What extinct or endangered body style do you want to see come back?

[Drew Dowdell]

What extinct or endangered body style do you want to see come back?

February 13th, 2011

Drew Dowdell - CheersandGears.com

Over the years body styles have come and gone. Oh sure, the basic trio of sedan, coupe, wagon are still around, but even those three had subtypes. The example shown above is from my personal favorite body style. The Cadillac Eldorado was a coupe, yes, but it was of a subtype called a Personal Luxury Coupe. This sub-type of coupe was marketed as it's own category in years past. Indeed in 1980, there were no less than 14 Personal Luxury Coupe models offered by just the Detroit three. By 1990, that number was down to about 8 and by 2000 only the Cadillac Eldorado and Chevrolet Monte Carlo had survived. Today, none are available. The Japanese have thrown their hat into this ring a few times with cars like the Toyota Solara and Acura CL, but those too have since passed on.

So the question to the community is this? What extinct or endangered body style would you like to see brought back? Are you Krazy for Kammbacks? Phizzy for Pheatons? Or like me do you need a little personal luxury in your coupe?

You can be as specific or as general as you like, any year goes. We're not going to do any voting on this. Just make sure to upload a picture example and an explanation of your choice.

This post has been promoted to an article

[ocnblu]

Shoot, I can take two of them right out of my own photo album, and add I'd like to see a Delta II convertible and an Epsilon II wagon and coupe. Also, don't forget the 2-door SUV, those were cool.

The compact coupe is a great college car, a great single adult's car, and a great empty-nester 2nd car. The compact pickup truck is great for maneuverability, fuel mileage, commuting, and low price relative to a comparatively-equipped full-size truck.

Edited February 13, 2011 by ocnblu

[Robert Hall]

The personal luxury coupe, definitely, already covered by OB...

One genre that has died out that I've always liked is the RWD, V8 full size sedan... the traditional American-style big cars.

The Ford Panthers are the last of this genre...

I liked the 2dr versions also, but those have been gone for over 25 years now..

I like the Chrysler 300 and Charger quite a bit, they have a long wheelbase but are smaller, more sport sedans, not of the classic floaty land yacht style..

Edited February 13, 2011 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[vonVeezelsnider]

-BOF RWD Sedan

-2 Door Hardtops

-4 Door Hardtops

[Turbojett]

definitely 2-door hardtops. It can't just be Mercedes-Benz and Bentley doing this. there has to be a way to make the frame rigid without adding weight; they do it with convertibles (and cars designed from the ground up to compensate for convertible versions) all the time.

[SAmadei]

My vote is for a fullsize coupe. I have the last year 1981 Bonneville coupe... its only a matter of time before I find an elusive 1987 Caprice coupe.

Yeah, they aren't the biggest coupes, but are big enough to be spacious and small enough to parallel park without a problem.

However, these are the kinds of cars that the growing women influence of design destroyed... I don't know one female that can stomach driving a big car anymore.

The Ford Panthers are the last of this genre...

I wonder if anyone has looked into buying the tooling for the Panthers... to continue as a niche maker of taxis and cop cars.

I like the Chrysler 300 and Charger quite a bit, they have a long wheelbase but are smaller, more sport sedans, not of the classic floaty land yacht style..

Yeah, definitely not the same. Of course, I feel the Panthers' handling is a glimpse of 1960, not the 1980 that age of the platform would dictate. I actually felt the last Panther I drove was beyond being an awful handling car, yet was not as floaty as as I was hoping for. 15 year old Caprices are more capable and have a more comfortable ride at the same time.

The last Panther I drove also got poor scores from me for fit and finish (and I'm not real picky about that), power and a transmission that seems constantly confused.

I fear Ford's has let the Panther die from lack of updates _and_ of substandard parts in the last few years.

definitely 2-door hardtops. It can't just be Mercedes-Benz and Bentley doing this. there has to be a way to make the frame rigid without adding weight; they do it with convertibles (and cars designed from the ground up to compensate for convertible versions) all the time.

I feel the same way, but the way the laws are written, the only "cheap" way to get a 2 door hardtop is a hardtop convertible.

[Croc]

Coupes and cheap convertibles.

[balthazar]

Another vote for hardtops.

