Nostalgia is a powerful thing! It has also become a powerful marketing tool as several brands have had a go at retro designs over the years, with cars that pay homage to different automotive eras.
The cars that actually survive those eras still do far more to evoke that feeling of nostalgia, this is the very foundation of the classic car market. No matter how much people try to justify owning a classic, it certainly isn’t because they are more powerful or safer than the modern equivalent, these cars bring back memories or keep memories alive. Owning a classic car is an emotional choice, but some have now become more popular than ever, sometimes without any real merit.
Some cars just aren’t as cool as people think they are, buying a classic should never revolve around what’s popular, it should be something personal.
10 Ford Mustang
The Mustang II gets a lot of hate already, but the original Mustang is left sitting pretty, perched on some sort of pedestal.
This should not be the case though, as much as the first pony car may well have altered the course of automotive history, this does not mean it was a great car. If you got an entry level Mustang back in the 60s you would get all-round drum brakes and an underpowered inline-6, not even sporty for the time, let alone now.
9 Citroën SM
The French are never shy to innovate, but even for them, taking a Maserati engine and plopping it into the front of the SM was a bit of a stretch.
It might well be one of the most beautiful cars ever made, but dealing with all the classic Maserati engine problems and all the French quirks rolled into one car might be a bit much to deal with for most of us.
8 Toyota Celica
Not all Celicas are made equal. This much you will learn quickly, as much as the GT has become more collectable than even the most ardent JDM fans thought possible, there are still many Celicas that are decidedly uncool.
Simple, reliable, cheap transport for the masses. That is what regular Celicas were intended for, and by all rights, they should keep doing that until they die.
7 DeLorean DMC-12
One thing there is no denying is that the DMC-12 certainly has a worthy story, a story that is truly stranger than fiction.
Design-wise the car has a certain allure with that brushed stainless exterior, but once you get down to it the car handled poorly, was sluggish even for the time and had a nasty habit of falling apart.
6 MGA Twin Cam
So many people covet these little British sports cars, but unfortunately, they do hide a bit of a maintenance nightmare under the hood.
These high revving little twin-cam engines were ahead of their time, so they didn’t actually gel particularly well with the carbs fitted to them. They would froth the fuel and cause all sorts of problems that could eventually lead to catastrophic failure.
5 Nissan Skyline
Once again, not all Skylines are equal, so as much as the GT-R cars have been hero worshiped, the standard cars were at times a little tragic.
The 6th generation cars were particularly awful, ruined, like many cars, by the 70s and 80s. These cars were anything but innovative, seemingly copy-paste designs mated with reliable but ultimately underwhelming engines.
4 Toyota Corolla AE86
The sporty old Corolla found a new lease on life as a drift car, something that could be modified easily with affordable, readily available parts.
These days, cars in original condition are worth a mint, mostly because of the enormous fanbase, but getting one in original condition will leave you disappointed. Even back in the 80s this was a sporty car, not a sports car and certainly not a fast car.
3 Ferrari Mondial
For Ferrari fans and even Italian car fans this might seem a touch obvious, but for the vast majority, the simple fact that a Ferrari badge appears on the hood is enough to make this car cool.
Unfortunately they would be very much mistaken with the old Mondial, with only 200 horsepower it struggled to get off the mark and even contemporary hot-hatches would show it a clean pair of heels.
2 Lotus Esprit
The newer the Esprit the better in most cases, unfortunately getting the 90s car (pictured) would mean forgoing its cool Giugiaro wedge design.
Getting the cool looking version will entail an even bigger sacrifice, that being any form of reliability with a shoddy Lucas sourced electrical system that will force you into its tightly packed engine bay more often than you would care to admit.
1 Lamborghini Countach
For decades, this was the poster of choice for many bedroom walls. It is arguably the king of all wedges, with many falling in love with the car before ever trying to drive it and shelling out huge sums of money to get a hold of one.
That might be a mistake, with an infamously heavy clutch, no rear visibility and a seriously temperamental V12, it might well be the car version of “never meet your heroes.”
Read Next
About The Author
More Stories
Old Mustangs for Sale: Navigating the Allure of a Classic Ride
Vintage Mercedes: Unveiling Timeless Elegance and Engineering Mastery
Hemmings Classic Cars: Timeless Beauty on Four Wheels