Retro

Would you like a sports car that looks like a modern, electric spin on a classic Audi Sport Quattro rally car? What if I told you there is one, and it makes more than 800 horsepower?…

Revealed at the 1969 Turin Motor Show, Bertone showed off this wild ride which looks a bit like what might have happened if Speed Racer’s Mach 5 mated with a powerboat.…

The classic Toyota Celica is still beloved by car enthusiasts today. The sports coupe went through many iterations during its 45-year run, but all of them were desireable in one way or another.…

SAAB may no longer make automobiles, but there was a time when it made some really great cars. And while I prefer the older SAAB 99 design, the Saab 900 of the 1980s and 90s wasn’t a bad car – and it certainly was known for its safety.…

The 1980s and 1990s weren’t exactly my favorite era for automotive design, but the period did give us some interesting vehicles nonetheless. Among the more compelling ideas to arrive in 1987 was the Mazda Pair – which combined a tiny van and trailer and is one of the cutest concept car designs I’ve ever seen.…

Let’s take a trip back to the 1950s, a time when aviation was on the rise, and rocket ships were the future. This set the perfect stage for the design of sleek and streamlined vehicles, some of which looked like they could launch into space.…

The 1990s were generally not a good decade for automotive design and performance. It was the era of awkward, bubble-shaped cars and the rise of the minivan.…

I love the design of the current Ford Bronco and its little brother, the Bronco Sport. Both SUVs have an appealing boxy design that harkens back to the first-generation Bronco that was produced in the late 1960s and into the 1970s.…

While concept cars are often thought of as futuristic objects of desire, oftentimes the designs are so “outside of the box” that they just end up being awful.…

One of the most iconic names in amplifiers and audio systems is Marshall. One of the most iconic British cars ever produced is the MINI Cooper.…

In the 20th century, World’s Fairs were some of the best places to see concepts for the future of technology and transportation. At the 1964 New York World’s Fair, General Motors turned up with the Bison, a concept design for a truck that looked like something that might be used in space exploration, rolling along the surface of a lunar colony or something.…

Yet another incredible car you could never buy, the 1938 Phantom Corsair was a true thing of beauty – especially in comparison to the other cars of its era, which largely were stoic rides that looked a bit like limousines.…

It’s been a long time since you could purchase a new Peugeot here in America, but back in the 1980s you still could. During that period, the French automaker built the Quasar, a boldly styled concept vehicle that turned up at the 1984 Paris Motor Show.…

I’ll go on record now and say that the 1990s wasn’t exactly my favorite decade for automotive design. Cars became more and more homogeneous in style, and mediocre performance seemed to be the name of the game during those days, with none-too-thrilling cars like the Dodge Neon, the Pontiac Trans Sport, and the Ford Tempo.…

Growing up like many car guys and gals, I had posters of Porsche, Ferrari, and Lamborghini models all over my room. While most children of the ’80s preferred the 911, my favorite Porsche was always the 914.…