Just to be clear, a reboot of a beloved automotive nameplate by a modern manufacturer will almost always disappoint. Still, for every head scratching Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross that leaves all the potential on the table, there's at least the possibility of something more like the Ford Bronco, where they actually manage to recapture the spirit that made anyone care in the first place.
With the sports car market on a downswing and even generational names like Corvette and Mustang seeing dwindling interest in the marketplace, the boardroom math isn't great when it comes to pandering to enthusiasts with automotive nostalgia. Yet the heart wants what the heart wants, so let's indulge in the potential lying dormant within the General Motors brand umbrella -- even if deep down we know they'd likely just slap an iconic legacy badge on an amorphous crossover and call it a day.
Against our better judgment, here are some names that deserve a comeback and could actually deliver on their underlying premise, even as we brace ourselves for inevitable disappointment.
Read more: These Supercars Lose Value So Quickly, They're Almost A Steal
Chevrolet El Camino
The El Camino was half car, half truck, and all swagger. It's hard to describe the vibe that was projected by its unrepentant utility back in the day, but it managed to blend style and practicality in a way that wouldn't be equaled until the eventual popularization of the mullet. Incidentally, that's a hairstyle that would immediately resonate with El Camino drivers of the period while also enjoying enduring popularity to the retro-minded El Camino drivers of today.
Between modern unibody pickups that nobody needs and egg-shaped crossovers that nobody wants, the El Camino could be an unrepentant middle finger to today's designs by focus group and aero by algorithm. Even though the new El Camino reboot turned out to be fake news, we'd still like to think that the cult status of the Subaru Baja could make for a compelling PowerPoint slide for a pitch to the General Motors brass.
Pontiac Firebird
The throwback Pontiac Firebird was the Camaro's rebellious sibling -- definitely flashier, maybe faster, and deeply embedded in pop culture thanks to the one-two punch of "Knight Rider" and "Smokey and the Bandit." So while it shared DNA with the Chevy, this was a vehicle that carved its own path, including by being the only vehicle in the history of the world that managed to get away with offering a sick screaming phoenix with flames on the hood from the factory.
Pontiac may have been a casualty of the 2008 financial crisis, but Dodge has been out there ever since, pretty much carrying the torch for unrepentant American muscle that knows its lane and stays in it -- at least figuratively. Surely General Motors could snag a piece of the pie for themselves, especially as Dodge comes ever closer to dropping a supercharged HEMI with 800+ horsepower into the Pacifica and running out of things to Hellcatify. Maybe there's room for the phoenix to rise again, is all we're saying.
Buick Grand National
The Buick Grand National -- or GNX if you're in the club -- was a sinister icon in the '80s and proof that Buick could make a car that growled and turned heads.
After all, the Grand National was perhaps the raddest muscle car of the '80s, even if Buick would eventually be known for little beyond being one of few OEMs still willing to sell you a kind of okay wagon as of 2020 or so. Still, the GNX -- we're in the club -- has a presence that can stand toe to toe with just about anything and a performance ethos that could be pulled off with an electric drivetrain just as easily as not.
Buick's current lineup could use a performance boost. Or a public relations boost. Or really any boost at all to remind us why this brand continues to exist in 2025. However, in an era when Kendrick Lamar can parlay a personal beef into a Super Bowl halftime show, surely his affinity for the GNX could earn Buick more than a fleeting moment of cultural relevance.
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
A NASCAR staple turned floaty coupe, the Monte Carlo held its head questionably high for decades. It was somehow simultaneously a mainstay of both racetracks and retirement communities. You could bask in the deeply flawed execution of the Monte Carlo SS or pick up something largely similar but probably less yellow from the rental counter at the airport. In either case, what you saw was what you got, and what you got was -- fine.
While some of these reboot conceptions have demanded tapping into the underlying ethos that made a vehicle great, we can honestly kind of take it or leave it in this case. Here the name is the thing and really any approach to a Chevy coupe revival would stand out in this market, maybe giving hip new parents something interesting to drive until their 1.5 kids somehow demand a third-row SUV.
Remember the Chevy SS? That was brilliant. Did you even care what it looked like? Probably not.
Oldsmobile Cutlass
The Cutlass name has bounced through muscle cars, sedans, and coupes. In fact, it spent decades making up a sizable portion of the Oldsmobile lineup. Still, when there are so many variations but no single one that would be widely recognized as the definitive Cutlass, you can be forgiven for not realizing that Oldsmobile sold an absolutely staggering number of these things.
Even as the sedan market shrinks, there is still an opening for something mid-tier and maybe performance oriented that isn't a BMW (or trying to do an impression of one). The nostalgic pull might be a jumping-off point, but this one might actually stumble its way into a legitimate American market opportunity. If Ford sees a future that's only trucks, SUVs, and the Mustang, perhaps an Oldsmobile can come fill the void, even if we don't understand why Americans bought so many Cutlasses in the first place.
