The Ford Capri, Renault 5 and MG Roadster are back - but it's not a nostalgia trip, they're heading straight down Electric Avenue.
Iconic car names can really help fuel our passion for motoring. From the legendary Volkswagen Beetle to the runabout Mini, a famous boot badge can unlock the door to our hearts.
And, it seems, carmakers hope a well-known moniker will open our wallets too, as a new wave of nostalgic models looks set to tempt drivers back to the showroom.
New vehicles with names we know and love are about to turn the motoring clock back decades – however the space under the bonnet isn’t always filled with a combustion engine. Instead, historic badges first seen on petrol-powered classics years ago are now being used to boost flagging electric car sales.
The Fiat 500, Vauxhall Viva and Citroën DS have already returned, with varying levels of success.
New for 2025 are relaunches of the Renault 5, Ford Capri, MG and Honda Prelude.
"Bringing back iconic car names may evoke many fond memories and instant appeal from drivers who experienced these vehicles first time round," says Edmund King, president of the AA.
"However, classic names come with classic images.
"Some who may fondly remember going on a date in an original Capri with furry dice probably won’t recognise the new version."
"Older car names evoke instant memories, and the new products must carry some of that retro DNA."
Here’s our look at six car names returning to the market – hopefully like an old friend.
In 1978 there was the Sex Pistols, the first episode of school-based children’s drama Grange Hill and a ‘winter of discontent’. The new Honda Prelude also arrived in Britain, a well-made, well-equipped coupé with perky performance.
While the country was still adjusting to cheaper Japanese cars, the Prelude was part of Honda’s gradual move upmarket.
Now a new Prelude is earmarked for the end of 2025, some 24 years since the last model was sold on these shores.
The hybrid sports car is expected to cost between £40,000 and £50,000, and offer 2+2 seating, Honda reliability and, most likely, exhilarating driving thrills.
Whenever it does hit the road, expect a sleek and stylish design to rival some of the best coupés currently on the market.
Sold between 1962 and 1980 as a convertible and a more practical coupé, the MGB was enduring for good reason. Modestly priced, it offered proper handling thrills, plus styling normally reserved for more expensive sports cars. A Mazda MX-5 is the modern-day equivalent.
Probably wise then that the Chinese-owned ‘new’ MG has steered the electrified Cyberster roadster in a different direction – especially as it costs around £60,000.
More an open-top grand tourer, the latest MG is more like a battery-powered Porsche Boxster with a wicked turn of speed, scissor doors and all mod cons.
Available now, but delivery delays mean many are still waiting for their keys.
When the Renault 5 launched in 1973, Britain was in the grip of an energy crisis – though, on the bright side, petrol was just 7p a litre!
Enter a soft-suspension, smooth-riding hatchback, built in France and with a pull-and-twist gear lever on the dashboard. The original was branded ‘Le Car’ in the US, where it had modest sales, but in the UK, we took the 5 to our hearts.
The new Renault 5 is no pastiche of that original. A five-seat family car powered by batteries, the budget supermini is brilliant to drive and can go up to 190 miles on one charge.
Best of all, Le Nouveau Car looks fantastic and packs the fun factor, which includes a baguette carrier and retro trim. Prices start at just under £23,000, which is exceptional value.
A macho Capri was the equivalent of a gold medallion and tight-fitting slacks in the 70s. However, Ford might want to forget one particular advertising slogan: ‘For God’s sake don’t let a woman drive it’.
That hairy-chested image was given a boost thanks to appearances in TV shows like Minder and The Professionals.
All the more surprising then that the new ‘woke’ Ford Capri is a £42,000, all-electric SUV! Even an eagle-eyed enthusiast would struggle to spot a likeness to the original.
A coupé-style roof and decent driving dynamics offer some excitement, but this will be driven by IT professionals and accountants, rather than Bodie and Doyle.
The first Frontera is one of the worst cars I’ve ever driven – even Vauxhall employees would roll their eyes when I mentioned their lacklustre off-roader.
Crude, bulky and heavy, the Luton-built 4x4 was left standing by the Toyota RAV4 in the 1990s and proved unexceptional in almost every respect.
Odd that Vauxhall chose to revive the name for a new SUV, but at least this one looks nothing like the boxy original.
Electric and hybrid versions of the Vauxhall Frontera can be ordered now, both starting at around £23,500 – a rare occasion when battery power doesn’t incur a premium.
Is the world ready for a new Frontera? We’ll have to wait and see. The first ones will be with customers by April.
My first car was a rusty 1972 GT Junior that crumbled faster than a Curly Wurly under a heat lamp.
Produced in various forms from 1963 to 1977, the sporty coupé blended Giorgetto Giugiaro styling with memorable handling and precocious performance.
The new Junior is an entry-level Alfa Romeo and the brand’s first all-electric model, with a hybrid version too. Order books are open, and the first customers have received their cars, which cost just under £34,000.
Yet, while the new Junior is blessed with some impressive driving dynamics, essentially this is just another SUV anointed with Italian flair.
Does it live up to the Junior name? Who is Alfa kidding?
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