SAAB Automotive got killed by GM, resurrected by Spyker, subsequently killed again by debtors, resurrected again by Chinese investors who lost the rights to the brand, turned into NEVS (National Electric Vehicles Sweden), ran out of money again due to COVID, and has since been in "hibernation"/limbo.
Most recently Stenhaga bought the remainder of the factory in Trollhättan, and EV Electra were considering to buy what's left of the production models. That deal fell through and, last I heard of it, whatever is left of the NEVS were like 20 folks who got fired in 2024.
I always tell my wife that if they found a secret warehouse full of old Aztek parts and pumped some new ones out, I'd get one on the spot. I loved that car.
The Swedish Volvo and not the chinese Volvo. I feel like we would have had a power house for electric vhicles with Volvo. Now we are stuck with the French cars. Renault is doing really great. But isn't Volvo.
I feel like Saab would had gone Volkswagen as well, and come too late for the party and die out anyways. But they made good cars as well.
They were designed to do that on the regular. Especially Volvo's polar editions were built to withstand just about any condition and kept simple and barebones for that reason.
Yeah, but even the most durable cars wear out eventually.
And most of them were probably not taken care of super well, especially by like the third or fourth owner...
In Chinese Volvo’s defense they have built an entire manufacturing plant in South Carolina to build nothing but EVs, but the whole place is stuck in second gear.
The Swedish Volvo died the day Ford took over, Geely is just there to trot around the remains.
Although, let's be honest - Volvo had been on the verge of bankruptcy like three times before Ford bought them so it's likely they would've died on their own too. Turns out making cars that are incredibly reliable is not a sustainable business model.
Holden and Ford Australia. Partly for personal nostalgic reasons but also because of local engineering and manufacturing. A bit of our national identity disappeared when they shut down, although they were owned by US companies they were still a source of Aussie pride. Nowadays we have no local industry and it all just feels a bit hollow. Like watching sports when you have no local team.
I doubt they'd be able to make them these days but seeing as we're talking hypotheticals, there's something about a big cube V8 or turbo 6 that’s missing from everything since. Yes I know on here the hive mind demands we boo ands hiss if someone dares to like anything ICE, and when our current runabout goes it'll likely be replaced by an EV of some sort. But for us, cars are a hobby and a source of enjoyment too, and I dare say we'll have at least one ICE vehicle for a long as it's feasible for us to do so. And if I can get a semi-modern nod to the past that would be perfect.
And if the Japanese car industry could go back to the 90s I'd be pretty stoked about that too!
+1 for Holden - the true Aussie car brand. Such a shame that it has been owned by GM for longer than I've been alive, and they killed it when it wasn't profitable enough. Fuck the USA.
Duesenberg. They made incredibly stylish and well engineered cars that were ahead of their time. I'd love to see a true competitor to Rolls Royce (Bentley doesn't really compete with Rolls anymore. Sure they're expensive luxury cars, but they aren't anywhere near as bespoke as Rolls Royce cars are).
Avions Voisin - monocoque chassis as soon as 1923. The man behind (other) revolutionary cars as the Traction, The 2cv and the DS, Lefebvre, started there. For engineering marvels that the Voisin cars where, never forget that Monsieur Voisin graduated in ...Fine Arts. Explains the bankruptcy I guess.
They're (kind of) back. A new company was formed after acquiring the old company's branding. So far they're only providing parts to owners of vintage DMC-12s (and I think a few "new old" DMC-12s), but they're working on a new EV inspired by the classic model.
In the OG Grand Turismo I somehow wound up with a red GTO. I was able to upgrade the thing to something silly like 940 horsepower. It was... great.
In very broad brushes, cars seem to be getting both more boring and higher performance. The Evo, Celica, Camaro (again), Sky/Solstice, S2000, MR2, STI (the new one doesn't really count), etc are all gone. On the other hand, most budget EVs will give the performance cars of yesterday year a good run for their money.
