Famous Marques Reinvented
After building cars for more than a century, the motor industry discovered the power of its heritage in public perception. Today, every manufacturer who is able to do so draws heavily on its past with evocative model names and styling cues. For other manufacturers, there is a need to create new brands that distance them from any negative associations with the parent brand or its past.
Dodge Challenger, 2008
| Origin | USA |
| Engine | 6,059 cc, V8 |
| Top speed | 145 mph (233 km/h) |
Fans of the 1071 film Vanishing Point will recognize the lines of its four-wheeled star in this latest version of the model, despite the four-decade gap since the original.
MG ZT 260, 2001
| Origin | UK |
| Engine | 4,601 cc, V8 |
| Top speed | 155 mph (249 km/h) |
Based on Rover’s 75 sedan, MG put in a Ford V8 and converted it to rear-wheel drive, creating a car with big performance under a subtle exterior.
Maybach, 2002
| Origin | Germany |
| Engine | 5,980 cc, V12 |
| Top speed | 155 mph (249 km/h) |
Having not built cars since 1940, this marque had been long dead until it was revived by Daimler-Benz as its hyper-luxury brand in 2002.
Cadillac STS-V, 2005
| Origin | USA |
| Engine | 4,371 cc, V8 |
| Top speed | 155 mph (249 km/h) |
Sharp-suited styling and taut handling are at odds with the ungainly, fin-tailed Cadillacs of old. Fitting a supercharger to the Northstar V8 produced 469 bhp for the STS-V.
Mercedes-Benz CLK 320, 2002
| Origin | Germany |
| Engine | 3,199 cc, V6 |
| Top speed | 155 mph (249 km/h) |
Based on the company’s C-Class models, this car is closer to the E-Class in price. It keeps alive Mercedes-Benz’s tradition of offering convertibles.
Ford Mustang GT convertible, 2004
| Origin | USA |
| Engine | 4,951 cc, V8 |
| Top speed | 149 mph (240 km/h) |
The Mustang’s design team took styling cues from the very first Mustang for the 2004 model-these included the scallops down the sides and the set-back headlights.
Maserati Quattroporte, 2004
| Origin | Italy |
| Engine | 4,691 cc, V8 |
| Top speed | 174 mph (280 km/h) |
The name simply means “four doors,” but it sounds so much more exciting in Italian. The Quattroporte’s 434bhp V8 delivers performance to match.
BMW Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo, 2007
| Origin | Germany |
| Engine | 4,395 cc, V8 |
| Top speed | 191 mph (307 km/h) |
Officially registered as a manufacturer, Alpina creates high-performance versions of BMWs, such as this polished B5 that delivers 500bhp.
Lexus IS-F, 2005
| Origin | Japan |
| Engine | 4,969 cc, V8 |
| Top speed | 155 mph (249 km/h) |
Japanese team Gazoo Racing prepared this Lexus to compete in a 24-hour race at the challenging Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany.
Rolls-Royce Phantom, 2003
| Origin | UK |
| Engine | 6,750 cc, V12 |
| Top speed | 155 mph (249 km/h) |
When BMW took control of Rolls-Royce, it built a new factory near Goodwood and created a car that captured the marque’s legendary presence.
Infiniti G37 convertible, 2009
| Origin | Japan |
| Engine | 3,696 cc, V6 |
| Top speed | 155 mph (249 km/h) |
The Infiniti brand was created by Nissan to overcome resistance in the U.S. market to Japanese cars, and is reserved for prestige models.
Rolls-Royce Phantom drophead, 2007
| Origin | UK |
| Engine | 6,750 cc, V12 |
| Top speed | 155 mph (249 km/h) |
The drophead’s styling remained remarkably faithful to the 100EX, a concept car unveiled to mark the centennial of the company in 2006.
Audi A5 Coupé, 2007
| Origin | Germany |
| Engine | 2,967 cc, V6 |
| Top speed | 155 mph (249 km/h) |
Reviving Audi’s stylish 1970s coupe, the A5’s shape was drawn from the Nuvolari quattro concept car exhibited at the 2003 Geneva Motor Show.
Porsche Panamera 4S, 2009
| Origin | Germany |
| Engine | 4,806 cc, V8 |
| Top speed | 175 mph (282 km/h) |
Despite putting the engine up front and adding two extra doors, the Panamera manages to retain styling cues that date back to the 911 of the 1960s.
Chevrolet Camaro 2SS, 2010
| Origin | USA |
| Engine | 6,162 cc, V8 |
| Top speed | 155 mph (249 km/h) |
Blending 1960s styling with 21st-century film culture, the fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro is also available in a Transformers special edition.
Jaguar XF, 2008
| Origin | UK |
| Engine | 5,000 cc, V8 |
| Top speed | 155 mph (249 km/h)) |
With this model, Jaguar aimed to recreate the appeal of its mid-sized S-Type model from the 1960s and make Jaguar quality more affordable.
Jaguar XJ, 2009
| Origin | UK |
| Engine | 5,000 cc, V8 |
| Top speed | 155 mph (249 km/h)) |
With this model, Jaguar aimed to recreate the appeal of its mid-sized S-Type model from the 1960s. The result bristles with technology.
Aston Martin Rapide, 2010
| Origin | UK |
| Engine | 5,935 cc, V12 |
| Top speed | 184 mph (296 km/h) |
Offering four doors in a supercar package, the Rapide takes its name from the 1930s Lagonda model, a famous marque Aston Martin acquired in 1947.
It is a quote. The Definitive Visual History Of The Automobile 2011
