‘Zombie’ Cars That Clawed Their Way Back From The Auto Graveyard

As the old song goes, “Everything old is new again.” Ford is bringing back the rough-and-tumble Bronco for 2021, while GMC is resurrecting the Hummer name as a full-electric pickup truck for 2022. Jeep is bringing back the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer SUVs for the 2022 model year.

And that’s only the latest examples of nameplates that have been relegated to the automotive graveyard, only to be brought back and given new life. They’re the vehicular equivalent of zombies, the “driving dead,” if you will.

In the spirit of Halloween we’ve compiled a list of vehicular “zombies” that were once pronounced dead – usually because of slow sales and/or a shift in a given manufacturer’s naming protocol – but somehow managed to cheat the reaper and were reborn-to-run.

Some of the industry’s most recognizable model names, have, in fact, been pronounced dead, and have been subsequently resurrected and again interred multiple times. For example, the Lincoln Continental had been exhumed no less than three times since the name was first slapped onto sheetmetal in 1939. Chevrolet likewise jump-started the venerable Impala back to life twice after its most fondly remembered run during the 1960’s and 1970’s. Both cars, however, have yet again been relegated to the scrap heap.

It’s easy to see why automakers keep embracing the undead when it comes to naming new models or swapping badges on existing models to help jump-start sales. It costs big bucks to research and develop a suitable model name for a new vehicle. Retrieving existing nameplates from the corporate parts bin is a far cheaper and usually more successful option, especially with regard to monikers that still have sentimental meaning among aficionados.

Here’s a look at the zombie cars that have or will soon return to showrooms from the great beyond:

Acura NSX

The original NSX sports car debuted for 1990, turning heads with its low-slung styling, and snapping necks with its invigorating performance. But both its novelty and demand dipped as time wore on, and the two-seater was dropped from the lineup after the 2005 model year. Acura resurrected the NSX for 2016 as a cutting-edge hybrid-powered “halo car” with equally expressive bodywork and a stratospheric sticker price. Sales remain slim, however.

Chevrolet Blazer/TrailBlazer

The Blazer and its TrailBlazer alias were once popular midsize truck-based SUVs, but were sent packing in 2009 as car-based crossover models began to dominate the market. Chevy has since brought them back to showrooms—this time stylish crossovers—as the midsize Blazer and compact TrailBlazer.

Chevrolet Camaro

Chevy’s answer to the Ford Mustang premiered in 1967 and was an instant success. However, sagging sales over time prompted Chevy to pull the plug on the Camaro in 2002. Chevy would eventually breathe new life into the Camaro for 2010, returning with fresh styling that channeled the original iteration, and that version is now in its second generation.

Chevrolet Malibu

The Malibu name was originally applied to a top–of-the-line sub-series for the midsize Chevrolet Chevelle in 1964, with the line being renamed Malibu in 1978. It lasted until 1983, when it had become a bloated corpse of a car. The badge was later applied to a front-drive Chevy sedan beginning with the 1997 model year. With the seismic market shift away from sedans, the Malibu will again be dropped from the line in 2023.

Chrysler 300

Chrysler reached deep into its history for this storied moniker when it replaced the Concorde sedan for the 2004 model year. Originally called the 300M, it alphabetically followed the original 300 “letter series,” which began in 1955 as the C-300 – renamed the 300B a year later – subsequently departing the automotive universe after the 1965 model year as the 300L.

Chrysler Voyager

The original minivan nameplate returned to the Chrysler lineup for 2020 as a less-expensive version of the Pacifica.

Dodge Charger

This classic muscle car enjoyed its greatest success from the late 1960’s through the mid 1970’s as a big and powerful two-door coupe. Laid to rest after the 1978 model year, it was resurrected in 1981 and lasted through 1987 as a languid front-drive coupe version of the Dodge Omni. Fortunately for car buffs, Dodge brought the Charger back for 2006 as a bona fide rear-drive sedan, and it continues with the 797-horserpower SRT Hellcat Redeye as the performance leader.

Dodge Challenger

As with the Dodge Charger, the Challenger originally hit its stride for a few years during the muscle car era, and returned to the lineup in its current retro-flavored iteration for 2008. Less fondly recalled is the iteration that was a rebadged two-door version of the tepid Mitsubishi Galant from 1978-1983. Today the SRT Super Stock and SRT Hellcat Redeye versions lead the line with a 807-horsepower supercharged V8.