They probably don't make it anymore but I just saw some oddball Mitsubishi sedan at a buy-here-pay-here lot down the street. I'm not even sure what the hell it was as I've never seen another. It was styled like the early 2000s Kia Rio before Hyundai/Kia upped their game.
I think the Eclipse GSX/GST was cool but their build quality was dogshit and that's why you don't see them on the road anymore. My wife had a GS and it blew up at 120k miles. Meanwhile my Camry is at 230k miles on just oil changes alone.
Oh yes. TVR circa 1998 / speed 12 nonsense would be magical if they had the budget and freedom today that they did back then. I feel like a modern TVR would build something like a 4 motor EV with a manual transmission somehow. I'd be there for it honestly.
I know that consumers now mainly care about power and fuel economy but I would very much welcome Ford bringing Mercury back as their old people car subsidiary...as much as I doubt there is enough of a market for it.
My 98 Grand Marquis is my 5th car and it's the comfiest daily I've owned (the others being a 1999 Civic SI, 2001 Cavalier, 1997 Tercel, and 2003 A4 in that order. I know they're entirely different classes vs. a full sized sedan). Just give it an updated powertrain with better fuel economy and some QOL features (folding rear seat plz) and I'd drive one off the lot.
The death of the touring car, and even the sedan really sucks. We need more large 4 door cars that can fit four adults comfortably with reasonable trunk space. My first car was an old Chrysler LHS and it's still the most comfortable car I ever drove.
Those old boats with big trunks would fulfill the needs of probably 90% of truck and SUV owners, it's a shame we've moved away from the full sized sedan.
Oh well. As long as I can continue to source parts easily and cheaply I'll keep this thing going until it dies, and at less than 170,000km, it's got a lot of life left in it.
Yep, just the mustang. Trucks and SUVs make them more $$$.
I wasn't a huge fan of the Fusion's styling but it seemed like they had that platform mostly dialed in before they nuked it. It seemed to be pushing towards the luxury end of things in many ways.
They also killed the fiesta and focus RS which looked great and offered people who enjoy driving a fun, cheap option. I would've been fine with one or the other but they said nope fuck them both. They basically just sell fleet vehicles and mustangs now.
My Dad had a Geo Metro 5-speed that was getting 49 MPG in the 90's. Bought it brand new for like 10k. Sure it was a 3 cylinder that went 0-60 in ... eventually, but it'd be nice to be able to get that kind of mileage without paying out the nose for a hybrid.
My first car was a Geo Metro that I learned to drive in. One time I got pulled over and the cop claimed I was going 80mph and I told him I didn't even think it could hit 80mph if you dropped it out of a plane. He decided against writing a ticket.
Wrangle out of the clutching, greedy hands of marketing departements the names "Abarth" and "Cooper", then give them to actual performance workshops working on bettering affordable cars.
Based on what it sounds like they're doing to their trucks in terms of privacy and your ability to actually own your vehicle, I'm not mad that I can no longer get a newer Ford sedan.
Wiesmann, or any other small-scale German sports car manufacturer for that matter. It seems like all sports car brands are owned by big conglomerates nowadays, and nearly all of them are pretty boring and generic as a result.
I know that Wiesmann is still around but they're nothing but a shell of what they once were.
Tucker! They never really got their footing but had some really innovative features that took decades for the industry to fully adopt. I’d be interested to see what they would be producing if they were around today.
I feel like amc was pretty innovative for its time. Most brands I can think of would probably succumb to the blob crossover trend because of how the us markets are set up for cars, but I feel like amc could still put an interesting twist on things.
I feel like the answer is different if I am just resurrecting them as they were when they died, vs if I am magically in charge of the brand with funding to start "fresh"....
SAAB, great looking cars with futuristic features!
SAAB is dead?? Damn
SAAB Automotive got killed by GM, resurrected by Spyker, subsequently killed again by debtors, resurrected again by Chinese investors who lost the rights to the brand, turned into NEVS (National Electric Vehicles Sweden), ran out of money again due to COVID, and has since been in "hibernation"/limbo. Most recently Stenhaga bought the remainder of the factory in Trollhättan, and EV Electra were considering to buy what's left of the production models. That deal fell through and, last I heard of it, whatever is left of the NEVS were like 20 folks who got fired in 2024.
