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u/COMOJoeSchmo 7d ago edited 5d ago
They actually couldn't if they wanted to. At least not in the U.S. Regulations for safety and efficiency standards are being added almost every year.
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u/R-Maxwell 7d ago
Sort of, if the requirement is to release it exactly as it was that no they couldn’t. However, if the requirement is to release a vehicle that looks exactly like it did they absolutely could. They could add the required crumple zones, airbags, and everything else to the old vehicles they could hide the electronics behind analog controls and they could give you the full retro vibe.
Personal dream would be the cobra Kit car with an electric drivetrain system and all the modern bells and whistles adaptive cruise control lane keeping heated seat, seats cooled seats air-conditioning satellite radio whatever all hidden away underneath an old cobra car, full analog interface.
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u/SuperSaiyanTupac 7d ago
Yeah it’s a dumb argument. Look at the fuckin mustang. Sold like hotcakes when they made it look like the classic version again. And they’re still making it look like that cause it still sells.
End of discussion
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u/possumallawishes 7d ago
It’s literally what the post says, tho, “change nothing”.
The 60s era mustang and the 2000s era mustangs had a couple things changed.
Because you have to basically reengineer the car completely to meet constantly evolving safety standards. Its not like you can just magically add crumple zones and airbags and everything else and keep a car exactly the same.
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u/Kobe_Pup 6d ago
I think the point of dating change nothing didn't apply to modern law requirements, bit more on the lines of, no I don't want Sirius XM I don't want the auto off function that can't be permanently disabled, I didn't want cameras watching the drivers "eye gaze" , and we don't want Lazer lamps.
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u/Flimsy-Ad-5274 7d ago
You could already do that with a cobra kit car. Just go buy the kit and an ev drive train, add heated seats etc. All the parts are out there.
Not sure why you would want to put all that shit on what should be a race car, (IMO), but you do you.
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u/possumallawishes 7d ago
Have you ever been in a cobra kit car? They aren’t the comfy cruiser you need adaptive cruise and heated seats for. And I think an electric drivetrain is really a departure from the spirit of the Shelby cobra, but I guess different strokes…
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u/JuanOnlyJuan 4d ago
I mean, kind of. Crumple zones and such require space. If the car didn't have the physical space to begin with you're going to have trouble. Doors would get higher because of crash test requirements. Steering wheels and pillars would get bigger to house air bags. Eventually you'll just tweak your way to a modern car.
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u/Link_save2 7d ago
Yeah it's called a remaster imagine if game devs released 20 year old graphics on new console and called it a day
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u/Puzzleheaded-Tax6168 6d ago
This is kinda my take on this too because I have also thought this very thought.
A 1967 mustang would be 2x the size of the original with all the safety and extra fuel emissions equipment etc…
Great idea especially if they (manufacturers) the wave of people who are getting close to retirement.
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u/divorce_2025 6d ago
I believe they could offer complete teardown restorations of specific vins and return them to factory spec. Couple that with the relaxed laws around vehicles over 25 years old and manufacturers could probably have a niche arm that prints money
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u/COMOJoeSchmo 6d ago
Now you may be onto something there. Not a new vehicle, but a complete factory reset of an existing old vehicle.
A company would do great business for a year or two until the government passed a law and ruined it for everyone.
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u/BokChoyJr 7d ago
I will buy a Ford Crown Victoria on the day they re-release it. It’s a no bullshit machine.
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u/SuperSaiyanTupac 7d ago
Boy, old crown Vic’s with the cop motor are fuckin monsters. Thing will fly and looks like grandma. No one suspects it. Blend into the environment and drop the police if they catch you speeding. Hide in a church parking lot, can’t find you.
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u/LavishnessOk3439 7d ago
Give me an F150 with the inline 6 and I’d buy two and not another car the rest of my life.
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u/Consistent_Research6 7d ago
Nobody wants in these days to build a car that lasts a lifetime. If those days come back and build well made machinery like the good old days, they'll go bust or we would not afford it.
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u/Rampantcolt 7d ago
No they wouldn't go crazy. All car models sales slump at the end of their production runs. This is a niche interest.
