Car designs are often very hit or miss, leaving plenty of models in the past that have aficionados questioning why. Sometimes revolutionary designs are not received well at the time of their unveiling because they are too far ahead of the public perception of what is acceptable then.

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Other times, designs are just so ineffective that it makes you question what was going through the creator's heads when they were given the go-ahead to produce their idea. Regardless of the cause, listed here are five car models that really should make a comeback in 2019, and five others that are simply better off left in the past.

10 Make A Comeback: Land Rover Defender

The Land Rover Defender is really the epitome of cool, like its almost similar modern counterpart, the Jeep Wrangler, the Defender is a minimalist off-road ready vehicle that put emphasis on the capability to handle the elements over the experience the driver received while manipulating it, and isn't that exactly what a dedicated vehicle such as the Defender should be?

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The beauty of such a simple design is that it just worked, there were no unnecessary frills or electronic components to worry about breaking when out on a trail or just putting the vehicle through hard use. The Defender would just eat anything tossed at it, and that is why today older models in pristine condition can command asking prices upwards of what a modern Range Rover would cost. If that doesn't define timelessness, then nothing does.

9 Make a comeback: Honda S2000

Honda really had something special when they were creating the S2000. Although the world has largely turned its back on roadsters in favor of SUVs and trucks, there is still a significant enough market of people out there who would love a small, fast, and reliable Japanese sports car that can do burnouts just as easily as engage in a Sunday cruise.

With the exception of the Mazda Miata—or potentially even the Subaru BRZ/Toyota 86 (which are hard-top only)—the market desperately needs a fast well-equipped roadster that won't break the bank on the purchase or on its maintenance costs either, and the Honda S2000 is exactly that.

8 Make A Comeback: Subaru Brat

The Brat is truly unlike any other car ever created. Basically a compact, El-Camino-style vehicle with two bed-mounted reverse facing seats and slight offroad capability, the small Subaru was a niche idea that has developed a cult following long after its discontinuation.

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Initially faced with problems on the American market in the form of safety concerns for those two rear-facing seats, the Brat overcame some serious public adversity to enjoy the position in car culture it has today. With the market so overly saturated with vehicles that largely look the same, something as unique and eye-catching as the Brat might fair well for those looking for individuality in their ride.

7 Make A Comeback: Ford F-150 Lightning

The Lightning occupied a special space in the automotive industry when it was in production, a void that has been left empty ever since Ford folded the sub-model over a decade ago. The Lightning was a super fast compact pick-up truck that still sported a functioning bed and the same level of towing capacity as its full-sized counterparts. Not only this, but the Lightning was also fitted from the factory with an upgraded transmission from the larger Ford commercial vehicles that allowed it to have ample access to all of that power. With buyers looking for capable vehicles with plenty of storage today, a compact speedy pick-up with the usability of a full-sized model would surely fair well in the market.

6 Make A Comeback: Delorean DMC-12

Via: Motor1

The Delorean DMC-12 is the car that pop culture dreams are made of. An icon of the 1980s that was granted timelessness by its incorporation into the Back to the Future movie franchise, the DMC-12 is a design unlike any other car ever.

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Fully made of steel with winged doors, the DMC-12 could handle virtually anything and was far sturdier than any other car on the road at the time. Sadly, high production costs coupled with a seriously underpowered engine led to dwindling sale numbers.

5 Stay In The Past: BMW Isetta

The Isetta is perhaps the funniest car ever made by BMW. Although not originally developed by them, BMW bought the rights to produce the Isetta in the mid 20th century and began producing this barely one-seater front entry car hilariously for a bit of time.

The Isetta didn't even have enough power in the engine to propel itself and its driver over most normal hilly roads, and the blatant lack of features leaves the question of why this vehicle was even produced in the first place. Nonetheless, the Isetta is still the most quirky and funniest point in BMW's storied history

4 Stay In The Past: Pontiac Aztek

Via: Bing

No car really embodies the idea of "this shouldn't have been made" more than the Pontiac Aztek. The butt of countless automotive jokes, the Aztek was a low powered, cheap, and poorly made crossover offering from Pontiac that never really struck a chord with well, anyone.

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Aside from its notable featuring in famed television program Breaking Bad, the Aztek was rarely shown any love, even by its own manufacturer, and thus the model folded (hopefully) to never see a re-release for roads again.

3 Stay In The Past: Mazda RX-8

Although controversial, the biggest aspect of the RX-8 that should keep it as a part of automotive history as opposed to current reinvention is the dreaded rotary engine powering it. Although the idea of a cylinder-less engine was novel at the time (and some still swear by it) the lack of reliability and support in the aftermarket led this wannabe sports car to be folded just as its predecessor, the RX-7 was.

2 Stay In The Past: Hummer H2

 

Probably one of the biggest fake-outs in truck design ever, the Hummer was intended to be a civilian-ready version of the military spec HUM-V commandeered for decades by armed forces. However, what actually was brought to the consumer market was nothing like the strong and robust military vehicle that has existed in warfare for the second half of the 20th and into the 21st centuries. Poor reliability coupled with plenty of mock parts that looked war-ready but were in reality only there for appearance sakes on the commercial version made the Hummer a serious let-down for buyers looking to capture some of that military prowess on regular roads.

1 Stay In The Past: Suzuki X90

The X90 was a confusing car to begin with. Was it a truck? A coupe? a sports car? The world may never know, and frankly, Suzuki most likely didn't know either.

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Created as a marriage of all of the most trending elements in cars in the 1990s, it had no one clear direction, and due to that struggled to perform well at any one thing, making the poorly executed X90 barely capable of performing something as simple as a grocery run.