The 14 best retro concepts

Porsche Vision 357

The Vision 357 is a 75^th birthday present from Porsche, to Porsche. It celebrates Porsche’s earliest years with bewitchingly authentic ‘40s and ‘50s lines, with detail touches that hint towards where Porsche design will head in the near future. It also packs the howling 4.0-litre flat-six from the Cayman GT4 RS. If only there was even half a chance Porsche would make this. Happily, the Vision 357 is only the latest on a long line of retro-futuristic concepts, a number of our favorites we’ve listed below. 

BMW iVision Dee

The latest before the Porsche was the BMW iVision Dee, revealed at CES as a hint at BMW’s future design direction and a preview of the kind of tech it’s going for. Dee stands for digital emotional experience, with augmented reality capability and a deployment of BMW’s new cockpit architecture. What we love most though, is the retro wedge styling, borrowing more than a shade of the silhouettes of BMW’s Neue Klasse machinery from the 1960s. Appropriate, as BMW is referring to a wave of digitised electrified models that are due to arrive on sale from 2025, as its latest Neue Klasse. Don’t dumb down the design, BMW. We think the Dee looks great.

Hyundai N Vision 74

This thing kind of blew everyone away when it was revealed. A drift-happy, aero-clad, hydrogen prototype sounds cool on its own, before you throw in the retro styling. The N Vision 74 is a visual tribute to the old Pony Coupe concept of the 1970s, which was designed by Giugiaro. Hyundai’s modern ‘pixel’ accenting fits in with it perfectly, and good god doesn’t it just look amazing? With 670PS (493kW) it pairs a large road car battery pack with hydrogen fuel cells and plug-in ability, for the kind of sporting versatile EV experience we’d be intrigued to see in a proper zero emissions sportscar. It’s unlikely it’ll see production but what a thing.

Renault 5

The Renault 5 Prototype Concept has been stuck in our brains since its debut. It reminded us yet again that retro can be done right. Thankfully, the wait is almost over for the production version, which is due for a reveal at some point this year, before going on sale in 2024. Prices are expected to be in the £20,000 range and a hot Alpine version is also in the works. We’re still in love with the Prototype. It’s a masterclass of retrofuturism and our hope beyond hope is the production car loses none of this concept’s specialness.

Lamborghini Miura

Truthfully, the Lamborghini Miura perhaps isn’t good ammunition for the cause. Celebrating 40 years of the original in 2006, interesting and pretty as it is, we’re not of the opinion that this should have been made. That said, we’re very glad they gave it a go. Food for the imagination is never a bad thing, nor is keeping one’s heritage very much in mind.

Shelby Cobra Concept

This, absolutely 100 per cent should have been made. The Ford Shelby Cobra Concept was a collaborative effort between Ford and Shelby unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in 2004. With a fully working bespoke V10 engine, underpinning components scavenged from the Ford GT supercar and the perfect definition of retro-futuristic styling, it could have been great. We wonder why it never happened... 

Shelby GR 1

The same reason why this, the Shelby GR 1, also never happened, we suspect. Coming a year after the Cobra, in 2005, the GR 1 was Ford and Shelby’s modern interpretation of the incredible Daytona Cobra Coupe. It used the same V10, similar GT-derived underpinnings, reached a fully-functioning concept stage and was also quashed ahead of any potential production plans. Why? The Blue Oval could barely justify one retro supercar. Three? The suits weren’t having it. A crying shame yes but the GR 1 is, in a roundabout way, finally making it to production. Superformance recently acquired the proper licencing from Ford to productionise (in a limited capacity) the design. Huzzah!

Alfa Romeo 2uettottanta

The Alfa Romeo 2uettottanta Concept is yet another Alfa Romeo-badged case of ‘what could have been’ and indeed, ‘what nearly was’. Initially conceived as a celebration of 80 years of Pininfarina in 2010, the furore around it forced production to be considered. Plans were hatched to twin a revival of the Alfa Romeo Spider with the next-generation Mazda MX-5. Those plans were then quashed by the late CEO of FCA Groupe, Sergio Marchione, who was of the view that an Alfa Romeo should always be Italian-built and couldn’t simply share a Japanese platform. The result was a Fiat badge and slightly gawky styling, where an Alfa badge and timeless beauty should have been. Yes, the name is weird.

Holden Efijy Concept

Speaking of weird names. Retro is always cool but, we will concede, not always viable for production. Take the Holden Efijy Concept of 2005, a tribute to the 1953 Holden FJ. Based on the Chevrolet Corvette and packing a supercharged V8, the Efijy would simply never have sold, fun as it is. Don’t ever say we don’t put forward a balanced argument. Retro done right, in terms of styling as well as who it’s for and what it does, will always be a Slam Dunk. This looks cool but it is a lesson in era appropriateness and relatability. 

Peugeot e-Legend Concept

Something closer to home for the Renault 5. The Peugeot e-Legend Concept explores the possibility of the stunning Peugeot 504 Coupe being reborn as a modern-day EV. The silhouette is pure retro pantomime, with a liberal smattering of modern detailing with classic style. We understand a production version would have required quite a bit of reworking before being feasible. Regardless, it’s a crying shame this remained merely a one-off 50^th-birthday present to the original.

BMW M1 Homage

One of the great will they won’t theys in modern motoring was back in the 2000s and whether BMW would make an M1 supercar successor. This peaked around when the E90 generation V8-powered M3 broke cover, with an engine seemingly perfect for a supercar application. Then BMW revealed the M1 Homage Concept as a 30^th birthday present to the legendary late-‘70s supercar. Surely this was it? Was the M1 returning as a slice of retro-futuristic high-revving V8 exotica? Nope. They didn’t even hint as to what powered the Concept and had absolutely zero intention of putting it into production. *Sigh*. Still, it left the gates open for the Audi R8 to take the 2000s-2010s iconic German supercar crown.

Honda Sports EV

Oh, what could have been or indeed, what could still be. Honda’s been all over the delightful retro-styled concepts in the last few years. Due to the fact that one of them made production – more on that in a minute – this one is somewhat forgotten. The Sports EV is a retro-modern tribute to the S600 sportscar of the 1960s, with an EV powertrain. Isn’t it just a delightful little thing? No, it’s not happened… yet. There is hope...

Honda Urban EV

… Because the Urban EV managed it. Yes, this car made it to production, albeit adjusted for production feasibility and renamed the Honda e. The Urban EV (and the Sports EV) caused a massive stir back in 2017 on their debut. The Urban EV was fast-tracked for production as a small affordable (ish) electric car. This is the car that likely inspired Renault to appeal to icons of the past for a retro-futuristic EV and quite rightly so. We love the Honda e. If Renault can beat it for maximum range and price, they’ll have a sure-fire winner on their hands.

Ford GT

Arguably the co-champion of retro-futurism, with the original ‘New’ Mini. Long before the Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Camaro began appealing to styling influences of their ancestors, Ford’s 100^th birthday present to itself was near-enough a recreation of its legendary 1960s racing car. The GT concept was a show-stopper at Detroit in 2002. The result of Ford taking the plunge on production was one of the great super sportscars of the 2000s that reaffirmed the marque’s image as more than just another proprietor of econoboxes.

Renault, hear us. You already know it but hear us anyway. The 5 will be a smash hit. Just get the numbers right and keep the looks as they are as much as possible. These things will sell themselves and you’ll have a Fiat 500-level success on your hands.