Ford Bronco

Ford reincarnates the midsize Bronco SUV in 2021 after an extended hiatus as a burly old-school off-road competitor to the Jeep Wrangler. The line will include two- and four-door models with soft and hard tops, removable doors, and extreme off-road abilities. There will also be also a smaller Ford Escape-based Bronco Sport version.

Ford GT

Attempting to reclaim domestic sports-car bragging rights, the stunningly cast Ford GT premiered for the 2005 model year, paying homage to the similarly named Ford GT40 racecar that dominated Le Mans during the mid-1960s. A 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 in the current iteration puts 660 horsepower to the pavement.

Ford Ranger

Once a mainstay of Ford’s truck line, the compact Ranger pickup was put to pasture in 2012 as sales of full-size models dominated the market. It continued elsewhere in the world, however, and Ford brought it back to the U.S. for 2019 as a decidedly modern model.

Fiat 124 Spider

The 124 is a funky Fiat sports car that enjoyed some success in the U.S. during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s when it was known as the 124 Sport Spider. Fiat exhumed the convertible 124 Spider roadster with throwback styling for 2017, but this time around it rides on underpinnings shared with the Mazda MX-5 Miata.

GMC Hummer EV

GMC brings back the Hummer name—once equated to environmental incorrectness before the GM division was shuttered a decade ago—for 2022 as an emissions-free electric pickup truck. It’s claimed to put an estimated 1,000 horsepower and 11,500 lb-ft of torque to the pavement via three separate motors and is expected to run for as much as 350 miles on a charge. First on the market will be the Edition One, which starts at $112,595; less costly trims will be subsequently added to the line.

Honda Insight

The Insight name returned to Honda for 2019 as a fuel-sipping midsize four-door hybrid. It originally was a futuristic-looking two-door hybrid—the first in the U.S.—from 1999-2006, then came back as a compact four-door hatchback hybrid in 2010 through 2014.

Honda Passport

This badge-engineered truck-underpinned version of the Isuzu Rodeo got Honda into the growing SUV market in 1993. It drove off into the sunset in 2002 in favor of Honda’s own Pilot, returning for 2019 as a midsize two-row crossover.

Jeep Gladiator

Jeep brought the Gladiator name back to the line for 2020 after three decades as a pickup truck version of the four-door Wrangler. It’s the first open bed model for the brand in decades, and the only question here is what took them so long?

Jeep Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer

Another Jeep blast from the past, the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer names topped the Jeep SUV line are returning for 2022 as larger and more luxurious alternatives to the Grand Cherokee. They will be based on the Ram 1500 pickup truck and come with three rows of seats.

Land Rover Defender

Rugged off-road SUVs are booming these days, with Land Rover returning the iconic Defender this year to U.S. dealerships. It comes wrapped in neo-retro styling in two- and four-door models, with a four- or six-cylinder engine, and maximum off-road capabilities.

Lincoln Aviator

Lincoln’s more-upscale version of the Ford Explorer was short-lived, lasting from the 2003-2005 model years. It was resurrected for 2020 as the brand moved to an all-SUV lineup, powered by a powerful twin-turbocharged V6 engine and treating its occupants to a serene and sublimely trimmed cabin.

Maserati Ghibli

Today’s Maserati Ghibli is a luxury sport sedan that arrived in the U.S. for the 2014 model year. The original Ghibli was a seductively styled Italian coupe/convertible from the heyday of the genre in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross

The original Mitsubishi Eclipse is fondly remembered as a popular sports coupe and convertible that was produced from 1998-2011. The name returned for 2018, this time applied to a small crossover SUV, the Eclipse Cross, which bears no resemblance to the original either in style or spirit.

MINI

Here’s an entire brand that came and went, and came back again. The MINI brand had a foothold in the U.S. between 1960-1967, but lasted elsewhere through 2000. BMW breathed new life into the name with its purchase from the Rover Group in 1994, and re-launched the MINI Cooper worldwide for the 2001 model year. It later brought back two other classic MINI monikers for subsequent model variations, the Clubman and Countryman.

Toyota GR Supra

Long the brand’s top performer, the Toyota Supra was originally the raciest model in the Celica line and later beame a rip-roaring low-slung sports car. Benched in the U.S. in 1998, it’s back in showrooms as the GR Supra with brash styling and mechanicals shared with the BMW Z4.

Toyota Venza

Toyota brings back the five-passenger Venza crossover SUV for 2021, and it essentially looks like an updated version of the vehicle that’s been out of production for the past six years. This time around, however, it’s a fuel frugal gas/electric-powered hybrid.