Halloween special: cars that returned from the dead

Since the first cars arrived more than 130 years ago, thousands of cars and car companies have sprung up only to disappear without trace.

In some cases these cars have been revived, even though they should have been consigned to the history books forever. Here we look at some of the motoring makes and models that have been brought back from the dead – sometimes more than once – and in many cases only to disappear once again:

Abarth - then

Carlo Abarth built up a very successful business tuning Fiats and Simcas – so successful that Fiat bought his company in 1971 and turned it into nothing more than a badge to denote high-performance derivatives of its family cars such as the Strada and Stilo.

Abarth - now

But in 2008 the brand was resurrected as a company in its own right, offering the 500 (pictured), Punto and now there's a 124 Spider too.

Allard - then

Briton Sydney Allard set up his own company in 1945 and produced around 2000 luxury and sporting cars by the end of the following decade.

Later, Allard would offer tuning kits for the Ford Anglia and Classic Capri, but by the late 1960s it was all over. Revisiting a model name used previously, a resurrected Allard showed its J2X Group C racer in 1992, just as the series was abandoned.

Allard - later

In 1993, Allard returned with a reskinned Lexus LS400 called the P4. Despite a 70% premium over the standard car's price tag, three cars were made of which just one survives.

Audi - then

August Horch set up a car company in 1899, then a decade later he fell out with his colleagues. Unable to use his own name again, he set up a rival business called Audi, which merged with DKW and Wanderer in 1932 to form Auto Union.

Audi - now

With DKW proving the dominant partner, the Audi brand died in 1932 only to be resurrected in 1965 when the company was bought by Volkswagen. It’s one of the few brands featured here that’s done rather well for itself since being revived.

Borgward - then

Here's one that nobody saw coming. In the late 1920s Carl Borgward added an ailing Hansa-Lloyd car-making business to his own, which was making three-wheelers for the commercial market. It all ticked over nicely until things went belly up in 1961, and we all thought that was the last we'd heard of Borgward. But then Borgward's grandson Christian set up a new venture backed by Chinese automotive group Beiqi Foton Motor.

Borgward - now

We got our first glimpse of a new Borgward production car at the 2015 Geneva motor show and since then the company has put its BX5, BX6 and BX7 SUVs into production.

Bugatti - then

Why settle for one comeback when you can have four? Ettore Bugatti created a company to build luxury and sporting cars between the wars. He died in 1947, by which point the marque was already dead, but in the mid-1950s Ettore’s son Roland tried to jump-start the company.

He failed and so did Virgil Exner who tried to relaunch Bugatti at the 1965 Turin motor show. Another revival in the 1990s led to the magnificent EB110 (pictured) – then failure once again.

Bugatti - now

Next the Volkswagen Group bought Bugatti in 1998, relaunched with the Veyron hypercar (pictured) in 2005 and then its follow-up model the Chiron in 2016, which recently became the world's fastest production car, attaining 305mph. At last it looks like the brand is back for good. Hurrah!

Connaught - then

The original Connaught built Grand Prix cars and a handful of sports cars, the latter based on various Lea Francis models. Few cars were made in all, the company having started in 1952 with production pretty much over by the start of the 1960s.

Connaught - later

Perhaps one of the most fascinating what-might-have-beens, the Connaught D-Type that surfaced in 2005 was a GT that featured a front-mounted 296bhp V10, yet displaced just 2.0-litres. Priced at $100,000 at the time (around £70,000) and capable of 171mph, the car sank without trace soon after.

Datsun - then

It was 88 years ago, in 1931, that Datsun was born. Well, born for the first time. Back then the company built a handful of cars in its first year, ramping up production to three figures in 1932. By the mid-1960s Datsun had started to sell cars in Europe, having already set up shop in the US.

With Nissan branding taking over from the early 1980s and the brand killed off altogether in 1986 it seemed that was that.

Datsun - now

But in 2013 Nissan relaunched Datsun as a budget brand in India, Russia, Indonesia and South Africa, with vehicles like this Go+ MPV (pictured). However, rumours now abound that the brand's future currently hangs in the balance.

De Tomaso - then

Alejandro de Tomaso set up shop in 1959 to build sports and racing cars in the same vein as Ferrari and Maserati.

