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You can add a touch of retro glamour to your daily drive thanks to a wide selection of cars that employ retro styling.
Some are updates of design classics while others simply take cues from their ancestors, but all offer something that stands out from the crowd.
Here’s our pick of the retro pack, good and bad, listed in chronological order that you can buy right now:
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Nissan Figaro (1991)
The Nissan Figaro has a strong claim to being the originator of the whole retro design movement. Launched in 1991, it was originally only for sale in Japan, but its delightful looks inspired by 1950s cars made it hugely popular in the UK where right-hand drive made it all the more attractive. Lots have been imported and prices start from £3500.
What you get for that cash is, essentially, a contemporary Micra underneath with a two-seat cabin. It’s well appointed with leather seats, air conditioning and roll-back fabric roof. Maintaining one now is simple and the Figaro’s looks are good enough to fool many onlookers into thinking it’s a genuine classic.
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Mitsuoka Viewt (1993)
The Mitsuoka Viewt is a very Japanese take on the retro theme. Its styling is clearly derived from the Jaguar Mk2 saloon of the 1960s, yet the base for this car is a Nissan Micra. As a result, the proportions are a mixed bag as the front view is very convincing, but the side profile is decidedly bulbous.
However, the Viewt has a cult following all its own both in Japan and the UK where its right-hand drive has made it common grey import. A good one will set you back around £5000, which gets you an individual machine with automatic gearbox, leather upholstery and some very plastic wood trim.
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Plymouth Prowler (1997)
When Chrysler unveiled the Plymouth Prowler, its styling was obviously inspired by hot rods, lakesters and custom cars from the post-war years. Yet there was no one model you could say it was derived from. However, it still had blue chip credentials as the design came from none other than Chip Foose, one of the leading lights of custom cars in the US.
For some, the Prowler was more mouth than trousers as it had a 3.5-litre V6 engine lurking under the bonnet rather than a V8. Even so, it grew from 215 to 252bhp to make the Prowler a swift roadster. Prices today reflect its collectability and you’ll pay from £30,000 in the or a more reasonable $20,000 in the USA.
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Volkswagen Beetle (1998)
Volkswagen’s attempt to cash in on the success of the Beetle with the 1998 retro model was not the runaway success it hoped for. The roly-poly styling seemed bloated compared to VW’s other products, yet the Beetle should have had a clear field when BMW’s MINI and the Fiat 500 were yet to be launched.
It didn’t help the Beetle’s cause any further by being based on the Mk4 Golf, which was no dynamic master. However, the Convertible version that followed was a more attractive car with its fabric roof and the promise of wind-in-the-hair driving that excused much of the hard-top’s so-so handling. Usable cars start from £1000 ($1000).
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BMW Z8 (1999)
The story goes that BMW’s head honchos fancied giving themselves a treat, so they conjured up the Z8 as a retro version of the firm’s classic 507 roadster. The reality is the car was a halo project created out of a styling exercise and went on to sell a healthy 5703 units given its heady list price when new of £80,000 ($128,000).
Based on the contemporary M5’s mechanical components, the Z8 boasted 400bhp from a 5.0-litre V8 with six-speed manual gearbox. Aluminium body panels made it even more exotic than the looks, which made it a star of the James Bond film The World is Not Enough. More importantly, it could hit 60mph from rest in 4.5 seconds and head on to 155mph. It’s not a blue-chip modern classic with value to match starting at £150,000 ($150,000).
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Chrysler PT Cruiser (2000)
Chrysler was ahead of the curve in the retro design stakes with its PT Cruiser. It should have been a chance to steal a march on rivals, but the Cruiser didn’t quite go far enough. Yes, it had a big, bold grille and rounded styling when all around it were more generic hatches. Inside, there was more evidence of the designers pulling back from delivering the full retro experience.
What really undermined the PT Cruiser, however, was its dull drive. The engines were a selection of plodding four-cylinder petrol and diesel units and none made the PT any more appealing to drive. Even a convertible version failed to raise much interest and the Chrysler withdrew the car from the UK in 2008, two years before it finally ceased production. If you fancy one now, prices start at three figures.
