Acura has caused the hearts of automotive enthusiasts everywhere to go all aflutter thanks to its announcement earlier today that it would revive the Integra. While we were happy with that, one of the first questions that popped up in our minds was what nameplate deserves to be brought back next?
Acura has made a bit of a habit of bringing back legends from the ’90s to mixed success in recent years. The new NSX is singing its swansong with the Type S, which is limited to just 350 units. Indeed, even the Type S badge is a bit of a revival, having first been introduced in 1997 on the original NSX and having later inspired a series of sporty but comfortable Acuras in the early aughts.
Read More: Acura Is Reviving The Integra And Launching It Next Year
You needn’t limit yourself to Acura to see how reinventing a classic could be tempting, though. Take, for example, the Jeep Wagoneer, the Nissan Z, the Renault 5, the Hummer EV, the Bronco, the Countach, or even the Radford. It’s clear that automakers are reviving old nameplates, sometimes with a retro vibe, to cash in on buyers’ nostalgia, even though the actual product is attuned to 21st century requirements through and through.
And so, we arrive at the question. What should come back next? If we stay with Honda, there’s an obvious sports car whose time on earth was all too brief: the S2000. The perfect competition for the new Z and the Supra, it could be an ideal sports car for the modern world.
Widening the scope a bit, there should be enough Volkswagen enthusiasts who would love to own a new Corrado. What with the brand’s electrification push, they could use the ID.3 as a basis and give it the ID.X drivetrain, fine-tune the chassis to provide a sporty ride, and be (mostly) done. Ford has also said it’s looking to bring back other historic nameplates as EVs and I, for one, have fond memories of driving around in a Probe, though, now that I see the name again, I’m reminded of why it died in the first place. Some names should stay dead, no matter what. I think Blue Oval execs would agree – and besides, they have an extensive back catalogue of nameplates to choose from anyway.
What do you think? What historic nameplate deserves a comeback in these times replete with retro revivals?