However, he didn't produce his own engines (they generally came from Ford) and his cars were always overshadowed by more glamorous rivals. His biggest hit was the Pantera (pictured), produced in collaboration with Ford, which owned a controlling stake in the company for a while. De Tomaso closed down in 2004, the man himself having died in 2003.

De Tomaso - now

Seven years later a De Tomaso SUV concept was shown at the Geneva motor show. Borrowing a previous company name (Deauville), the plan was to build 3000 of them. Then it all went quiet...

Frazer-Nash - then

If ever there was an unlikely revival it’s this one. Frazer-Nash built its first car in 1922 and focused on building sporting cars for the connoisseur for the next 35 years, with various changes of ownership along the way.

Frazer-Nash - now

In the early 21st century Frazer-Nash sprang back to life as a consultancy to develop clean vehicles and transport networks. While much of what it does goes on in the background (it’s redeveloping Morgan’s EV3 for example), in 2009 we saw the first all-new Frazer-Nash in more than 50 years – a hybrid supercar concept called Namir, designed and built by Giugiaro (pictured).

Hispano-Suiza - then

The first Hispano-Suizas were built in 1904. This Spanish company produced luxury cars like this H6C Targa model (1924) until 1938, when it shifted to aircraft and munitions before evolving into SIAT – which in turn would become SEAT, today part of Volkswagen. In theory Hispano-Suiza never went away as it's still part of the SAFRAN aerospace group.

Hispano-Suiza - now

However, the Hispano-Suiza name was brought back from the dead in 2002 with the HS21 GTS supercar concept that broke cover at the Geneva motor show. That disappeared without trace, only for Hispano-Suiza to reappear once more at the 2010 Geneva show. This time it was with an Audi R8-based supercar (pictured), ambitiously priced at a cool €700k (around £500,000 at the time).

ISO - then

Few car brands are as obscure as Iso, yet the marque has just been revived for the second time. It was Iso that developed the Isetta which then sustained BMW throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s.

This Italian refrigerator manufacturer moved into microcars before trying its hand at GTs such as the Fidia, Lele, Rivolta and – most notably – the Grifo (pictured).

ISO - later

By 1974 Iso had bitten the dust only to return in 1990 with a non-running prototype that would later be turned into a one-off fully driveable car.

Now Iso is back once more with the Rivolta Vision, created for Sony’s Gran Turismo Sport with Zagato set to build up to five copies of the Corvette-based hypercar.

Jensen - then

As well as building bodies for other brands (such as Austin and Volvo), Jensen built its own range of sporting and luxury cars from 1934. Best known for the Interceptor (pictured) and its four-wheel drive derivative the FF (the world's first car with anti-lock brakes), Jensen had gone out of business by 1976.

Jensen - later

At the 1998 British motor show Jensen made a comeback but it would be another three years before its S-V8 would go into production (pictured). After just 20 cars were completed the company died again, although another dozen examples were completed in 2003 by yet another iteration of the company: Jensen International Automotive.

Lagonda - then

Founded by Wilbur Gunn and named after his hometown in Ohio, Lagonda built sporting cars for the wealthy enthusiast, like this LG6 from 1938. Swallowed up by Aston Martin in 1947, the final model from the marque was the Rapide, production of which finished in 1965.

Lagonda - later

Lagonda was used as a model name for the crazy William Towns-designed saloon that appeared in 1976, then it all went quiet until the 2009 Geneva motor show when a cosmetically challenged SUV concept was unveiled, based on a Mercedes GL-Class (pictured). It all went quiet again until the pricey Taraf saloon broke cover; just 150 or so were built.

Lagonda - now

Now Lagonda is back once more, as an autonomous electric luxury saloon, launched in concept form by Aston Martin at the 2018 Geneva motor show - the latest relaunch of a marque that was first seen in 1906. We should see it in production form in 2022.

Lister - then

In the early days it was a race car builder, set up by Brian Lister who built 50 cars up to 1959. The brand was then largely mothballed but it was acquired in 1986 by Lawrence Pearce who tuned Jaguar XJSs before creating the formidable V12-powered Storm, which proved unassailable in GT racing.

The company changed hands once again in 2013, to focus on continuation fifties-style racers and – once again – tuned Jaguars.

Lister - now

In 2018 Lister unveiled its 666bhp Jaguar F-Type-based Thunder (pictured), 64 years after the marque made its debut.