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MINI (2001)
After countless attempts to reinvent the Mini, it was new owner BMW that finally took on the task head-on when it launched the all-new MINI in 2001. This was an early adopter of the retro styling movement and, arguably, the best example. While paying very clear homage to the 1959 original, the Frank Stephenson design was thoroughly modern in its look, tech and engineering.
Such was the appeal of the new MINI, it didn’t matter that its rear seats were a little cramped or initial build quality wasn’t quite up to snuff. It's looks meant everyone wanted one and waiting lists proved it. That first hatch has gone one to spawn an entire range of MINI models, underlining just how right that 2001 car was then and £1500 ($1500) will bag you one now.
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Ford Thunderbird (2002)
It looked like the Thunderbird had been forgotten and forsaken by Ford as the name had languished for five years when the Blue Oval suddenly revived it. What arrived was a retro design that harked right back to the 1950s, including a colour palette of bold and pastel shades for the two-seat roadster or coupé.
Underneath the Thunderbird’s handsome lines was the same platform used for the Jaguar S-type and Lincoln LS. This meant the T-bird came with a smooth 4.0-litre V8 engine to give the car ample performance to match its style. Sadly, Ford didn’t follow up this Thunderbird with another and the car went out of production on 1 July, 2005. In the UK, you’ll pay from £12,000 for a well-cared for example, while in the US they are more plentiful and start at $9500.
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Ford Mustang (2005)
The Ford Mustang was in danger of becoming just another generic sporting badge when, in 2005, it was brilliantly reimagined with retro styling. It took the original Pony Car right back to its early days and captured that Steve McQueen cool that so many owners hanker after. The classic fastback and convertible shapes were instant hits and quickly spread the appeal of the Mustang way beyond the shores of the USA.
When Ford updated the retro Mustang in 2015, there was no difficult second album syndrome here. Instead, the Blue Oval’s muscle car was even more stylish and right-hand drive was offered for the first time to give the Mustang a whole new customer base in countries such as the UK, Australia and Japan. To own now will cost you from £10,000 or $5000 where they are more plentiful in the USA.
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Ford GT (2005)
Given the number of replicas available of the Ford GT40, it’s only fair the car’s maker got in on the act. Yet, rather than just built a straight continuation model, Ford came up with a modern reinterpretation with the GT. At first glance, it looked like a lightly modernised GT40, but closer inspection revealed it was bigger in every direction so not just racing jockeys could fit in it.
Mounted behind the cockpit, the 5.4-litre V8 engine was another subtle departure from the original idea as it used a supercharger to create 550bhp. That was good enough for 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds and a 205mph top speed. Today, the GT costs from £200,000 ($240,000).
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Fiat 500 (2007)
The original 500 might have pre-dated the Mini, but it took Fiat quite a while to launch its rival to BMW’s MINI. It was six years till the cute and retro 500 arrived in 2007, but it soon made up for that late start with stellar sales. Embodying the same compact, cheeky nature of its ancestor, the retro 500 had all the right details inside and out.
Fiat was quick to exploit other areas of the 500’s history with Abarth and convertible models, as well as the TwinAir parallel twin engine that has the same layout as the original’s motor. This compact and rev-happy engine also sounded the part, even if its fuel economy didn’t match the claimed numbers. Even so, a Fiat 500 can be yours from £1500 ($3500).
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Dodge Challenger (2008)
Ford’s success with the Mustang sparked off a second muscle car frenzy in the US as Dodge introduced its aptly named Challenger. Just as in the 1960s, this brawny coupé had the Mustang firmly in its sights with a range of engines going all the way up to a supercharged 6.2-litre V8 to back up the looks with performance clout. The Challenger’s cabin has just the right balance of retro design mixed with modern tech and equipment, and it can even seat four in decent comfort. In the US, you can pick up high milers from as little as $5000, but UK buyers will be paying from around £24,000 for an early 2008 car.