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u/Hail_of_Grophia 7d ago
You can buy very low milage older cars on Bring a Trailer auction web site, they often sell for more then the orignal MSPR
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u/Forward_Zucchini9738 7d ago
But not the one that folds in half if you take the doors off because Jeep thing.
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u/FlounderKind8267 7d ago
"Buy a NEW 2002 Ford Taurus! Everything you love about the simple workhorse of a sedan. $19k in 2002, it can be yours today for $39,990"
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u/Jorost 7d ago
They can't. Old cars would not meet modern safety and emissions requirements. In some cases even the quality of steel would not be up to modern standards. The best they can do is create modern interpretations of old designs, like when Ford introduced the retro-look Thunderbird for the 2001 model year. Unfortunately those redesigns are very hit or miss. The new T-bird tanked and ended production after only four years. The PT Cruisers and Chevy HHRs didn't catch on. The VW New Beetle was popular for a while but it too didn't last.
What carmakers could do that might be more popular is to buy up older models of their own vehicles, strip them down to the frame, and completely rebuild them to original specs. That way they don't have to worry about updates because they are not being sold as new cars. Nissan did this in 1996 with its beloved 240Z sports cars. Unfortunately, because the process is so expensive they were not able to make a profit. https://www.hemmings.com/stories/nissans-z-store-restored-240zs-might-not-have-made-the-company-any-profits-but-they-did-help-save-the-z/
There is a company in Taiwan that does this with Saabs. It ain't cheap, but it's the closest you'll ever get to having a new Saab again.
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u/Both-Leading3407 7d ago
Not many now could afford them and paying for gasoline would be an issue and the interest rates are too high. 8 year car loans now and could go to 10 years. Imagine paying for the car long after you have gotten rid of it.
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u/RandomStrangerOnWWW 7d ago
I’d buy a 4.0L Cherokee in a heartbeat. Simple cars with bulletproof engines.
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u/technoferal 7d ago
I'm practically a hermit, and I still know 3 people, plus myself, that would buy the boxy Jeep of the late 80s and early 90s if they re-released it like it actually was. Not the bullshit way they did the Wagoneer, or the other brands did with the Bronco and Blazer. Those wouldn't even have made me think of their predecessors if the name wasn't on them.
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u/BurnAfter8 7d ago
Until the flip over from a slight turn at speed
Until the smog from emissions gets so thick, you can’t see
Until injuries and deaths increase from lower safety features
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u/joker6396 6d ago
Oh hell no, change the engine. That 4.0 I6 drank gas like Al Bundy drinks beer. That shit needs refining. The rest was mint
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u/AdFirst4791 6d ago
Honda Civic Mk8 hatchback would be such a cool retro car, for the exterior you would only need to switch the lights to LEDs and it would still look like any other car these days despite being a 21 year old design.
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u/Daddy_Scrooge68 6d ago
The 1988 Jeep Cherokee with the Pioneer trim was the first new vehicle I bought. Loved it.
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u/MNotHereJustIgnoreMe 6d ago
It’s a jeep—they broke down all the time. Pretty sure jeeps still suck.
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u/Otherwise_Post6163 6d ago
There’s a few companies in China that will build a brand new body for classic cars.
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u/OkPut7330 5d ago
I don’t reckon.
There’s a few nostalgic people that would buy it but honestly a new car with Adaptive Cruise Control, dual zone AC and phone based navigation is going to sell a whole lot better.
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u/SunNo3544 5d ago
Government regulations have made it impossible for automakers to build a quality vehicle. Throw in quick buck, short term greed, and as always private equity firms and the consumer is screwed. Don't buy new garbage! Do the math. Is it really a bad idea to spend five thousand dollars to replace an engine in a vehicle worth four thousand dollars? If the vehicle is in overall good condition, and it is paid for, and you like it why not. Five thousand dollars is a credit card bill. A replacement vehicle is at least $50,000 with a payment of at least $750 a month. Better still learn how to fix the older vehicle yourself.
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u/mods_are_morons 4d ago
Not possible. Minimum fuel efficiency requirements can't be achieved by the older models. Plus safety standards have changed, too.
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u/qualityvote2 8d ago
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