Best Retro-New Cars Of The Last 5 Years

There has been a trend recently of reviving classic car names and models with fresh, modern styling. It’s not a new trend by any means. Take the Corvette for example – it has been around uninterrupted for more than 60 years and continues to be updated and innovated upon with each new iteration.

But the last five years have seen quite a few cars get the new-retro makeover, borrowing not only the name of their classic cousins, but the body styling. Some of our favorites include:

2014 Stingray Corvette

The brand new C7 is a Stingray, which is appealing for a number of reasons. To start, it makes the body a bit smaller and more compact, which allows Chevrolet to cut even more weight while increasing engine output. It’s a powerful, light weight, carbon-fiber(!) outfitted vehicle and it looks incredible. It also harkens back to the last line of Stingrays produced in 1976.

2012 Camaro

The Chevy Camaro has been through its paces over the years, offering iconic variants in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. While the car was produced throughout the 1990s, it is the more recent 2009 and newer models that really harken back to those first few years of the 2-door, muscle car development. The F-body might be long gone, but the Zeta platform looks just modern enough to be exciting, but old school enough to attract the car’s old-school fans.

2012 Challenger

Another classic muscle car to get a reboot in the last five years is the Dodge Challenger. This one had a much shorter lifespan with production between 1970-1974 and again between 1978-1983. And while the second generation of Challenger was very different from the first (it was a coupe with a 1.6L engine), the third generation harkens back to the first models in the early 1970’s. With a stock 3.5L V6 (and up to a 6.4L V8 starting in 2011), it’s a big, powerful muscle car.

Volkswagen Beetle

The Volkswagen Beetle was originally produced in the 1960’s and enjoyed a long run as one of the most fuel efficient cars of its time. With the iconic rear trunk engine, a rounded roof and systems that would last for decades with the right maintenance, the Beetle was an incredible machine. The “Beetle” Type 1 sold more than 21 million units around the globe before it stopped production in 2003.

The new Beetle was produced from 1998 to 2010 to revitalize the old brand and in 2011, the “Volkswagen Beetle” (the first model to officially carry that name) went into production, looking even more like the classic Type 1. Featuring up to a 2.5L I5 engine, the Beetle is an impressive vehicle and a great throwback to the classic Type 1.

The history of automobiles is rich with iconic imagery and vehicles, so it’s no wonder these companies keep tapping into – I’m sure we’ll continue to see this trend unfold as time passes into the future.