Maybach - then

First set up by Wilhelm Maybach in 1909 to build engines for airships, the company also manufactured luxury cars from 1921 until 1940 like the magnificent Zeppelin (pictured). Maybach built tank engines throughout the war - including those for the infamous Tiger - then it all went quiet until Daimler-Benz bought the company in 1960.

Maybach - later

But it would be another 37 years before the brand reappeared with a luxurious concept car unveiled at the 1997 Tokyo motor show. A production car followed in 2002 (pictured) but sales proved sluggish and in 2013 the brand was effectively mothballed.

Maybach - now

It's since been revived again as a range-topper for the Mercedes S-Class (pictured), and it looks like we'll see more as Mercedes seeks to guard the peaks of its model ranges against posher fare from the likes of Rolls-Royce and Bentley - both companies owned by its primary German rivals.

Packard - then

Between 1899 and 1959 Packard built some of the most luxurious and advanced cars in the US, but when it bought the ailing Studebaker company in 1954 the writing was on the wall. Then, in 1993 entrepreneur Roy Gullickson decided to bring the Packard marque back from the dead.

Packard - later

In 1998 the Packard Twelve was first shown. A 573bhp 8.6-litre V12 powered the four-door four-wheel drive saloon but it seems nobody wanted to buy one.

The sole prototype built (pictured) was sold by RM Auctions in 2014, for $143,000 (£108,325 then). The company's website is still live, at packardmotorcar.com.

Spyker - then

Originally a coachbuilder in the true sense (of carriages), Dutch company Spyker started trading in 1880. By 1903 it had built the world's first four-wheel drive car with brakes on all four wheels and a six-cylinder engine (pictured). After around 2000 cars had been made Spyker closed down in 1926.

Spyker - later

In 1999 the name was adopted for a new company which produced the C8 supercar with an Audi 4.2-litre V8. Since then the company has built around 300 cars, but it's all gone a bit quiet lately...

Trident - then

British firm Trident was always low-profile, with just 130 or so cars made between 1966 and 1978. Fitted with either six- or eight-cylinder engines, the Clipper, Venturer and Tycoon (pictured) were intriguing sports cars that are still largely unknown. 

Trident - later

So bringing the Trident marque back from the dead was an odd decision, but that's what happened when a new car appeared in 1998, only to disappear then reappear in 2000 as the Iceni (pictured). The company occasionally threatens to resurface, and its website is still live at tridentsportscars.com - but we're not holding our breath.

TVR - then

This will be the next big revival, and one that we're hopeful about. TVR built its first car in 1949 and over the next 57 years it changed hands several times and created some incredible sports cars, like this Sagaris, but it couldn't last. The final cars were built in 2006 and it looked like that was it.

TVR - now

But in 2013 the brand was sold to Les Edgar and John Chasey. The new Griffith was unveiled in 2017 but series production has been delayed.

Lotus Elan - then

When Lotus unveiled a front-wheel drive Elan (known as the M100) in 1989 there were many who reckoned the company had lost the plot. After all, a decent sports car has to be rear-wheel drive, right? Not so - Lotus did a magnificent job in creating a landmark sportster.

Kia Elan - later

Lotus produced the Elan M100 until 1995 - a year later it was revived as a Kia, which built it for the Korean market. Outwardly identical to the Lotus edition, aside from new rear lights, the Kia Elan featured a 1.8-litre engine in place of the Lotus's 1.6-litre unit.

Reliant Scimitar GTE - then

Reliant launched a two-door Scimitar coupé in 1964, but it was the three-door shooting brake of 1968 that would put the Scimitar on the map - later there would also be a cabriolet with a T-bar, just like the Triumph Stag's. In 1986 Reliant ended Scimitar prduction to focus on making three-wheelers.

Middlebridge Scimitar - later

Recognising that there was still demand for the Scimitar, Middlebridge acquired the rights to continue production with a revamped car going on sale in 1988. This incorporated 450 improvements over the Reliant edition, but just 78 cars were made before Middlebridge went bust.

Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato - then

Just 19 DB4 GT Zagatos were built in the 1960s. They went on to become the most collectible Aston Martins ever made.

Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato - later

In 1988 Aston Martin put the Zagato back into production – kind of. It built four new cars known as Sanction II models with previously unused chassis numbers. In 2000 another two DB4 GT Zagatos were made, known as Sanction IIIs.

