Which defunct automobile brand would you bring back from the dead?

[earlyre]

Datsun.........wait! Ummmmm

actually, Nissan had talked about bringing back the Datsun nameplate a few years ago...i think it was for a line of small city cars...but i could be wrong... it was at least 5-6 yrs ago...

 

[Astro14]

Packard built some really nice cars up until their merge with Studebaker.

"Ask the man who owns one." is a great slogan that said it all.

As far as oddball makers, I'd like to see Franklin come back to see what they would have done with air-cooled engines, and Doble for steam power.

A man after my own heart.

PACKARD

When Rolls Royce needed to expand production of the supercharged V-12 Merlin during WW II, they chose Packard over every other US manufacturer.

Packard developed the two stage super that made the Merlin so successful in the P-51. Of the roughly 70,000 Merlins built during the war, 55,000 were built by Packard.

Packard designed and built all of the V-12 Marine engines in Navy PT boats.

These are just two, but there are many examples of the superlative engineering and manufacturing quality that were Packard’s hallmarks.

 

[mrsilv04]

Auburn.

 

[10WSmuckers]

actually, Nissan had talked about bringing back the Datsun nameplate a few years ago...i think it was for a line of small city cars...but i could be wrong... it was at least 5-6 yrs ago...

Datsun actually does exist again but only in a handful of countries overseas. The name may go under again.

If I wanted to bring a dead company back to life it would be Saab for the outrage. They truly made cool cars in the past.

 

[ecotourist]

NSU, the German Corvair;

How about Corvair, the American Corvair.

 

[nthach]

Holden doesn't really exist anymore.
GM and Ford both closed up production in AUS a few years ago.
honestly not sure 'Stralia has any domestic auto production anymore.....it's all imported, mostly from europe/asia.

in fact even the Holden brand went defunct at the end of 2020....replaced with "GM Specialty Vehicles" - which only imports the Silverado, and Corvette...

Yep, as soon as Ford and GM announced winding down their production in Victoria, Toyota also called it quits too. All their production for Oz comes from Japan, Thailand or the US(Kluger).

 

[AutoMechanic]

Probably Pontiac or Mercury I liked cars from both of them. Maybe AMC cause I liked the Gremlin .

 

[Snagglefoot]

Hmm. Pontiac Transam , Firebird, Tempest, and in Canada the Beaumont.

Oldsmobile 442

Pontiac for the win.

 

[tyman]

Probably Olds just for the 442 unless Pontiac brought back the GTO & Judge.

 

[Hal-9000]

Plymouth

 

[Tdbo]

Pontiac and Mercury would be my two picks.

 

[tc1446]

'48 Hudson Step Down

 

[Wrenchturner44]

Cord and Hudson....if I can have two I would bring both back. Cord was ahead of it's time with front wheel drive, and hideaway headlights. Hudson too had many innovative designs, including the the Twin H Power Engine, step down perimeter frame, and tunable radio antenna.

https://www.connorsmotorcar.com/vehicles/689/1937-cord-beverly-812

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/hudson-twin-h-power

 

[walterjay]

Pontiac and Mercury

 

[Dinoburner]

Olds because they were innovators. The last example was the HO 4 cyl which was born of a very interesting project in the early 70`s IIRC. Had several over the years starting with a a 1956 2 door post coupe with a standard shift. The favorite was a 57 two door.

 

[Warlord]

Saturn before the GM bean counters seized control. Those early cars were great and the whole company had an outside the box approach to business.

 

[PimTac]

International Harvester. Build HD work trucks and SUVs again.

Those Cornbinders ran forever.

 

[DuckRyder]

BMW

The one that built this:

https://www.bmw-m.com/en/topics/magazine-article-pool/bmw-m3-e30-portraet.html

In that vein, maybe Hartge...

 

[spasm3]

Just like the title says what would you bring back?

Buick! Not a fan of anything they make now. Dead to me.

 

[HemiBenny]

Probably Pontiac or Mercury I liked cars from both of them. Maybe AMC cause I liked the Gremlin .

I agree with these, especially AMC. I would love to see a modern version of an AMX and a Javelin.