So yeah, to quote McCoy "He's dead Jim".
Specifically, pre-GM Saab.
And they were build super well.
SAAB, the car you buy, because, um... ...?
They would just last forever
Pontiac
I always tell my wife that if they found a secret warehouse full of old Aztek parts and pumped some new ones out, I'd get one on the spot. I loved that car.
The tent add on would fly these days
My first car. I still want to try out a G8 sometime.
The Swedish Volvo and not the chinese Volvo. I feel like we would have had a power house for electric vhicles with Volvo. Now we are stuck with the French cars. Renault is doing really great. But isn't Volvo. I feel like Saab would had gone Volkswagen as well, and come too late for the party and die out anyways. But they made good cars as well.
Still don't know why, but the 240 series will always have a special place in my heart.
(fun detail: Ask any kid around the world to draw a car, and they draw a volvo 240)
I still want one, even though they've all been driven ti hell and back.
They were designed to do that on the regular. Especially Volvo's polar editions were built to withstand just about any condition and kept simple and barebones for that reason.
Yeah, but even the most durable cars wear out eventually. And most of them were probably not taken care of super well, especially by like the third or fourth owner...
In Chinese Volvo’s defense they have built an entire manufacturing plant in South Carolina to build nothing but EVs, but the whole place is stuck in second gear.
The Swedish Volvo died the day Ford took over, Geely is just there to trot around the remains.
Although, let's be honest - Volvo had been on the verge of bankruptcy like three times before Ford bought them so it's likely they would've died on their own too. Turns out making cars that are incredibly reliable is not a sustainable business model.
Holden and Ford Australia. Partly for personal nostalgic reasons but also because of local engineering and manufacturing. A bit of our national identity disappeared when they shut down, although they were owned by US companies they were still a source of Aussie pride. Nowadays we have no local industry and it all just feels a bit hollow. Like watching sports when you have no local team.
I doubt they'd be able to make them these days but seeing as we're talking hypotheticals, there's something about a big cube V8 or turbo 6 that’s missing from everything since. Yes I know on here the hive mind demands we boo ands hiss if someone dares to like anything ICE, and when our current runabout goes it'll likely be replaced by an EV of some sort. But for us, cars are a hobby and a source of enjoyment too, and I dare say we'll have at least one ICE vehicle for a long as it's feasible for us to do so. And if I can get a semi-modern nod to the past that would be perfect.
And if the Japanese car industry could go back to the 90s I'd be pretty stoked about that too!
100% this.
Another thing that disappeared with Holden and Ford Australia are normal sized utes, nowadays it's just all gigantic pick-up trucks.
At least bring back the Barra! I must swap it into so many things.
Barra the world!
+1 for Holden - the true Aussie car brand. Such a shame that it has been owned by GM for longer than I've been alive, and they killed it when it wasn't profitable enough. Fuck the USA.
Well said!
I’d bring back Reliant to make an electric version of the three wheel Robin purely for meme purposes.
Isnt this the one that flips over if you look at it too fast? I also pick this one
Only if you weight it wrong on purpose like they did on Top Gear...
Fancy a pick-up truck? I saw this abomination / Chad-Wagon a few years ago:
I got a lift in a Reliant Robin once, and going round corners was terrifying.
Did you keep an eye out for Mr Bean?
I had a Saturn which was a really nice car except for all that stuff under the hood.
Maybe have an EV company buy the branding from it.
Perhaps the ex-Saturn engineers can form a new car company called Uranus. The slogan could be "Uranus: everyone's hopping in"
There's so much possibility.
"We're back"
"Coming from behind"
"Looking behind to move forward"
Etc.
I had an Ion, 5speed manual, no power windows and I loved it. The only thing that broke on it in 6 years/90k miles, was the driver door latch.
