When an automaker is developing a new model, they hope that it becomes so popular that they keep producing it for many decades to come. Take the legendary Chevy Corvette, for example. This fantastic sports car has been in production for the last 69 years, and it's still as popular as ever.
Sadly, not all cars get to enjoy a production run as long as the Corvette's. In fact, most car models end up being discontinued due to poor sales, technological obsolescence, financial problems, and other issues beyond automakers' control. This article explores ten discontinued models every gearhead wishes would come back.
10 BMW M1
BMW is not the first automaker that comes to mind when thinking about supercars, as it's mostly known for producing luxury sedans. However, in the late '70s, the company decided to build a supercar that could compete with the best Lamborghinis and Ferraris of the day - the M1.
The M1 is a true work of art. It had an eye-catching wedge-shaped design conceived by the legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro and the power to match, thanks to a 3.5-liter inline-six producing 273 hp and 243 lb-ft of torque. If BMW plans to build a new supercar soon, we hope it will be a modern interpretation of the M1.
9 Buick GNX
Back in the '80s, Buick had a reputation for building ugly, slow, and boring cars. However, that all changed in 1987 when Buick introduced the GNX - a mean-looking muscle car developed in collaboration with McLaren.
Buick wanted the GNX to be faster than any American car of the day, so they equipped it with a 3.8-liter turbocharged V6 engine tuned by McLaren. With an output of around 300 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque, the GNX took just 4.6 seconds to accelerate to 60 mph. Only 547 examples were built, making the GNX one of the rarest American cars.
8 Honda S2000
After the huge success of the NSX in the '90s, Honda went back to the drawing board and developed yet another fantastic sports car - the S2000. The S2000 was an instant hit, largely thanks to its design, excellent driving dynamics, and its fun front-engine rear-wheel-drive layout.
Under the S2000's hood was one of the greatest naturally aspirated engines ever - a 2.0-liter DOHC-VTEC four-cylinder engine generating 247 hp and 161 lb-ft of torque.
7 Lotus Esprit
In 1976, Lotus introduced the Esprit to replace the woeful Europa. Straight off the bat, gearheads fell in love with the Esprit's wedge-shaped design - it was the first of Giorgetto Giugiaro's polygonal 'folded paper' designs.
Apart from the design, there were other things to love about the Esprit. For one, it had a turbocharged four-cylinder engine and weighed just under 2,000 lbs - the perfect recipe for a fun car. The Esprit is also one of the most iconic movie cars, having been featured in James Bond's film The Spy Who Loved Me.
6 GMC Syclone
The Syclone is unlike any other vehicle General Motors has ever built. Looking at the Syclone, it's hard to see why it has such a significant cult following - it's a small single-cab pickup truck with not much going on in the design department.
However, open the Syclone's hood, and you'll understand why we love it so much. Powered by a 4.3-liter turbocharged V6 pumping out 280 horses and 350 lb-ft of torque, this truck could go from 0 to 60 in under 5 seconds, making it the ultimate drag racing pickup truck and faster than Ferraris of its day.
5 Jaguar XJ220
In the early '90s, a few Jaguar employees came together and started a secret side project aimed at building a new supercar. The result was the XJ220 concept, which received over 1,000 serious pre-orders after Jaguar unveiled it at the Birmingham Motor Show.
A short while later, the production XJ220 debuted, and while many gearheads were disappointed by the fact that it had a turbocharged V6 instead of the huge V12 in the concept car, it was still a beast. If Jaguar decides to revive the XJ220, we hope it will have a V12.
4 Toyota MR2
The MR2 - or Midship Runabout two-seater - is a superb sports car Toyota introduced in 1984. The MR2 was small, affordable, economical, and super reliable, making it a great alternative for gearheads who couldn't buy a European sports car.
The first two MR2 generations are the most desirable. Their beautiful designs featuring pop-up headlights coupled with their high-revving four-cylinder engines made them incredibly popular among enthusiasts.
3 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo
The Lancer Evolution - or 'Evo' - is a fantastic car Mitsubishi introduced in 1992 to take on the sports sedan market. The Evo was originally built for the Japanese domestic market only, but its demand soon grew in Europe and North America, particularly after it was featured in the Fast and The Furious franchise.
Ten Evo versions were built between 1992 and 2015, all of which were equipped with turbocharged four-cylinder engines and AWD systems.
2 Dodge Viper
In the early '90s, Dodge unleashed an absolute monster into the automotive world - the Viper. There was a lot to love about the Viper apart from its cool model name - its sleek design, monster V10 engine under the hood, and raw character and attitude.
Dodge built over 100,000 Vipers with a largely similar layout before calling it quits in 2017. Dodge claimed that poor sales led to the Viper's discontinuation, but some sources claimed that the actual reason was the car's failure to comply with safety regulations.
1 Lancia Delta HF Integrale
It's almost impossible to see a new Lancia today, which is sad considering the Italian company was one of the most famous automakers of the 20th century. The car that makes us miss Lancia the most has to be the superb Delta HF Integrale.
The Delta HF Integrale is widely considered to be one of the greatest hot hatches ever, and it's easy to see why. It had a fantastic design, up to 220 horses coming from a turbocharged four-cylinder, and it was the first hot hatch to have an all-wheel-drive system.