Autoblog

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If you were born on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain, the Trabant should need no introduction. Ditto if you're a U2 fan. The notorious little sedan, nicknamed "Trabi", was made in East Germany and exported around the world, mostly inside the communist bloc. Not exactly the most ideal candidate for resurrection, but while it may not be as fondly remembered as the original Fiat 500, Volkswagen Beetle or the Mini, the Trabi has a cult following and has been featured in countless movies and video games. U2 featured the Trabi on its Zoo TV tour in the early '90s, and one hangs from the ceiling in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH.

At the last Frankfurt Motor Show, a German model-carmaker showed a mockup of what a re-born Trabi might look like to gauge public reaction. Herpa secured the rights to use the name, and has now announced a deal with IndiKar, an automotive components manufacturer based in Saxony (where the original Trabant was made) to build it. Herpa and IndiKar hope to have a full-size concept ready to show by the next Frankfurt show, which doesn't roll around until the Fall of the Berlin Wall 2009. In the meantime, Herpa is putting a toy version on the market to be unveiled at the International Toy Fair in Nuremberg in February.

Press release after the jump.

[Source: Herpa via World Car Fans]

click above image to view high-res gallery of n2a's entire lineup

We've seen the works of n2a (no two alike) around, most recently at the 2006 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. This bespoke coach builder will take a Chevy Corvette or Kappa car and completely reskin it to create a head-turning fusion of retro design cues and modern day engineering. The 789 is perhaps n2a's most well known product. It's named after the three Chevy model years from which it draws inspiration: 1957, 1958 and 1959. A turnkey version of the 789 costs about $135,000, which is decidedly very unretro.

Check out n2a's other two models after the jump and feel free to study the design cues of each car in our high-resolution gallery.

[Source: n2a via GMInsideNews]

Martini Racing is easily among the most iconic motorsport sponsors of all time. Their instantly recognizable dark-blue, light-blue and red striping have appeared on Fords, Alfas, Lancias and just about everything else on the track, in the dirt and in the water. After several years' hiatus, the Italian spirit and liquor brand made a comeback with a minor sponsorship of Scuderia Ferrari last year. Carlos Reutemann, Riccardo Patrese, Colin McRae, Mario Andretti and Michael Schumacher have all driven under the Martini Racing banner. But before all of them, Martini went with Porsche on the track like it goes with gin in the glass.

To commemorate (and capitalize on) the 35-year partnership between the two iconic companies, Porsche Design has graced us with a new line of merchandise. It includes t-shirts, polos, jackets, caps and belts with the distinctive Martini striping. Far from the usual standard issue with patches sewn on, the Porsche Design Martini Racing collection features unique designs and distinctive products that would make for a great addition to the collection of any Porschephile, vintage racing fanatic or style-conscious enthusiast.

Now who said that nostalgia isn't what it used to be?

To view the complete collection, visit Porsche-Design.com.
For more information on Martini Racing, visit MartiniRacing.com (where they've got some great downloads for you, too).

[Source: Porsche Design/Martini Racing]

With the rise of the import trend, we're seeing Musclecar-era Japanese rides attain some of the same cachet as domestic iron from the same time. Funny, they didn't strike us this way at the time, but looking at them now, they're like three-quarter scale models of the Big Three's offerings. There seems to be a soft spot for early Celicas and of course, the Datsun 510 makes one hell of a half-price 2002. Somewhat overlooked, in our opinion, are the Mitsubishi models imported by Chrysler in the early 1970s, a.k.a. the Dodge Colt.

Check out more after the jump, including a really campy Dodge spot that was the only video we could dig up with two seconds of the Colt in it.

This post is dedicated to the Indianapolis Colts, winners of SuperBowl XLI, in case you haven't heard.

These are the issues that define our times. Forget the volatile price and supply of oil, an economy teetering between robust growth and rampant inflation, worldwide strife. What really matters is whether Mercury will make a change from the "waterfall" stylized M logo to something more retro. Well, our Deep Throat inside Ford has dashed any hopes of seeing the "Winged Messenger" return. Rather than get all distracted with shifting the marketing plan, Lincoln-Mercury is hard at work getting the product right. Can't say we blame them.

You could always hire a local airbrush artist to do up a hood-size mural of your favorite Mercury logo in "screaming chicken" fashion. eBay also has vintage Mercury emblems. You could find one from your favorite era and affix it right over the top of that waterfall, if you so choose. The dream was fun while it lasted; for a retro-advertising treat, click the image above. Careful, you could lose hours of productivity revelling in the over-saturated Cleaverness. Our favorite is the '66 Park Lane. What a beast! Put a pair of glasspacks on it and go rumbling around the Dairy Queen at 5 mph - we can't wait for summer.

The resurrection of buried car brands has become a very fashionable business these days, especially with German companies. BMW has obviously found success with the new MINI; Mercedes-Benz a little less so with the eccentric Maybach; while the VW Group brought back Bugatti like a phoenix from the ashes. These cases all revolved around major German manufacturers buying and resuscitating a brand, but now Christian Borgward is maneuvering to revive his grandfather's car company that bears their family name.