Renault 12 - then

Now largely forgotten and overshadowed by the 16, the Renault 12 made its debut in 1969 with a 1.3-litre engine; later would come a 1.6-litre Gordini edition. Renault built the car until 1980.

Dacia 1300 - later

With Renault having killed off the 12 it was up to Dacia to keep production going, which it did until 2004, a whopping 35 years after the car had first gone on sale.

Audi A4 - then

Taking over where the 80 left off, the first Audi A4 landed in 1994. A second take on the formula was released in 2000, known internally as the B6 and this was facelifted in 2004 to become the B7. By 2008 the B7 had been replaced by an all-new A4.

Seat Exeo - later

The B7 might not have been up to date enough for Audi, but SEAT was quite happy to add the car to its range in saloon and estate forms, as the Exeo. In the end the B7 was in SEAT's price lists longer than it was in Audi's (five years vs four).

Studebaker Avanti - then

Founded in 1852, Studebaker built its first car in 1902. By 1954 Studebaker had merged with Packard then in 1963 the company closed its South Bend factory in 1963, just a year after its Avanti had been introduced. With a production run of just a year, fewer than 6000 Avantis were made.

Avanti II - later

When the company went belly up, Studebaker dealers Nate and Arnold Altman and Leo Newman took over production before selling everything on. The Avanti would end up being made by five different companies after Studebaker went bust, with convertible and four-door editions introduced along the way.

Rover SD1 - then

SD1 is short for Specialist Division 1 as it was the first project undertaken by British Leyland's development team. Production ran for a decade from 1976, with 300,000 or so examples (badly) made, few of which survive.

Standard 2000 - later

Just as Austin Rover was giving up on the SD1, India's Standard was putting it into production. Whereas most SD1s featured a six- or eight-cylinder engine (although it was offered with a 2.0-litre four-pot), the 2000 came only with an 88bhp 1991cc four-cylinder engine based on the unit seen in the Standard Vanguard of the late 1940s. The Standard 2000 bombed.

Morris Oxford Series III - then

Overshadowed by the later Farina Oxford, that car's predecessor was the Series II which arrived in 1954, which was facelifted two years later to become the Series III. This went out of production in 1959 when the all-new Farina-bodied Oxford came along, also offered in Austin Cambridge form.

Hindustan Ambassador - later

The Morris Oxford Series III went into production in 1958 in India, as the Hindustan Ambassador. Incredibly it remained in production until 2014 and in the 1990s an attempt was made to import the Ambassador to the UK but British buyers didn't want to know – they'd been glad to see the back of the car several decades earlier.

DeLorean DMC-12 - then

One of the most controversial cars ever made, the DeLorean was built in Northern Ireland but just 8583 were made before the company closed down.

DeLorean DMC-12 - later

Having gained such a cult following, US DeLorean specialist DMC announced in January 2016 that it was going to build a small number of new DeLoreans, bringing the car back from the dead.

MGB - then

Launched in 1962, the MGB went on to become the world's best-selling sports car. Apart from a few thousand V8-powered GT (hatchback) examples, all MGBs came with a 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine. The final MGB was built in 1980, and its factory near Oxford died with it.

MG RV8 - later

British Leyland never offered a V8-powered MGB roadster, but more than two decades after the final MGB had been built the car was revived by Austin Rover in the form of the RV8. Just under 2000 examples were made, each with a 3.9-litre Rover V8.

AC Cobra - then

One of the most copied cars ever created, the Cobra started out as the AC Ace, into which Carroll Shelby shoehorned a Ford V8. At first it was a 289ci unit (4.7 litres) but later came the legendary 427ci (7.0-litre) edition.

Autokraft Cobra - later

The original AC Cobra went out of production in 1969, in MkIII form. But the car was revived in 1982 by Autokraft, which licensed the AC name and came up with the MkIV, still powered by a Ford V8. Since then the Cobra has remained in production, made by a series of companies and carrying a raft of different names.

Marcos GT - then

Founded by Jem Marsh and Frank Costin, Marcos arrived in 1959 and five years later the GT was introduced with a choice of Volvo, Ford and Triumph engines. But by 1972 it was all over, with Marcos going bust thanks to changes in the market and taxation regimes.

Marcos GT - later

Jem Marsh brought Marcos back from the dead in 1982, and having bought the moulds to the GT in 1976 he put the car back into production. At first there were various Ford and Triumph engines offered but in 1983 a Rover V8 option was added to the range.

