It's been in vogue among automakers for a while now. One takes an illustrious and/or glorious model, uses it as the basis for a new project, and develops an eye-catcher on that basis. New wine in old bottles. One thinks it's great, the other thinks that history is being done injustice. I hover in between, but compared to, for example, the electro mod creations, I tend towards the latter.
I have nothing against modified classics, especially if they are already owned by an enthusiast. Then it concerns an existing car, which rolled out of the factory long ago and is still part of the traffic image. I also think that every private individual or restorer should decide for himself what he or she does with his or her property, even though I myself belong to the blood group that adheres to originality in combination with an original car history.
Compared to the almighty car manufacturers, however, I am very different. Nowadays you see that manufacturers such as Renault and Opel try to pay tribute to the rich history. And today it appeared in the news that Audi AG temporarily revived NSU. A modified Prinz model bodyshell was placed on the platform of an A1 E-tron. The first thing I thought was: do not. The last 'Prinz models' didn't even make it to the mid-seventies, the romanticism that sticks to the cars from Neckarsulm is therefore growing by the week. In my experience, there are no projects that combine the past with a nod to the technological future. That's not how cars were built in the past.
Meanwhile, Renault is busy with the 5 E-Tech, a model strongly inspired by the primal R5 that looks quite nice in profile, and also refreshed. But taking a legendary model as the starting point for the new design says a lot about the power of the past. Peugeot did the same with the 2019 E-Legend.
The best example of the combination of past and technological future was given by Opel a few years ago. A few years ago, it even ventured not to use the body of the Manta-A as a starting point, but really as the basis for the one-off Opel Manta GSe Elektomod. The legendary Manta-A became something of a front runner for Opel's GSe model line, boasting modern technology for the future.
I still remember what I thought when I read that. I thought the Elektromod was a success, and that had everything to do with the design of the Manta-A, the illustrious family sports car that is recognizable from thousands. But its current popularity has everything to do with nostalgia, with a past in which the car made a name for itself and anchored its image. He stood for what Opel could and did at the time. And that was a lot. The Manta-A suited the time, and its classic status was so great that Opel applied a right of usufruct 'through the present' to the Manta-A. In this case it worked out well, the GSe Elektromod was well received, even after Opel announced that this Manta-A was the fastest and best ever. And that is unfair. The Elektromod also had a technological lead of fifty years over the original Manta-A.
Manufacturers are realizing what historic models can mean today. But at the same time they take a risk when they use a historic coachwork as the basis for new techniques and design principles. It affects the historical value, and that is a development that emphatically puts pride in the past in the shadows. That is the result of a step that you as a manufacturer should not actually want to take. Developments are good, they regularly mean progress. But leave the classics alone for that.
That trend has been around for a long time. Don't forget the Fiat 500 and the BMW Mini. The Audi TT was once NSU TT. VW Beetle and Beetle.
Everything to disguise the lack of modern cars (no character) with some ostentation. And to stay one step ahead of manufacturers without history, of course.
That is precisely why it is wonderful to put myself in this 'cyber' era in a characterful and with a lot of life experience_scars to cruise the 1978 Chevrolet C10 Suburban ... many thumbs up and interesting stories 🙂
Watch the latest episodes of Geoff Buys Cars on YT, about EV cars. Really worth it! These won't be it for the future. Do you have a strong suspicion that we will continue with clean diesel and petrol cars, and yes, it would be a shame to provide a classic with a possible unreliable electric motor.
Dear Erik, interesting to read what you think of this trend. But it's not quite clear to me why exactly you think it "adjusts the historical value" and "emphatically overshadows pride in the past." My feeling is that this kind of retrospective design actually fuels the attention and interest for the old models. It would be very interesting to do an analysis of the price evolution of the classic models that served as the basis for these new neo-design models (such as Fiat 500, Mini, Mustang, Beetle, Bronco, etc.), to see whether the launch of these new models affects the market value of the old models.
I completely agree with Erik's closing sentence.
But the statement that our veterans should not be released among the so-called Teslas, I think is premature.
Whether or not, depends strongly on the model you own.
I dare with my Landrover 86″ from 1956, indeed not between the Teslas, speed, braking delay, etc. But with my Jaguar XJ8 – exclusive from 2004 – no problem at all!
As far as I'm concerned, so very type-bound…
I completely agree with the last sentence of Erik's article. I find it even worse that real classics are sometimes converted from fossil to electric by their owners. This is real heritage murder. Rightly so that if present one loses its FIVA status.
Use my Ugly Duck as daily transport (if needed). Enjoy every ride, even between the Teslas. Wouldn't trade
Completely with Ron, ditto here and my granddaughter would like to take over my Duck in a few years…
It's just about time to train real car designers again.
In traffic, the pre-war cars in particular are no longer tenable. Of course the hardly any improvements are still stretchable (braking, speed, lighting) , but not for long. There are few children who take over the old-timers for these reasons. Our cars are World Heritage and should be respected as such. Visible to everyone, but not released between the Teslas. I'm almost 80 and won't compete with Bol. I like to see her walk. I leave it here as one of the opinions.
I agree with Peter's opinion. Our (old) cars are world heritage. In the time they came on the road adapted to the time of the day and letting go between the Teslas is not a brilliant idea. We must cherish them. Because that car is no longer in my possession for more than 20 years, the thought of my Golf I Diesel remains. In terms of safety, it would be a driving crumple zone from front to back these days. In terms of performance (after tuning) it was still a party today. In terms of braking and handling (after a very thorough upgrade) it was even an example for many today's cars (!!) 'It can happen', I'll say.
To categorically reject the developments of 'old wine in new bottles' is going a bit too far for me. I think the second generation Mini and the second generation Fiat 500 are very successful concepts! The memory of something that once was, immediately comes to life at the second sight and that is also the purpose of it. The latest electrically powered VW bus (ID-Buzz) is yet another in that list and the similarity 'but different' is immediately clear. It can appeal to me. But still I would like to 'kill' to be able to drive my old VW Golf I Diesel again. That remains. All that remains (unfortunately, unfortunately…) is to cherish the memory of it. A very nice memory, that's for sure!
I still drive (moderately as a hobby) in my Volkswagen Golf 1 diesel and I feel very happy among the modern electric or non-electric cars.
I just drive my old stuff (2CV, NSU Prinz, Peugeot 205 and VW bus T3) between the Teslas and relatives and I don't see why this wouldn't be possible..