Borgward made cars from 1924 through 1961, when the company went bankrupt. Following Carl Borgward's death in 1963, the tooling was sold to a factory in Mexico that continued building the cars until 1970.

Unlike other revival marques, Borgward is not out to create a media storm. What is known is that the brand is planning to make its comeback from Bremen, Germany, with investment from venture capital firms, an initial two-car line-up aimed in between the Ford Mondeo and BMW 3-Series (two of the biggest sellers in the UK) and an ambitious sales target of 10,000 per year. Manufacturing will probably be contracted to Magna, who build the BMW X3 and contributed to the upcoming Fiat Bravo, although Italian design houses like Bertone and Pininfarina (which also have limited production capabilities) may be thrown into the mix.

Given the historical roots on which the company will be trading and the current popularity of retro styling, we can expect the design to go that route. It will likely be some time before the new Borgwards are on the road, but we'll stay tuned for what could be an interesting alternative to the usual driveway fodder.

[Source: Edmunds' Inside Line]

Jaguar invited some of its dealers to the launch of the new XKR and surprised them with a private unveiling of the new S-Type sedan. Ford has been feeding rumors that the new S-Type's styling will be a major breakthrough for the brand, and reaction to the sneak peek at Jaguar's four-door feline seem to support that. The retro look has reportedly been ditched in favor of "heavy flanks", a four-door coupe profile and a "wide and deep grille flanked by prominent headlights". The car did suffer a setback when Jaguar dropped plans to build it on a modified aluminum XJ platform. Instead the new car will roll on the current model's (pictured) steel frame.

The new S-Type is still 12 months away from being publicly debuted, but dealers are notorious for being brutally honest about a car's potential, so their reaction to the car at the XKR introduction is a good sign.

[Source: CarKeys]

Peter Valdes-Dapena has penned a nice piece examining Chrysler's options for the next PT Cruiser. It's an interesting question, as Valde-Dapena notes, because no retro vehicle has ever been substantially redesigned. Like the recent refreshening of the Volkswagen New Beetle, Chrysler's redo of the PT Cruiser for 2006 amounted to minor visual tinkering. Reportedly, however, Chrysler is looking to have an answer ready for an end of the decade launch.

But what to do? The new Sebring offers a larger frame on which the next PT Cruiser could be built, along with the ability to accept a V6 engine. American tastes, however, are moving away from larger vehicles with less fuel efficient engines, which is one reason the current Cruiser with its fuel-efficient four cylinder is still selling well after six years on the market. Valdes-Dapena also suggests Chrysler could rebadge the similarly sized Dodge Caliber and skin it in a retro theme.

Regardless of what platform the next PT Cruiser employs, the real question is how will Chrysler update a look that's based on distinct visual cues from the past? The article picks the brain of David Zatz, the purveyor of Allpar.com (score one for the web journalists!), who offers the best quote of concern when he says, "Will they attack all the things people pick out as problems and sandpaper off all the edges until there's nothing?" We'll have to wait and see.

[Source: CNN.com]
[Vote for this article on Netscape]

Automotive News had a chat with Chrysler execs about the next PT Cruiser, which is causing the company some sleepless nights. What do you do next with such a unique vehicle, so strongly steeped in retro cues? The car, which debuted in 2001 and has only had a small refresh since, may go on the new Dodge Caliber platform (which would probably make the folks in Belvedere, Illinois pretty happy), but if it gets a V6 for the next model year, it may end up on the new Chrysler Sebring platform. At this point, Chrysler is gauging the market to see if the vehicle will find any customers interested in a V6 for the vehicle.

Either way, the redesigned PT won't hit the streets until 2009 or 2010, giving the current model an awfully long lifespan.

[Source: Automotive News via AutoWeek]

If you look at what’s hot right now, American muscle is in and Ford, the German-owned Chrysler Group and General Motors are cashing in. The Ford Mustang and Chrysler 300 not only look like they drove out of a different decade, they also have the same rear-wheel drive layout and slab-sided bodies as the cars we remember fondly.

This is the “American card” that Keith Naughton writes about in the current issue of Newsweek. He believes that falling back on their revered and respected heritage will save the domestic automakers from the obsolescence with which they’re confronted in the face of foreign competition.

Some say that the “American card” is nothing but a white flag being waved to indicate these automaker’s are out of fresh ideas. While we admit retro designs can often go horribly wrong, we can’t help hiding our excitement for what Naughton says Detroit has coming down the tailpipe.

GM – RWD family sedan inspired by ’67 Chevy Impala and a RWD Solstice-based convertible inspired by Stingray
Ford – Fairlane to replace minivans with 50’s-era woody wagon styling
Chrysler – Next-gen minivans to front the 300’s handsome face

Photo credit: Dynamic Duo for Newsweek