, and we can't help but want one.
The original Phaeton combined all the space and luxury of a large saloon with discreet styling and unpretentious badging, and we think a new Phaeton will be the perfect car to for the firm to wave goodbye to combustion engines while still emboding both the unpretentious design and high build quality you get from every Volkswagen.
How we'd go about making it: We'll have ours designed exactly as Volkswagen's designers wanted per the revealed model, but equipped with a stunning W12 engine of course.
Volkswagen Touareg R50
A new Volkswagen Touareg R50 will have the torque to challenge this current generation of electric SUV
Why we want to see it revived: Don't raise those pitchforks just yet. We know the Touareg is still alive and kicking.
But, given Volkswagen's unfortunate history with diesel, this specific Touareg R50, equipped with a 5.0-litre diesel-drinking V10, will probably never see the light of day again. And that's why we have included it in this list.
How we'd go about making it: A torquey and ridiculously powerful V10-powered Touareg remade today could give Volkswagen a competitor within the super SUV segment. Give it a capable all-wheel drive system, fittingly rugged exterior styling, and this could be a rather tasty final guilty pleasure before we go all-electric.
Catch your next SUV from our listings here!
You might also be interested in these articles:
These nameplates were in Singapore for only one generation
Singapore's forgotten EVs, Part 1: The Geometry A
Five cars where their previous versions are favoured more than the current one
Is the SUV era slowly on its way out?
And we don't think this is all a coincidence either: As product development budgets become increasingly directed to new, all-electric platforms, these next few years could well already be the very last for manufacturers to develop their final combustion-powered reminders of what made their brands so great in the first place. Before we all embrace a cold, all-electric and self-driving future, that is.
With this in mind, we naturally had to take some time off to do some blue sky thinking ourselves, in order to came up with a few models of our own that we think you would love to see revived with petrol-powered hearts before the world goes all-electric. And here's the list!
Audi RS 2 Avant
Why we want to see it revived: It's the car that started out the entire line of RS vehicles we know and love, and we think that for that reason alone, it will make a fitting tribute as one of the final models from the performance brand before it goes all-electric. Plus, it will be a blisteringly fast compact estate. What's not to love?
How we'd go about making it: A slightly stretched version of the current RS3 Sportback won't be too difficult to accomplish, we figure, for Audi back at Ingolstadt. And building the new car this way will allow the new tribute model to carry on the all-wheel drive, five-cylinder drivetrain of its classic namesake.
Give it some unique badging, make the roof rails of the RS3 standard, and throw in a classy set of wheels that recall the Porsche Cup items on the classic RS2 Avant and we think the new model will be a highly sought-after car.
Are you looking for an estate yourself? Check out what's available on our used car listings here!
BMW 2002 tii
Why we want to see it revived: With BMW having recently revived the ti as well as the CSL name, we think it could be high time we see a revived 2002 tii.
A modern-day sports coupe with a screeching hot four-cylinder is surely needed as a homage to one of the cars that started BMW's long tradition of making sporty compacts, before BMW M fully embraces hybrid and electric drivetrains.
How we'd go about making it: We think the current 2 Series Coupe could be quite the suitable donor car for a new 2002 tii. Equip it with BMW's 242bhp 2.0-litre engine (as in the BMW 430i Convertible, for example) alongside a limited-slip differential and a few handling upgrades just like the 128 ti, offer it in a bright orange just like the original, and we are certain there will be high market appeal for one.
Shopping for something a little sporty? There's plenty available for you to shop from here!
Honda CR-Z
Why we want to see it revived: With young families steadily shifting towards crossovers, compact and affordable coupes are becoming few and far between.
Which is why we think a new CR-Z would be a pretty interesting model to add into Honda's lineup. It could be just the thing that will woo a new generation of young buyers looking for something less cutesy than the Jazz, or more flamboyant than the HR-V, into the brand.
How we'd go about making it: Build it off the platform that underpins the new Integra, give it some extraverted styling, and shoehorn the engine that currently goes into the Civic e-HEV and Honda could have an appealing new coupe on its hands.
Want to go hybrid? Perhaps you'd like to start from here!
Mercedes R-Class
Why we want to see it revived: Why wouldn't a new Mercedes R-Class sell? Cars like the Toyota Alphard and Kia Carnival are becoming commonplace on our streets, and concepts like the Audi urbansphere and the MINI Vision Urbanaut all suggest that the MPV could soon become popular again.
And what brand does luxury travel better than Mercedes-Benz?
How we'd go about making it: We'd give it dimensions that would rival the S-Class, and throw into the cabin the stunning MBUX Hyperscreen of course. And we'd might as well also snatch up 550bhp V8 that currently serves duty in the GLS Maybach. Surely that should make this new R-Class a hoot booth to drive and be chauffeured around in?
Catch your next MPV at a sensible price here, before they start becoming cool and overpriced!
Subaru Brat
Why we want to see it revived: Hyundai now has the Santa Cruz, and we think the brand that's famously associated with rallying, as well as making camping trips into the great outdoors should have its own cute ute as well.
How we'd go about making it: With Subaru already officially stating that there won't be another STI for this generation WRX and already launching its first all-electric Solterra, this new Brat will need to be powered ay a flat-four, in celebration of the firm's long line of boxer engines.
Shopping for something different? This page here should net you something interesting!
Volkswagen Phaeton
Why we want to see it revived: Volkswagen only recently revealed images of a drivable one-off model of what was supposed to be the second generation Phaeton, and we can't help but want one.
The original Phaeton combined all the space and luxury of a large saloon with discreet styling and unpretentious badging, and we think a new Phaeton will be the perfect car to for the firm to wave goodbye to combustion engines while still emboding both the unpretentious design and high build quality you get from every Volkswagen.
How we'd go about making it: We'll have ours designed exactly as Volkswagen's designers wanted per the revealed model, but equipped with a stunning W12 engine of course.
Volkswagen Touareg R50
Why we want to see it revived: Don't raise those pitchforks just yet. We know the Touareg is still alive and kicking.
But, given Volkswagen's unfortunate history with diesel, this specific Touareg R50, equipped with a 5.0-litre diesel-drinking V10, will probably never see the light of day again. And that's why we have included it in this list.
How we'd go about making it: A torquey and ridiculously powerful V10-powered Touareg remade today could give Volkswagen a competitor within the super SUV segment. Give it a capable all-wheel drive system, fittingly rugged exterior styling, and this could be a rather tasty final guilty pleasure before we go all-electric.
Catch your next SUV from our listings here!
You might also be interested in these articles:
These nameplates were in Singapore for only one generation
Singapore's forgotten EVs, Part 1: The Geometry A
Five cars where their previous versions are favoured more than the current one
Is the SUV era slowly on its way out?
Photos by Manufacturers, Wikipedia Commons
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