[ocnblu]

They all say they're bringing cars back. But until they make a modern car with a real trunklid, they're still steering people toward CUVs and SUVS, if the person has any kind of priority toward practicality.

Edited February 14, 2011 by ocnblu

[Satty]

The shooting brake

[Croc]

The shooting brake

hahahahahahahaha I almost posted that this morning but decided to be serious instead!!

[§carlet §wordfish]

Fastbacks. Let that roof come all the way back, baby.

[Drew Dowdell]

Here is my second nomination:

If we're going to lose the rear deck lid entirely as it seems we are destined to.... can we please at least have it in something attractive like a Sedanette?

[William Maley]

The Japanese have thrown their hat into this ring a few times with cars like the Toyota Solara and Acura CL, but those too have since passed on.

This.. What I would give for another Acura CL, minus the Bread slicer grill of course

[Satty]

hahahahahahahaha I almost posted that this morning but decided to be serious instead!!

I have a sick Volvo P1800 fetish, other than that I can't name a shooting brake that's been produced.

[SeanLoh]

Big ass coupes need to make a comeback, Mercedes and Rolls Royce are the only ones doing them at the moment and they're amazing. :smilies-38096:

Big ass convertibles that don't require legless passengers.

Four door convertibles because not everyone enjoys the undignified exit of a 2 door convertible.

[Robert Hall]

I have a sick Volvo P1800 fetish, other than that I can't name a shooting brake that's been produced.

The upcoming Ferrari FF is one..other regular production ones I can think of are the Jensen GT, Reliant Scimitar GTE and arguably, the BMW Z3 coupe. Lots of custom ones, mostly from English coachbuilders..

[Satty]

I've seen pictures it a ton on custom ones. I'm not sure I'd call the Z3/M Coupe a shooting brake, for some reason I'm not getting the same vibe, although I do like them.

[Croc]

Here is my second nomination:

If we're going to lose the rear deck lid entirely as it seems we are destined to.... can we please at least have it in something attractive like a Sedanette?

My second nomination:

BUSTLEBACKS!!

[67impss]

2 door Nomad Wagons

[Cory Wolfe]

Availability of RWD vehicles. Examples:

Affordable RWD coupe:

Affordable RWD hatch:

Affordable RWD sedan:

Affordable Mid-engine RWD coupe:

Car-based RWD truck:

Mid-engine RWD minivan!

[Croc]

Minivans that turn into campers:

[ocnblu]

Some good ones in here. Affordable RWD is huge. Minivans that turn into campers is huge. Among others. Bustlebacks? Meh.

[ZL-1]

Affordable RWD is huge.

agreed

Edited February 14, 2011 by ZL-1

[Camino LS6]

Variety in general.

It woud be nice to see creativity and unique styles again.

Anything but another cookie-cutter sedan.

[GMTruckGuy74]

The Full-size, 3-door SUV, as seen by one of our own talented designers here at C&G:

[GMTruckGuy74]

My 2^nd vote was already mentioned, but I wanted to add that it is already sold in other parts of the world so why not just make this an easy decision:

Edited February 14, 2011 by GMTruckGuy74

[Drew Dowdell]

can't hotlink NetCarShow

[GMTruckGuy74]

Okay, I'm gonna add a 3rd vote too... compact, affordable pickup trucks:

Edited February 14, 2011 by GMTruckGuy74

[Drew Dowdell]

Okay, I'm gonna add a 3rd vote too... compact, affordable pickup trucks:

Looks like you're going to get your wish NG Colorado and Canyon coming to US

[GMTruckGuy74]

Looks like you're going to get your wish NG Colorado and Canyon coming to US

Depends on what they'll look like (the design needs to be American truck-inspired IMHO).

[Carguy]

-BOF RWD Sedan

-2 Door Hardtops

-4 Door Hardtops

A ((FREAKIN MEN))!!! And offer a true bench seat in the base models as well! Nothing like a feminine,skirt waring girl under your right arm close as you steer with your left with all windows down in your Hard top,RWD,V8 coupe!!

[regfootball]

there is still a lack of conventional 5 door hatches in the US........ not expensive A3's, and not over the top Mazda3's.....

