13 Cars We Wish Were Still on the Streets

Cars come and go, but there are some excellent, discontinued models we wish were brought back from the dead.

Occasionally, carmakers revive old nameplates, but unfortunately, they often bring them back in SUV or EV form, hoping the nostalgia will help them sell.

That’s not what gearheads want! We’ve compiled a list of 13 cars we wish were still available in the dealerships, preferably with a hint of retro styling and all the things that made the originals so good.

Volkswagen Corrado

Volkswagen built the compact 2+2 Corrado coupe as a successor to the Scirocco, although there was some overlap between the two models. The German carmaker brought back the Scirocco from 2008 to 2017, but it wasn’t sold in the States. We think they should bring back the Corrado for a second run.

It was originally built by Karmann in Osnabrück, Germany, the same company that made the Karmann Ghia. The Corrado was available with a selection of powerplants, ranging from naturally aspirated 4-cylinders to supercharged 4-cylinders and VR6 engines, all driving the front wheels.

Mazda RX-7

If screaming Wankel rotary engines are your thing, none does it better than Mazda and its RX-7 model. All generations of the RX-7 cost a fortune now, but if you have the money, it’s absolutely worth it.

While the Wankel rotary engine isn’t the most reliable, we’d love it if Mazda built a new sports car with the distinctive “brap-brap” sound as it idles. In fact, we wouldn’t even mind if they used the same hybrid drivetrain found in the MX-30 R-EV SUV.

Ford Focus RS

Ford only sold the Mk3 Focus RS in the States, which is a shame, as the first two were just as great in their own unique ways. The Mk1 Focus RS was only available in Imperial Blue, and the turbocharged hot hatch sent 215 horsepower to the front wheels.

Ford used a Volvo 2.5-liter inline-five engine for the second generation, which produced 300 horsepower. The engine was highly tunable, and some owners have more than doubled the stock power figures. The world needs more hot hatchbacks, and we think bringing back the Focus RS would be a great idea.

Dodge Viper

The Viper was the model that made the V10 engine a popular choice for sports cars—before it, the V10 was most commonly found in diesel trucks. The first-generation Viper was an absolute monster to keep on the road, and while Dodge softened it up a bit for later generations, they were still a bit wild.

Dodge should bring back the Serpent, and like previous models, it shouldn’t have many nanny features. In fact, the only safety feature should be how you use the throttle.

Datsun 510

Nissan still produces the GT-R and Z cars, so we feel it’s time they brought back a retro-styled version of humble, yet iconic Datsun 510.

Back in the day, Datsun built it to resemble the European box-styled cars of its era, and was available with two, four, and five doors. Honestly, we only need the two-door coupe.

Honda S2000

Honda brought back the NSX, and now the Integra is back on the menu, too. What we’d really like to see from Honda is an affordable, open-top, two-seater sports car with a high-revving engine. You know, like the original S2000.

Seeing as Mazda has sold the Miata for 35 years now, we’re sure Honda could manage to get in on that market, even if it meant making a softer sports car than the highly-focused original S2000.

Toyota MR2

In the 1980s, Toyota revolutionized the sports car segment with the MR2, a fun, affordable, and frugal mid-engined sports car. First-generation cars were powered by either a naturally aspirated or supercharged 1.6-liter engine, producing between 112 and 145 horsepower.

When the second generation rolled off the assembly line, it had a rounder body, and the engine was now a 2.0-liter unit, with the top-spec versions fitted with a turbocharger. The third-gen was only available as a convertible and had a 1.8-liter engine. There are rumors that Toyota will soon unveil another MR2, but only time will tell.

Toyota Celica

Rumors have circulated for years that Toyota will put the Celica back in production, but nothing is 100% confirmed… yet. Toyota first introduced the Celica in 1970, and it lasted for seven generations before it was discontinued in 2006. Early models looked like scaled-down muscle cars, and their excellent handling and frugal engines more than made up for their lack of power (compared to American muscle).

What we’d really like to see is a new version of the Celica GT-Four, or All-Trac Turbo as it was called in the States, which was first introduced in the 1980s. It was a series of homologation specials for rally use, featuring turbocharged engines and AWD.

Pontiac Fiero

For a long time, gearheads loved to hate the Pontiac Fiero. However, it’s actually seen a surge in popularity in recent years, so prices have increased substantially.

The reason they got so much hate was that the early models were underpowered and plagued by reliability issues. Towards the end, most of the problems were ironed out, and the Fiero became a decent entry-level sports car. The chances of seeing a new Fiero are slim, as Pontiac went the way of the dodo in 2010. Perhaps they could make a GMC or Chevrolet Fiero instead?

Buick GNX

Unlike Pontiac, Buick is still in business, but it’s barely hanging in there as most of its dealer network is now gone. We think a new version of the legendary GNX would be a great way to restore the company to its former glory.

Obviously, it would have to be a blacked-out coupe with a twin-turbocharged V6 engine and a manual transmission. Unfortunately, carmakers have a nasty habit of bringing back legendary nameplates in the form of EVs and SUVs.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

The original Mitsubishi Lancer Evo came straight from the rally stages, and the best of them all is arguably the Mk6.5 Tommi Mäkinen Edition, built to celebrate the Finn’s WRC victory.

There’s no need to change anything about the Lancer Evo formula, as all generations were powered by highly tunable turbocharged 2.0-liter engines that send power to all four wheels via a manual transmission.

Mitsubishi 3000GT / GTO

These days, Mitsubishi’s lineup is pretty sad, but the Japanese carmaker has built some iconic cars over the years. Let’s forget about how they brought back the Eclipse as a compact SUV and instead focus on what they could do with the 3000GT.

The 3000GT VR-4 was introduced in 1990 as the brand’s flagship sports car, and in 1994, the second generation arrived. Both generations of the 3000GT VR-4 packed a ton of fancy technology that wouldn’t become standard on production cars for another decade.

Porsche 944

These days, Porsche offers the mid-engined Cayman and Boxster as its entry-level sports cars, and there’s the Panamera for those who want a more sensible front-engined model. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Porsche built some excellent front-engined sports cars, and we’d love for that to happen again.

A new 944 with a turbocharged four-cylinder under the hood would be an excellent addition to the current lineup!