Chevrolet Bel Air
Few nameplates conjure up Americana quite like the Bel Air, with its chrome fins, sweeping lines, and enduring legacy in car culture. It's a head turner in any setting and even someone who doesn't know a thing about cars will immediately know that they're looking at a piece of automotive history.
Surely the early generation Bel Airs had some performance chops for their day if you're talking about the V8, but the inline-6 left an awful lot to be desired and nobody holds them up as canyon carvers in retrospect. So there might be few better opportunities to deliver a whisper quiet and unrepentantly comfy EV that transcends its place in the world the way the original did, even though, if we're being honest, the iconic Bel Air was kind of a meh car from the start. Still, as a contemporary cruiser with modern tech, retro styling, and one of the most recognizable names in automotive history? This one might have legs.
GMC Syclone/Typhoon
It might seem obvious in retrospect, but until the Ford Raptor rumbled into the hearts of enthusiasts and took up two parking spaces, the concept of a mainstream offroad performance truck wasn't really a thing. However, well before Raptors roamed the suburbs, the Syclone -- and its SUV sibling the Typhoon -- laid down performance sufficient to outpace some Ferraris. That's the kind of blasphemous speed credibility a modern reboot could inherit.
When the Syclone and Typhoon rolled up to give the sports cars of their day a run for their money, it was clear that there was something undeniably cool about big speed and power in a package that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. GM could challenge the increasing number of Raptor variants with a reality check offering that doesn't demand buyers pretend that they're going to be ripping donuts in the desert any time soon, while also proving to us and themselves that the brand has more potential than increased profit margins on the Denali package.
Cadillac Eldorado
Nothing coming off of a General Motors assembly line today has that old‑school Cadillac presence. Long, low, and unapologetically comfy, the Eldorado was the crown jewel of the brand. Honestly it's kind of wild that after decades of duking it out with Lincoln over who would be the king of luxury Detroit land yachts, both brands would end up walking away from it altogether. It's not exactly surprising at this point, but it is disappointing.
It's kind of wild that Cadillac hasn't even had a proper personal luxury coupe in its lineup since 2019, and the Eldorado name alone could surely help them step in that direction in a way that something called Celestiq just -- won't. You could add some gravitas to the brand in a way that balances against the performance-oriented V-series lineup while also delivering something that's not going to encroach on the Escalade as the unofficial vehicle of Uber Black.
Chevrolet Chevelle
A muscle-car legend known for its brutish big-blocks and refreshingly clean styling, the Chevelle is one of the most revered nameplates in General Motors history. Beyond that, the Chevelle is also consistently among the coolest cars you can find for sale online. Sure, it might not be top of mind when it comes to everyday car buyers, but there's something to be said for the sweet simplicity of a middle-of-the-road vehicle with notable performance and memorable styling cues.
The unapologetic performance coupe as a concept might have already been on its last legs, but with the impending end of internal combustion engines turning out to not be a forgone conclusion just yet, there's still room for one last hurrah. Honestly, we wouldn't necessarily recognize any obvious appeal here if not for our taste of the Chevelle Retro-Styled Chevrolet 'Chevelle' Camaro from 2015, but sometimes it's okay to be wrong.
Saturn Sky / Pontiac Solstice
With the car market shrinking and indistinguishable crossovers eating up market share, the total population of passenger cars has dipped below 100 million for the first time since the early 1970s. That said, the lightweight sports car market continues to show signs of life, with sales of the enthusiast favorite Miata up significantly year-to-date and Toyota doubling down on their Supra reboot in a way that suggests it wasn't just a spreadsheet-driven BMW collab after all.
Clearly there's enough evidence to support the viability of something sporty and special like the Saturn Sky -- slash Pontiac Solstice -- especially given that despite what your recollection might say, Saturns were actually pretty popular for a minute there. The Pontiac? Well, it existed, too.
Pontiac and Saturn will first have to battle it out to decide which would be marginally more likely to be rescued from the automotive dustbin of history. However, somewhere at GM there are old CAD files that prove they have the chaotic pedigree to deliver a proper little roadster just when the world needs it the most.
There Are Plenty Of Pitfalls When Rebooting A Classic
Nostalgia is a powerful drug, but it's not a free pass. In fact, if anything, when it comes to the automotive space it seems like the major players are more likely than not to unrepentantly airball any attempt to cash in on their own beloved heritage models.
Surely the 2019 Chevy Blazer abomination could have stuck the landing the way the Ford Bronco did. Unfortunately, somehow they took a rugged SUV with real trail credibility and turned it into an unrecognizable crossover that could have been called literally anything else. It's not unlike the return of the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, which both started out bad and is surely going to be a car that ages terribly. Even the peak retro cheese Ford Thunderbird, which managed to get amazing reviews but hasn't lived up to its initial reception, proving that even getting it right can still mean missing the mark.
So how can OEMs shamelessly cash in on their most revered namesakes without blowing it? Unfortunately, nailing the reboot and padding the bottom line aren't super likely to go hand in hand, but we'll admit we're going to remain suckers for the attempt. So go ahead, GM -- dig up these old nameplates. Just don't forget that nostalgia sells, but only if the car underneath it has something to say.
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