[Turbojett]

Availability of RWD vehicles. Examples:

Affordable RWD coupe:

oh GOD yes, definitely.

I'd love to see Nissan revive the Silvia/240SX, but every time the word leaks out that its coming back, it's quashed by a very difinitive "CANCELLED" from Nissan. And I'm super annoyed that the latest Silvia project was supposedly cancelled for this monstrosity:

(ugh. looks like a catfish that lost an MMA title fight.)

Come ON, Nissan. Build REAL cars. Sure you've got the Z and the GTR holding your performance banner well (the Maxima, despite what you say, is a far cry from a sports car), but not all of us can afford those.

[LosAngeles]

ITA about coupe utilities (the kind of car the El Camino and Ranchero is). It would be nice to see maybe a Crosstour built such a way.

I do miss formal rooflines. And flying buttresses.

If anything, I wanna see more intermediate and full-size coupes and especially wagons. The GTO, Magnum and Mazda6 wagon were steps in the right direction.

Also 2-door sedans. And GRAND TOURING cars! What would the Riviera, Supra, Thunderbird, Imperial, et al, be like on today's platforms?

Car companies just aren't fearless enough these days in this market. Perfectly content with mimicking the Camcordima and the CRAV4. Soulless 4-door, front-drive, conventional automatic appliances.

[SAmadei]

I do miss formal rooflines. And flying buttresses.

Last gen Maxima has a slight flying buttress going at the rear...

[Croc]

And flying buttresses.

The Chevrolet Avalanche and Cadillac Escalade EXT are still available.

[balthazar]

Stylistically, I'd love to see some creative rear cove panels come back- rear decks are certainly billboard-esque enough to contain them.

[Drew Dowdell]

Huh? Can you post a picture example? I can't think of what you're describing.

[ZL-1]

Revisiting the thread: this should have been produced, even if only as a 2-seater (as Kappa was too inflexible for the 2+2 modification).

Edited February 21, 2011 by ZL-1

[chief003]

Support them all

1. Light weight, economical, simple compact pick-up trucks.

2. Rear wheel drive...affordable sub-compact and compact cars

3. Rear wheel drive...full size sedans

[A Horse With No Name]

Another vote for hardtops.

Me too!

[Turbojett]

Stylistically, I'd love to see some creative rear cove panels come back- rear decks are certainly billboard-esque enough to contain them.

what, like this?

[balthazar]

Yep. C2 Corvair, '70 Road Runner, '69 Charger, '67 GTO, '03 Chevy SS concept... We finally got some forward-leaning front fascias (Mustang, for EX), if we could break the monotony of the angle-seamed, flat-assed rear fascia with some stylistic interest, that would be great.

[G. David Felt]

My Vote is for the 1986 Aero SS Monte Carlo. That was one bad ass ride!

[Drew Dowdell]

Yep. C2 Corvair, '70 Road Runner, '69 Charger, '67 GTO, '03 Chevy SS concept... We finally got some forward-leaning front fascias (Mustang, for EX), if we could break the monotony of the angle-seamed, flat-assed rear fascia with some stylistic interest, that would be great.

The 2011 Charger gets a hint of that.

as does the Challenger

[balthazar]

^ Yeah, it does! It's not concave, but it's clearly delineated and it resists relying on the decklid panel seams as a styling mandate.

Bravo, ChryCo!

[Robert Hall]

I like how the Challenger and Charger both resist the tyranny of the triangular taillight. Far too many cars today have triangular or trapazoidal lights in the fender corners with a big decklid opening w/ no detail except maybe a licence plate pocket and a chrome bar above it..

GM had some great rear taillight panels and rear bumpers in the past...some that I like a lot incl. the 2nd gen Camaros through '73, the '66-67 Toronados, pretty much any '61-69 B-body Pontiac, the fantastic '71-72 Grand Prix, and my favorite, the audacious '71-72 Riviera..

[Croc]

The 2011 Charger gets a hint of that.

as does the Challenger

WOW that actually looks good!! First Chrysler product that didn't look ridiculous since the 300M!!

EDIT: [at least from that angle]

Edited February 22, 2011 by Croc

[Turbojett]

the Mustang has a bit of it, too. mostly just between the tailights.