Which Vehicles Would You Choose for a Second Round of Promised Releases?

The game's changed, I've changed, so here are my ideas, more or less chronologically:

Ford Model B/V8-inspired 30s car:


The car that would show us what it was like to drive a 1930s flathead inline-four, or upgrade to a V8 (yet still with mechanical brakes and a front transverse leaf spring), but more importantly, provide a platform for all kinds of aftermarket builds. Whether you want to relive the early days of stock car racing, make a flathead hot rod in the 1940s style, throw a "generic" chopped top rat rod together, build a big bucks show winning car, or even do an EV swap (yes, that exists now), it all can be done with this one vehicle.

1960s Gavril D-Series:

Like many products of the 1960s American auto industry, this C/K or D/W-like truck (originally introduced for 1961, but significantly redesigned for 1966-71 models) would have manifold possibilities. First, the stock models - from a barebones I6 half-ton, to the first forays into the luxury truck, to big blocks, to camper specials and 4x4s, to 1-ton work trucks, to the 1st gen 69-71 Charro, to a Vietnam-ready milspec model. Then come the things the later owners do with their Gavrils - turn them into beaters, lift them for off-road adventures, hot rod or restomod them, or even build them into dragsters, show trucks and lowriders.

Late 60s/early 70s European Gavril economy car:

Mostly based on the Ford Escort Mk1 (yes, that includes rally models and an Aussie version), but with sizable Opel Kadett B and Ford Cortina Mk2 influence (including US-spec models). It should provide regular traffic from 50 years ago (from a base 1.1 model, to more deluxe variants that include a 2-door wagon/panel van, to a sporty deluxe 1.6 model, to even a rally homologation special), but also motorsport fodder - classic rally cars, both professional and amateur, old school folkrace, old school banger racing and dirt oval cars, and even a heavily modified drag car with a Barstow V8.

Early 70s American fullsize luxury sedan:

They don't get bigger than that - a car taking influence from the 71-76 C-/D-body Cadillacs (including limo and hearse configs), with a bit of 70-74 Continental and 69-73 Imperial thrown in. It can be kept stock, it could be turned into the aforementioned limo or hearse, it could be a beater, or it could become something else - a derby car, a big banger, or, for something more peaceful, a pimpmobile. How about putting in Barry White and Marvin Gaye tapes?

Jaguar XJS-style European GT:

The XJS has a special place among European GTs of that era - it received constant facelifts until the 90s, unlike the Italians, it depreciated enough to enable beater, banger and amateur racing configs, and unlike the also-depreciating MBs and BMWs, the unreliability of British engines made it a popular platform for V8 swaps, thus putting some hot rod flavor in a British car (up to a drag car). Also, how about a fake 7.0 Lister and a Top Gear homage?

Ibishu 350S/Galatea:

Probably the most creative of the cars here, taking the 350Z, but giving it a Pigeon-like Reliant slant - what if the rear of the original 240Z's Beam equivalent was a shooting brake like the Reliant Scimitar GTE, and the 350S is doing a "retro Scimitar" take on it with Volvo C30 styling cues?

Regardless, this budget SBR4 alternative has many functions - from a regular cheap used sports car, to the affordable drift car for an era of even clapped out BXs costing five figures, to a basis for wild widebody builds, to a drag car with a modern V8 swap from the Bastion.

00s/10s Ibishu pickup/SUV:

Did anybody say "budget off-roading"? Mixing the D40 Navara/Frontier and KA L200 as the pickup, or the R51 Pathfinder, the KG Pajero Sport and the Endeavor as the SUV, this should serve various functions as a smaller D-Series/Roamer counterpart - a cheap beater, a fleet-spec base model, an optioned up SUV/truck with a V8 (America) or a V6 diesel (rest of the world), an European or South American police car, an off-roader platform, or even an affordable technical.

Gavril MV4 remaster:

A Rigs of Rods car redone as an equivalent of the VE/VF Holden Commodore, but also as a Pontiac G8/Chevrolet SS/Vauxhall VXR8/Chrysler 300c-esque US and EU captive import - from affordable V6s (even a diesel in the Euro model) to nearly 500 HP V8s and tuner cars, plus special configs in US, AU and EU versions - taxi and police; not to mention what they become as used cars, from beaters, to derby cars, to UK bangers, to blown street machines. Also available as a Commodore/Magnum/300C Touring-esque wagon, and the obligatory ute.

Late model Bruckell pickup truck:

Part 14th gen F-150, part 5th gen Super Duty, part 5th gen Ram, this shows the full spectrum of the modern truck - from cheap fleet spec single cabs, to EVs reaching 600 HP, to 700+ HP factory off-road beasts, to "cowboy Cadillac" 3/4- and 1-tons, to F-450/F-550/Ram 4500/5500-like work vehicles, for example car haulers and dump trucks, to police, fire service and the US government. Also included: truck customization, from sensible slight off-road mods, to full-on brodozers (Carolina squat on application).

Considered, but didn't make my cut:

- late 50s medium priced car (Edsel? DeSoto?),
- 60s/70s British GT with an American big block V8 (Jensen Interceptor with bits of Facel II, Iso Grifo and AC 428),
- 60s/70s Bruckell Bastion, mixing the 68-70 Charger and 70-72 Monte Carlo,
- Bruckell Bastion/Soliad personal luxury car based on the Moonhawk (73-77 Monte Carlo/Grand Prix meet 75-80 Charger/Mirada/Cordoba),
- 82-88 G-Body equivalent from Bruckell, Soliad and a fancier medium priced brand (primarily Monte Carlo, Grand Prix and Regal equivalents),
- 3rd gen Camaro/Firebird-inspired Bruckell/Soliad,
- 3rd gen Town Car-like body on frame luxury sedan,
- 00s Japanese entry level luxury sedan, with a different premium brand for export (Skyline/G V35 + Mark X X120 + IS XE20),
- 00s/10s European/US/Chinese midsize car - Insignia A/5th gen Regal meets Mondeo Mk4;
- S80 Mk2/V70 Mk3/9-5 Mk2 inspired Jargl version of the above,
- Chrysler 300 LD equivalent based on the Bruckell Bastion,
- Tesla Model Y-/3-inspired late model EV,
- Ford Expedition/Jeep Wagoneer and Lincoln Navigator-like SUVs based on the modern Bruckell truck.

 

Years ago I made a post in which I tallied up the votes each car segment got. It's time to do it again.

At the top of the podium I see six users, myself included, calling for an early 70s US luxury landbarge. While the suggested models differed - from a Sixty Special/Series 75, to a LeBaron, to the Thunderbird-influenced Bruckell Albatross - the gist is that the most desired car is a big RWD one from Detroit of 50+ years ago.

A total of five users for each wanted two things - a 50s European GT, mostly calling for something Italian (think Maserati 3500 or Ferrari 250), and a modern European cabover truck, usually an ETK based on a Mercedes-Benz - with one user calling for a firetruck option in particular.

And off the podium we see car types that got four votes each - a 1930s American low-priced car (think early Ford V8), an Eastern Bloc sedan, with all suggestions mentioning the Lada Classic series, an 00s larger American crossover (Aztek, Pacifica, Freestyle/Taurus X...), and an 00s European compact MPV (most mentioning the Opel Zafira A).

 

I suppose this is as good a time as any to encourage posters to go back through their lists, archiving any archetypes that were fulfilled by the last few rounds of vehicles and adding new ones.