My Aura had the brakes go bad, and after putting a ton of money into fixing it, the transmission (Automatic) failed.
It technically still was drivable (I found a way to force it to shift) so I was able to sell it to one of those online car buying sites.
Oh snap. No good at all. I believe the Aura and Astra were rebadged Opals. I was considering an Aura. I was going to replace the badges lol.
Duesenberg. They made incredibly stylish and well engineered cars that were ahead of their time. I'd love to see a true competitor to Rolls Royce (Bentley doesn't really compete with Rolls anymore. Sure they're expensive luxury cars, but they aren't anywhere near as bespoke as Rolls Royce cars are).
Avions Voisin - monocoque chassis as soon as 1923. The man behind (other) revolutionary cars as the Traction, The 2cv and the DS, Lefebvre, started there. For engineering marvels that the Voisin cars where, never forget that Monsieur Voisin graduated in ...Fine Arts. Explains the bankruptcy I guess.
Delorean Motor Company.
I'd love to see a modern take on the classic Delorean. Something that isn't a fugly ass cybertruck dorkmobile.
They're (kind of) back. A new company was formed after acquiring the old company's branding. So far they're only providing parts to owners of vintage DMC-12s (and I think a few "new old" DMC-12s), but they're working on a new EV inspired by the classic model.
Someone already said SAAB so Mitsubishi
RIP Lancer Evo
Isn't Mitsubishi still around and kicking? I have no idea how that brand solders on with such low volume and price points.
Technically. But they're a shell of what they were. Man I'd love to see a new take on a GTO VR4. And why'd they use the Eclipse name like that. :( :(
In the OG Grand Turismo I somehow wound up with a red GTO. I was able to upgrade the thing to something silly like 940 horsepower. It was... great.
In very broad brushes, cars seem to be getting both more boring and higher performance. The Evo, Celica, Camaro (again), Sky/Solstice, S2000, MR2, STI (the new one doesn't really count), etc are all gone. On the other hand, most budget EVs will give the performance cars of yesterday year a good run for their money.
only SUVs for you now
They probably don't make it anymore but I just saw some oddball Mitsubishi sedan at a buy-here-pay-here lot down the street. I'm not even sure what the hell it was as I've never seen another. It was styled like the early 2000s Kia Rio before Hyundai/Kia upped their game.
I think the Eclipse GSX/GST was cool but their build quality was dogshit and that's why you don't see them on the road anymore. My wife had a GS and it blew up at 120k miles. Meanwhile my Camry is at 230k miles on just oil changes alone.
maybe the sedan mirage? it looked vaguely like the old lancer and had the unmistakable 2000s nugget look.
I think you might be right based on the photos I see.
tram.
This is the way
Studebaker so we can bring back the jet engine nose style.
The pedestrian poker. Still less worse than all the brodozers around now.
TVR, but only if they're allowed to be as bonkers as back in the day.
Oh yes. TVR circa 1998 / speed 12 nonsense would be magical if they had the budget and freedom today that they did back then. I feel like a modern TVR would build something like a 4 motor EV with a manual transmission somehow. I'd be there for it honestly.
I'm honestly kind of surprised Ford hasn't re-released the Mercury or rebranded some cars as Mercury brand.
They weren't good cars, but they had songs and brand appeal. And who knows, maybe somebody would think well of them.
That was one of the last old people brands, especially with the vinyl top.
I know that consumers now mainly care about power and fuel economy but I would very much welcome Ford bringing Mercury back as their old people car subsidiary...as much as I doubt there is enough of a market for it.
My 98 Grand Marquis is my 5th car and it's the comfiest daily I've owned (the others being a 1999 Civic SI, 2001 Cavalier, 1997 Tercel, and 2003 A4 in that order. I know they're entirely different classes vs. a full sized sedan). Just give it an updated powertrain with better fuel economy and some QOL features (folding rear seat plz) and I'd drive one off the lot.
The death of the touring car, and even the sedan really sucks. We need more large 4 door cars that can fit four adults comfortably with reasonable trunk space. My first car was an old Chrysler LHS and it's still the most comfortable car I ever drove.
