Which Cars Have Seen the Biggest Revivals?
Genevieve Fraser
· 4 min read
Never-before-seen new cars are always exciting, but sometimes, models that have under-performed or simply disappeared for one reason or another are revived for a second look and redeem themselves in the eyes of consumers and the automotive industry.
Despite poor initial reception, these redesigned cars were relaunched with their old names, but this time, bearing new and improved features that made them worthy competitors, and even household favorites.
Classic car comebacks
The Chevrolet Camaro: Few cars are more associated with the muscle car era than the Chevrolet Camaro. Released in 1966 and priced just below $2,500, the first 1967 Camaro came with different engine choices and a long hood. You could get it as a coupe or a convertible instead, if you liked.
This car remained a staple until 2002, evolving through four generations of re-design, which included extra sporty high-performance options like the SS and the Z28.
The 2010 Camaro reboot took its design inspiration from the original, but it has been evolving ever since. In 2019, Chevrolet revamped the Camaro's front, adding signature LED headlights, among other new features. It still comes as a coupe or a convertible, though.
The Alfa Romeo Giulia: This classic beauty was one of the original sport sedans when it was launched in 1962. It was light-weight, and had a 90-horsepower inline four-cylinder engine. This is still considered an Italian classic and fans of the car probably wish that more than 572,646 were made.
Alfa Romeo understood the appeal and launched another sport sedan with the same name many years later in 2017. This Giulia has a lot more horsepower, looks much less chunky, and comes with an eight-speed automatic transmission instead of the original manual one.
It can go from zero to 60 mph in under four seconds and holds the record for the fastest lap time for a four-door production sedan at Nurburgring racetrack (seven minutes, 32 seconds). This is a steep improvement over the old car.
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Sports car relaunch
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Toyota created the Supra in 1979 as a larger, more powerful version of the famed Celica. It came with a modern touch, equipped with Toyota's first electronic fuel injection system, and four-wheel independent suspension and disc brakes.
According to AutoNXT, the Supra became its own model in ‘86. Its rear-wheel-drive platform remained, and was given a powerful engine with 200 hp that inched the Supra towards supercar status.
The car’s dramatic 1993 redesign was built for performance, offering a turbocharged 320-hp engine.
Unfortunately, the updated model came at the wrong time, sales-wise. The focus on performance put it at a disadvantage towards the end of the ‘90s, and the Supra was phased out by 1999.
It came roaring back 20 years later in 2019 with a sleeker design reminiscent of the fourth generation Supra and, and reduced drag, which is supported by a lowered roof center that echoes that of the 2000 GT.
Don't worry that it has lost its performance edge though. The modern Supra comes with a 255 hp turbocharged four-cylinder or an amped up turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine boasting 382 hp.
The biggest car comeback
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The Chrysler Pacifica sold well when it came out in 2004.
One of the first crossovers, it offered the size of an SUV and the utility of a minivan, with some wagon-like qualities. It could seat six, and all-wheel drive was available. The car even came with a backup camera and Bluetooth hands-free calling, which were incredible perks in the early 2000s.
The novelty of a crossover wore off quickly, however, and it couldn't compete with Chrysler’s dedicated minivans and SUVs or those of other automakers like Dodge. It was retired in 2008.
However, in 2017, Chrysler created a true minivan that reinvented the Pacifica and put the old one to shame. It seated eight, had a ton of space even without the foldable Stow n' Go seats, and came with a Uconnect Theater that could keep the whole family entertained.
The redesigned Pacifica has enjoyed amazing success. Now, you can even get this minivan as a plug-in hybrid, the first of its kind to be available in the U.S. The updated 2021 version is going strong, contributing to revival of the minivan across the country.
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