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Chevrolet Camaro (2010)
An eight-year absence from the sales catalogue was enough to convince Chevrolet to revive the Camaro name and the looks of its 1960s original. As one of the most iconic muscle cars ever made, the new Camaro had to be right and so it was. This fifth-generation version has all of the hunkered aggression and tautness that made the first one such a hit.
Buyers could choose from a 3.6-litre V6 or 6.2-litre V8 – guess which one was more popular? The V8 backs up the looks with the perfect soundtrack and pace. It also led to the sixth-generation model that remains on sale today, while you’ll pay from $6000 in the USA or £18,000 in the UK.
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Fiat 124 Spider (2016)
Rumours of a new small sportscar from Italy abounded and then all came good in 2016 when Fiat launched the new 124 Spider. It was based on the Mazda MX-5, which is a very good place to start, but used Fiat’s own engines and styling to make sure it had a distinct character. The result was a good looking car that many dared to say was better than the MX-5.
An Abarth version soon followed with more power and an exhaust note that was very much on the fruity side of loud. However, the Spider in all forms is no longer on sale in many countries, but its delicate styling and detailing means it’s a car that many will continue to covet when it can be bought from £12,000 ($13,000).
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Citroën e-Mehari (2016)
Of all the cars Citroën could have chosen to turn into a modern retro design, the Mehari was not the most obvious. Even so, it’s the one the French firm plucked and turned into a modern-day beach car complete with all-electric drivetrain in the e-Mehari.
Mixing Citroën's modern design language with classic cues, the e-Mehari is not exactly pretty, but then nor was the original. Functional, practical and oddly appealing, it manages to capture a joie de vivre that makes it fun to drive and be around. Only available in France, it costs from €25,500 (£22,800 or $28,100) and has a battery range of 120 miles.
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Alpine A110 (2017)
Creating a modern retro version of a classic design comes with certain challenges, but that didn’t put off Renault with the Alpine A110. The new car is mid-engined where the original was rear-engined, but vitally light weight and handling remain the core values of the new model.
Retaining these attributes has made the A110 a star of modern sports cars, while the styling only adds to the car’s appeal. There’s more than enough of the original’s flair and low-slung looks to win over even the most ardent fan of those early models that enjoyed huge success in racing and rallying. With a list price from £46,900, this slice of retro driving is every inch a retro masterpiece.
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MAT Lancia Stratos (2018)
There have been many attempts to offer replicas of the Lancia Stratos with equally varied results, but the MAT car is a very different breed. It develops the Stratos styling for the modern age rather than replicating it and is all the more admirable for that. Exquisite detailing makes all the difference between this car and more mundane replicas, but then it does come with a £440,000 ($540,000) price tag.
That price doesn’t even get you the base car for the MAT Stratos as you’ll need to supply a Ferrari F430 that donates its engine, gearbox, suspension and many other components.
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Mercedes G-Class (2018)
For the passing observer, it can be tricky to tell the retro G-Class apart from the G-Wagen that started this Mercedes range. Dig deeper and you soon note the 2018 second generation W463 model uses very clever retro styling to ape the previous car while meeting modern safety needs.
At its core, this new G-Class may be retro in its looks, but it’s also intended as an SUV for the modern world. To this end, it has more cabin space and comfort, as well as the sort of infotainment and driver aids its predecessors couldn’t dream of. All of this big 4x4 retro cool doesn’t come cheap and you’ll pay from £91,650 ($124,500).
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Honda-e (2019)
Honda is not a company given to introspection, but its Honda-e small electric car unashamedly borrows from the back catalogue for its styling. Mixing the best bits from the original Civic and Z Coupé, the Honda-e has a simple appearance and one that has won it many admirers.
Much of the Honda-e’s attraction lies in the details the Japanese firm has chosen to highlight by making the rest of the car very clean-cut. So, your eyes are drawn to the lights front and rear, the front door handles and the overall shape. It’s brilliantly unfussy and makes a car that is worthy for its environmental performance attractive for its clever retro design.
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