Agreed.
Those old boats with big trunks would fulfill the needs of probably 90% of truck and SUV owners, it's a shame we've moved away from the full sized sedan.
Oh well. As long as I can continue to source parts easily and cheaply I'll keep this thing going until it dies, and at less than 170,000km, it's got a lot of life left in it.
Does Ford even make cars anymore? I thought they ditched them with the Fusion and just build trucks/SUVs.
Edit: duh I forgot about the Mustang.
Yep, just the mustang. Trucks and SUVs make them more $$$.
I wasn't a huge fan of the Fusion's styling but it seemed like they had that platform mostly dialed in before they nuked it. It seemed to be pushing towards the luxury end of things in many ways.
They also killed the fiesta and focus RS which looked great and offered people who enjoy driving a fun, cheap option. I would've been fine with one or the other but they said nope fuck them both. They basically just sell fleet vehicles and mustangs now.
Volkswagen. Pre-2000s Volkswagen. In the 90s and earlier, their aircooled and watercooled cars were amazing junkyard tuners, that just wouldn't die.
De Tomaso
Geo.
My Dad had a Geo Metro 5-speed that was getting 49 MPG in the 90's. Bought it brand new for like 10k. Sure it was a 3 cylinder that went 0-60 in ... eventually, but it'd be nice to be able to get that kind of mileage without paying out the nose for a hybrid.
My first car was a Geo Metro that I learned to drive in. One time I got pulled over and the cop claimed I was going 80mph and I told him I didn't even think it could hit 80mph if you dropped it out of a plane. He decided against writing a ticket.
British Leyland. Specifically so we can have a boogieman.
Brb getting the holy water
What cruel god would willingly let such a calamity wreak its havok?
Amazing video, thanks for sharing.
The one about mazda is also excellent
Wrangle out of the clutching, greedy hands of marketing departements the names "Abarth" and "Cooper", then give them to actual performance workshops working on bettering affordable cars.
Auburn
Hispano-Suiza
I got to ride in this Auburn. Smooooth.
I wish Ford had more regular cars in North America, they got rid of all except the Mustang
Based on what it sounds like they're doing to their trucks in terms of privacy and your ability to actually own your vehicle, I'm not mad that I can no longer get a newer Ford sedan.
Bring back the crown Victoria!
DAF
they still make trucks, but their "regular" where one of a kind with it's variomatic
and they used to race them in reverse just for shits and giggles!
You could bring any make and model to those races, but DAF was most popular just because they would go just as fast in reverse as in forward
International Harvester.
My dad had a Scout before I was born. I knew a guy with an international pickup truck that was indestructible.
I know the scout is coming back as an EV. But it seems to be a VW offshoot. So not really excited about that.
Wiesmann, or any other small-scale German sports car manufacturer for that matter. It seems like all sports car brands are owned by big conglomerates nowadays, and nearly all of them are pretty boring and generic as a result.
I know that Wiesmann is still around but they're nothing but a shell of what they once were.
Shoutouts to Roland Gumpert.
Tucker! They never really got their footing but had some really innovative features that took decades for the industry to fully adopt. I’d be interested to see what they would be producing if they were around today.
Zaporozhec' (I have one lol)
Spyker.
Wilde het net zeggen
Austin, always had a soft spot for them & my grandmother learnt to drive in one.
I feel like amc was pretty innovative for its time. Most brands I can think of would probably succumb to the blob crossover trend because of how the us markets are set up for cars, but I feel like amc could still put an interesting twist on things.
Ugly but dependable.
I feel like the answer is different if I am just resurrecting them as they were when they died, vs if I am magically in charge of the brand with funding to start "fresh"....
Gilbern, great lightweight fibreglass bodied "sports" cars from Wales...
Mercury, Saturn, Pontiac, Plymouth, Mitsubishi. Plenty more, but those are off the top of my head.
Fun fact: GM will buy out a company, and to no surprise, it gets ruined. 😂