Cars, like friends, come and go. But that doesn’t make it any easier to suffer through yet another year with so many voids in the market — and our hearts.
Here’s a list, in no particular order, of 10 models discontinued in the past 10 years that we’d love to see make a comeback and soon. And don’t forget to leave your suggestions in the comments section below.
Pontiac GTO
Based on the Holden Monaro, the fourth-generation GTO preceded the relaunched Chevrolet Camaro by half a dozen years. It was also pretty cool and came powered by a detuned Corvette V8 that could be paired with a manual transmission. With little chance of GM ever resurrecting the Pontiac brand, the GTO will continue to live on in our memories.
ALSO SEE: 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS Review: Curbed with Craig Cole
Tesla Roadster
Despite the quality issues that plagued Tesla’s first model — and the first mass produced electric sports car — the Roadster was ahead of its time. It wasn’t until the Model S, now the best-selling luxury sedan in the U.S., hit the market that people finally took notice of what the electric automaker was up to. The rumor mill says the Roadster will be back by 2019.
Ford Ranger
The Ranger never exactly left hearts aflutter during its three decades on the North American market, but that doesn’t mean it’s not missed. And with GM proving a return to the small pickup market is viable, Ford is said to be ready to give it another go. (An added bonus is the rumored return of the Bronco, which would be built on the same platform.)
ALSO SEE: 2016 Chevrolet Colorado Diesel Review
Acura RSX
Acura seems to have lost its way in recent years. Bringing back a sporty coupe could be just what the brand needs to get things back on track. The RSX was fast and fun, and earned a devoted following over the years as a result. And then it disappeared. With the Honda Civic Type R set to make its way to North America for the first time ever, Acura has a platform and powertrain at its disposal to rekindle the spark it lost a decade ago.
Hummer
The Hummer brand was as much a victim of the Great Recession as it was its own ridiculousness. All it did was build big, inefficient sport utilities. But they could go almost anywhere, and were sure to make a statement while doing so. The chances of a Hummer-badged vehicle hitting the market are slim to none, but something similar to the Hummer HX Concept isn’t out of the realm of possibilities.
Honda S2000
With all due respect to the Mazda Miata, the S2000 was a perception-changing roadster. It was powerful and fast, at one time claiming the title as the car with the most power per liter of displacement of any production car. It was also a victim of circumstance, with the global financial crisis gutting sales, eventually leading to the end of the S2K era. Rumor has it the S2000 will be revived in 2018 for Honda’s 70th anniversary.
Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon
It’s hard to think of anything cooler than a near-600-horsepower station wagon. No body style was better suited to the CTS’ edgy design than the wagon. That it looked so good while blasting from zero to 60 mph in just four seconds made it one of the coolest sports cars on the market during its brief three-year production run. Sadly, Cadillac has put the kibosh on the idea of the CTS-V Sport Wagon’s return.
ALSO SEE: 2016 Cadillac CTS-V Review
Mazda RX
With the long-rumored return of the rotary engine, and a turbocharged one at that, it’s almost a given that the RX name will be resurrected along with it. And it’s about damn time. It’s been four years since a coupe bearing those daunting letters was sold, a travesty when you consider the RX-7’s 25-year production run, followed by another nine years as the RX-8.
Toyota FJ Cruiser
What’s not to love about a hardtop sport utility with tremendous off-road ability? The fact that it sported retro looks only added to the FJ Cruiser’s appeal. Toyota planned to limit the FJ’s run right from the start, so its discontinuation wasn’t a shock. It was, however, a mistake, and one that Toyota could atone for with a replacement. The automaker recently applied to trademark the “FT-4X” name, so there’s hope that such a successor could come sooner rather than later.
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
The death of the Lancer Evo is one of the biggest disappointments in the industry in recent memory. It also put an end one of the all-time great automotive rivalries, with Mitsubishi all but admitting defeat at the hands of the Subaru WRX STI. It’s time to bring back the Evo.
Is there a car that died in the past 10 years you want to see make a comeback? Let us know in the comments below!
