What old cars would still look modern today?

[Ari]

Watching The Spy Who Loved Me tonight (classic Bond!). I reckon that if that original Lotus (not the bodykitted Turbo) had never existed and was launched today, aside from the pop up lights (illegal now?) and maybe with colour coded bumpers and more modern wheels, I reckon it'd work as a new car.



Anything else so far ahead of it's time it could pass for current now?

[DanB7290]

Jaguar XJ220 and McLaren F1

[slipstream 1985]

pug 306
mazda rx7

[dtrump]

slipstream 1985 said:

pug 306
mazda rx7

mazda rx7, hell yes

pug 306, erm hell no

IMO

[Classic Grad 98]

Ford Ka, in good nick- so long as it has body coloured bumpers. It was launched 16 years ago!
Original Audi TT- I don't like 'em, but it is a marvellous piece of design (cosmetically)
VX220- probably because you don't see too many about
Renault Avantime- ahead of it's time, design wise... Conceptually flawed though

[cml]

NSU Ro80 - looks much like a modern car, maybe 70s or 80s, can't pass for current I grant, but it was launched in '67.

The usual giveaways are the old school bumpers, thin pillars and lots of glass. Modern cars are pretty dumpy with high waists, thick pillars and an arse in the air (mostly). Crash protection and all that.

Supercars all fair better, plenty of old-school mid-engined rockets don't look so out of place these days. Style is style.

Edited by cml on Saturday 21st January 00:17

[Roadrunner23]

Nissan 300ZX

[Blue Oval84]

Classic Grad 98 said:

Ford Ka, in good nick- so long as it has body coloured bumpers. It was launched 16 years ago!

Jesus, in my head I knew it was old but hadn't added the years up!

[sparks_E39]

The E39 is 17 years old now! It doesn't look current, but bloody good for a 17 year old design.

[RV8]

Blue Oval84 said:

Classic Grad 98 said:

Ford Ka, in good nick- so long as it has body coloured bumpers. It was launched 16 years ago!

Jesus, in my head I knew it was old but hadn't added the years up!

Imo it's the new mini, although it's obviously not a mini, it comes closer to Issigonis' mini concept than most other cars have since, even the BMW mini. The sportka is basically a cooper. That genius Claude Lobo's new edge design sparked off Fords 'look' for well over a decade and the concept has been recycled multiple times since.

[Eighteeteewhy]

Came out over 20 years ago...

[V8Wagon]

I often think my Accord's nose



looks a bit like the modern Saabs nose.

[Perd Hapley]

cml said:

NSU Ro80 - looks much like a modern car, maybe 70s or 80s, can't pass for current I grant, but it was launched in '67.

Good call, I was going to suggest that.



Look at how modern that looks. If you gave it enormous plastic bumpers, hid the wipers and doubled the size of the wheels it wouldn't look out of place in 2012. Amazing to think it was designed in the 60s.

[DukeDickson]

sparks_E39 said:

The E39 is 17 years old now! It doesn't look current, but bloody good for a 17 year old design.

More like 20 years old. The bulk of the design work would have been done a good couple of years before introduction.

[E31Shrew]

I have a 'History of the E31' DVD, that gives all the build story from conception to final production. Started design in 86 and hit production in 89. Still fresh [ in my eyes anyway!]

[sherman]

E31Shrew said:

I have a 'History of the E31' DVD, that gives all the build story from conception to final production. Started design in 86 and hit production in 89. Still fresh [ in my eyes anyway!]

Was there ever an ALPINA version or has that one just got ALPINA alloys?

[martin84]

We've done this thread before and im sure i said Peugeot 406 facelifted version then. For a car thats more than a decade old you could park it up alongside any 12 plate middle-of-the-road eurobox and it doesnt look 10 years older.

[Eighteeteewhy]

E31Shrew said:

I have a 'History of the E31' DVD, that gives all the build story from conception to final production. Started design in 86 and hit production in 89. Still fresh [ in my eyes anyway!]

Always loved BMWs test mule for the 8series, 635 with a V12 squeezed in

[rich_b]

E31Shrew said:

That's lovely

Actually made me browse the classifieds to see how much they are going for these days

[E31Shrew]

rich_b said:

That's lovely

Actually made me browse the classifieds to see how much they are going for these days

Naff all!