Miguel Sánchez
Beyond a few minority examples, the presentation of the New Beetle in 1998 marked the beginning of a fashion that continues to this day: that of the retro design applied to mass-produced automobiles.
From here on, many of the European and American manufacturers perceived the financial potential of these nods to the past. First of all, that “look back with renewed lines"It highlighted old brand icons and thus amplified the brand's own prestige by indicating the historical nature of its presence and trajectory.
Also, the retrofuturism under which this phenomenon was born generated a clear chic aura not only in relation to the New Beetle but also around its counterpart: the renewed BMW Mini assembled in Oxford since 2001.
Another success story in which it is impossible to ignore how many of its buyers ended up in their seat thanks to the image distinctive and sophisticated thereof.
Thus, the retro design began to gain ground in dealerships, adding to the list other models with enormous commercial potential, among which the Fiat 500 stands out daily in the everyday life of European cities.
Furthermore, in 2016 this phenomenon jumped from urban utility vehicles to vehicles with a higher bill thanks to the new 124 Spider; an effective sporty example of retro design, confirmed just one year later by the appearance of the resurrected Alpine A110.
2024, THE PEAK YEAR FOR RETRO DESIGN
In recent years, many brands have used aesthetic elements from the past when creating their new models. A way of working in which the French have been outstanding, who with Renault at the forefront have unleashed a media furor during the past year with the appearance of up to three designs in this sense.
To start with, the long-awaited R5 E-Tech. A sort of current version of the historic R5 from the seventies, which also happens to be one of the most interesting electric cars of the moment due to its commitment to opening the market from the ground up.
Remember, with public aid, your purchase in Spain can cost little more than 18.000 EurosThis figure is quite tight - and realistic - compared to the expensive electric cars aimed at a clientele full of aspirations to become techno-feudal magnates.
On the other hand, during 2024 Renault also launched the 4 E-Tech into series production; less successful than the nod made to the R5 although equally illustrative of the effort given around rescue models from the past under patents and adaptations from the present. And if this were not enough, the diamond-shaped house has also presented a style exercise based on the lines of the attractive R17.
TWO MORE EXAMPLES AND THE START OF REFLECTION
Given what we've seen, one might think that this retro design over the last few months has been a strategy by Renault. But no. Far from it, other brands have also eagerly participated in the phenomenon, also highlighting how they have decided to take it to more modern segments. events of motor racing.
First of all, Ferrari itself presented its 12Cilindri with a front end clearly tributary to that of the 365 GTB”Daytona” first series; the one that did not yet hide its headlights under a retractable system but only behind a Plexiglas panel. All this by Flavio Manzoni, who a few years ago already superbly touched the retro trend by designing the Monza SP1 and SP2 inspired by the barchetta of the fifties.
Similarly - although this time in the form of a design exercise without a prior formal announcement of its production - DS Automobiles also presented its Citroën SM Tribute Concept. A truly attractive design based on the 1970 GT with carefully crafted details such as the nod to its faired rear wheels.
Without a doubt, a very interesting and meritorious work, but around which, at least from this side of the keyboard, one harbors questions on the suitability of its hypothetical arrival at dealerships. Why?
BREAKING THE GOOSE THAT LAID THE GOLDEN EGGS
We are not the only ones to intuit how this abundance of tributes It may be more symptomatic of a worrying lack of ideas than of a sincere devotion to the legacy of historic brands. In fact, precisely in 2024, journalist Máximo Sant reflected on this on his channel Garaje Hermético.
For example, let's think about the following fact: if you stop to review the most emblematic designs of the sixties and seventies -in whose hinge are inserted many of the most attractive cars in history, starting with all those related to the so-called "wedge design"- what was happening then was not a reinterpretation. Not at all, it was a real revolution.
A look with joy and optimism to the future negotiating a wave of creativity as has rarely been seen in the industry. In short, the flow of new ideas It was of such a calibre that no one thought of bringing back the segregated wheel arches or other issues relating to models that were already outdated shortly after the end of the Second World War.
AND WHAT DO YOU THINK?
What's more, even in our article yesterday about the bodies Superleggera We saw how someone did not adapt quickly to such a situation. technological climbing ended up in the ditch of finances. Something very different to what happens today, with increasingly homogeneous car designs in generalist ranges while the only way to be able to be something "special"It goes through memory, nostalgia, the easy tribute to something released decades ago.
Anyway, don't get us wrong: we really appreciate some of these retro designs - fantastic! Mini Clubman with suicide door and Shooting Break bodywork- but at the same time its recent overabundance It produces exactly the opposite of what the New Beetle did in its day: it no longer surprises and, in addition, it shows a lack of new ideas, as was not the case in Italy in the late 1960s. What do you think?