At first the cars were sold as kits only but from 1990 the cars came only fully assembled.

Reliant Robin - then

Reliant had been offering three-wheeled vehicles since 1935 but it wasn't until 1973 that its most iconic model was launched - the Robin. Styled by Scimitar GTE designer Tom Karen, the car was facelifted numerous times before Reliant finally gave up on the Robin in 2000, to focus on selling other companies' three-wheelers including the Piaggio Ape.

B&N Robin - later

Realising that there was still a significant demand for cars missing a wheel, B&N Plastics bought the rights to produce the Robin and production resumed in 2001. The company was allowed to produce 250 Robins per year under the licence but just 40 were made before it all went belly up late in 2002.

Vauxhall Victor FE - then

The original Vauxhall Victor was the F-Type of 1957; the fifth and final iteration was the FE which made its debut in 1972. Production ended in 1978 with the arrival of the Vauxhall Carlton.

Hindustan Contessa - later

Knowing a tasty design when one came along, Indian car maker Hindustan spotted that Vauxhall had finished with the Victor FE, so it scooped up the tooling to put the car back into production as a luxury model. Sold as the Hindustan Contessa in its home market, sales were slow as there wasn't really much demand for luxury cars.

Mini Marcos - then

The BMC Mini spawned a huge variety of low-volume cars throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including the Mini Marcos. This glassfibre-bodied mini-GT was a great success for Marcos with one example notching up a 15th place at Le Mans in 1966.

Marcos Heritage MkVI - later

The demise of Marcos in the early 1970s meant the end of the Mini Marcos. But in 2005 the car was revived by Marcos Heritage Spares as the Heritage MkVI - and you can still buy one.

Lancia Beta Montecarlo - then

A mid-engined sports car based on the Lancia Beta was always going to add some spice to a range with an image that lacked sparkle. Unfortunately, the Monte Carlo (sold as the Lancia Scorpion in the US) suffered a litany of problems, including the over-servoed brakes locking the front wheels with just the slightest provocation. Lancia gave up on the Montecarlo in 1978.

Lancia Montecarlo - later

After two years of development Lancia brought the Montecarlo back from the dead. The brake servo had been removed and some of the many build quality issues had been addressed. But in 1982 time was called on the Montecarlo for good.

Lamborghini Silhouette - then

Lamborghini launched its V8-powered Urraco junior supercar in 1973. Three years later a two-seater version of this car was offered, known as the Silhouette and powered by a 3.0-litre mid-mounted V8. Just 52 were made before production was wound up in 1979.

Lamborghini Jalpa - later

The 1970s were incredibly turbulent for Lamborghini so it attempted to get on an even keel in the 1980s by launching a new V8 junior supercar as a more affordable alternative to its V12-powered Countach.

Except it wasn't a new car at all - it was the Silhouette dusted down and relaunched under a different name, with just a light cosmetic refresh, a 3.5-litre version of the Silhouette's V8 and now called the Jalpa.

Lotus Seven - then

When Lotus launched the Seven in 1957 it turned the sports car market upside down. Never before had such a focused, lightweight and affordable sports car been offered. Buyers could choose between a wide variety of engines over the years, but by 1970 the unloved Series 4 had been launched, with ugly glassfibre bodywork. In 1973 Lotus built its final Seven.

Caterham Seven - later

Lotus had offered the Seven in kit form but it wanted to abandon that market to focus instead on turn-key cars. Thankfully it realised there was still a market for the self-build Seven so it sold the rights to Lotus dealer Caterham Cars, which has continued production right up to the present day, with perhaps the most convoluted model line in the history of car production.

Morris Ital - then

The Morris Marina appeared in 1971, taking over where the Morris Minor left off. In 1980 a heavily revised version was revealed, called the Ital. It was still terrible to drive and appallingly badly made which is why nobody missed it when it went out of production in 1984, taking the Morris brand with it.

Huandu CAC6430 - later

Some time in the late 1990s the Ital reappeared in China, now made by the First Auto Works and sold as the catchily named Huandu CAC6430.

Saloon and estate versions were offered and the car proved reasonably popular, but by summer 1999 the factory had closed down and tragically the Ital was no more; the Marina had somehow lived to nearly 30.