Car producers persistently look to numerous sources of inspiration when designing their vehicles. A present pattern or future route within the trade can ignite the spark for a brand new design. Additionally it is not unusual to revisit classic designs, mixing nostalgic parts with fashionable expertise into one seamless package deal.
The explanations for reaching into the previous are diversified, starting from purposeful motivations and aesthetics to commemorating an iconic mannequin. This record is in no way exhaustive, but it surely does showcase fashionable vehicles influenced, in various levels, by classic-era kinfolk.
#1: Ferrari Daytona SP3

The Daytona SP3 is the latest Ferrari’s Icona collection member, a particular mannequin line devoted to paying homage to a few of the carmaker’s most iconic traditional fashions (therefore the identify, Icona). Within the case of the Daytona SP3, its design language borrows closely from Ferrari’s ’60s period racing vehicles just like the 330 P4 and 350 Can-Am and the 512 TS.


That is evident with parts just like the clear double-crested entrance wings, the positioning of the door mirrors and the distinctive horizontal blades on the rear. Ferrari will solely make 599 models of the Daytona SP3; unsurprisingly, they’re offered out.
#2: Kimera EVO37


One among Lancia’s most well-known rally vehicles was the Lancia 037, and it’s this automobile that impressed the EVO37, constructed by Italy-based Kimera Automobili. Nevertheless, don’t yield to the temptation to explain the Kimera EVO37 as a Lancia restomod. It’s so rather more than that. For one, the EVO37 is a ground-up redesign, and solely two elements are precisely the identical as on the unique 037.


They share the identical philosophy, although, creating the last word driving machine that provides most driver engagement always. For the Kimera EVO37, meaning rear-wheel-drive, six-speed handbook and a turbocharged engine unit that may crank out as a lot as 512 hp.
#3: Touring Superleggera Aero 3


The primary automobile to function this signature styling by Carrozzeria coachbuilders again then was the 1937 Alfa 6C 2300 B, a race automobile particularly designed for the well-known Mille Miglia 1,000-mile street race. Now, the Aero 3, with the same design mindset, seeks to attach the coachbuilder to its roots with styling cues borrowed from previous Touring initiatives. An instance of the delicate touches is the horizontal tail lights, a mode that remembers the Disco Volante and different traditional Touring-styled coupes.
#4: MAT New Stratos


A Ferrari F430 might need provided the mechanical underpinnings, however the MAT New Stratos is an unwavering tribute to the 1973-1978 Lancia Stratos. That a lot is evident from the same exterior wedge-shaped styling, although with the New Stratos, a lot of that bodywork is carbon fiber. Manifattura Automobili Torino (MAT) wished to carry again the rawness of analog driving, similar to it was with the ’70s Lancia Stratos.


A venture that started with a request to construct a one-off interpretation of the unique Stratos quickly morphed right into a restricted 25-unit manufacturing run with a flat-plane crank V8 and six-speed handbook gearbox as a few of the highlights.
#5: Alpine A110


First launched in 1961, the first-gen Alpine A110 was one of the crucial notable French vehicles that emerged in the course of the ’60s-era. The automobile cemented its iconic standing by profitable the primary rally championship in 1967 and the inaugural World Rally Championship in 1973. In 2017, leveraging this legacy, Alpine launched a contemporary tackle the unique A110.
Not solely did the identify stay unchanged, the brand new A110 shares placing visible similarities with the first-gen mannequin. You’ll be able to spot the design influences within the headlights and total curved profile. Like the unique, the reinvented A110 additionally emphasised light-weight development, with a bodywork largely constructed from aluminum and a curb weight of two, 432 lbs (1103 kg).
#6: Porsche 911


It’s laborious to consider another supercar that has remained trustworthy to its authentic design, just like the Porsche 911. The primary iteration entered manufacturing in 1964, and in the present day, eight 911 generations and virtually six many years later, the preliminary design continues to encourage each evolution. Amongst different issues, the most recent fashions nonetheless sport the enduring silhouette, spherical headlights, rear-engine format and a handbook gearbox (now optionally available), similar to the traditional variants.
#7: Ford GT (2nd Gen)


The second-gen Ford GT is an aerodynamic tour de drive. The low-slung design goals to cut back drag as a lot as doable with a purpose to maximize the facility from its turbocharged V6 powerplant. From that perspective, one can see a connection to the 1964 Ford GT40 supercar, a automobile that was solely 40 inches above the bottom at its highest level.
In keeping with Chris Svensson, Ford’s Design Director who oversaw the GT’s improvement, different parts join the 2 supercars. He talked about how the windscreen wraps into the facet screens (a visor display screen). Chris additionally mentioned the same positioning of the spherical taillights and spherical exhausts on the rear of each vehicles.
#8: Mercedes Benz SLS AMG


The SLS AMG has been described as a traditional reincarnation of the Benz 300 SL, unveiled on the 1954 New York Auto Present. The design inspirations are instantly evident with the enduring gullwing doorways on the SLS AMG. Different parts harking back to the gullwing 300 SL traditional sports activities automobile embody the vast radiator grille with the big Mercedes star and the wing-like cross fin on the bonnet.
There’s nothing traditional in regards to the SLS AMG’s powerplant, although. Beneath that lengthy bonnet lies a 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8 that generates 563 hp within the base mannequin and as much as 631 hp within the SLS AMG Black Collection.
#9: Nissan Z
Now in its seventh era, the Nissan Z sports activities automobile boasts a reputation change and an all-new design. Nevertheless, there are facets of the brand new styling that pay homage to a few of the household line’s most memorable ‘Z’ vehicles. For instance, the symbol, headlights and the bulge on the automobile’s hood are influenced by the 240Z.
Then you may have the double-row tail lights, that are a nod to the 300ZX. The brand new Nissan Z options a number of technological upgrades over the earlier fashions. Nonetheless, the carmaker will hope that these design references to the previous evoke nostalgia each time you see the automobile.
#10: Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4


The Countach flagship supercar was the definitive poster automobile for a lot of a gearhead rising up. There was nothing significantly outstanding about the best way the automobile dealt with or drove. Nevertheless, the mixture of that iconic wedge form and the rumbling V12 powerplant positioned the automobile on a pedestal, conferring a legendary standing that endures to at the present time.
It made good sense then that Lamborghini resurrected the nameplate on the automobile’s fiftieth anniversary for a contemporary interpretation of a timeless traditional. The Countach 2.0 or Countach LPI 800-4 options many styling cues of the unique. The powerplant, nonetheless, is a big improve, that includes a hybrid powertrain that cranks out 803 hp. That’s greater than double the output of the 1st-gen Countach.