Everyone loves a good comeback. Just look out how people have reacted to Liverpool Football Club’s recent comeback in their remarkable victory over Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League.
It’s not just sport where great comeback stories can happen, a few have taken place in the world of cars too. Here we take a look at some of the best comeback cars in motoring history – the motors which gave a manufacturer a much needed shot in the arm and restored beleaguered fans faith in their model of choice.
Volkswagen Golf GTI Mark 5
The name ‘Golf GTI’ is one of the oldest and most iconic of all in the hot hatch scene. However, it’s not always been plain sailing for the GTI.
While the Mark 1 car introduced in 1977 was a humungous hit and the Mark 2 was similarly successful, the Mark 3 and Mark 4 were comparatively disappointing. Many who reviewed them said the driving experience of the Mark 3 and 4 paled in comparison to what was expected and what VW had proven to be capable of in the past.
When the Golf GTI Mark 5 arrived in 2005, the reception was far more positive and was widely seen as a welcome, long-awaited return to form. With strong performance from its turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine, fun and accurate steering and an easy-going practical nature, the Golf GTI Mark 5 brought everything fans wanted from the hot hatch.
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Peugeot 208 GTi
When Peugeot launched the 205 GTi in the mid-1980s, it didn’t take long for it to build a huge following and it is still considered today to be one of the greatest hot hatches ever made.
Following the 205 GTi’s success, however, Peugeot did struggle for a while to get even close to matching that winning formula with the follow-ups. When Peugeot launched the 206 GTi in 1999, and later the 207 GTi in 2007, the general consensus was that neither had the performance or the fun factor to emerge from the 205 GTi’s shadow.
By the time the Peugeot 208 GTi came around in 2013, it had been nearly 30 years since the 205 GTi launch and questions were understandably asked if Peugeot could replicate the winning hot hatch forumula. However, the 208 GTi has done a great job in showing Peugeot still has what it takes. Living up to the legacy of the 205 GTi is pretty much impossible, to be honest. But the 208 GTi with its fun, punchy 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine and nimble, sharp steering has come far closer to living up to that legacy than any other successor. Not only that, it’s a worthy contender next to other modern hot hatches, especially if you for the ‘By Peugeot Sport’ edition.
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DeLorean DMC-12
The DeLorean DMC-12 is of course famous for its use in the film trilogy Back to Future. But while those films have given the car a special cult status, the actual performance of the original car in markets was frankly poor.
Once people looked past the DeLorean’s eye-catching styling and its fame from films, the actual car was maligned for its underwhelming drive and poor quality materials. Production of the DMC-12 didn’t last long and hardly any of the original cars were sold before DeLorean entered liquidation.
While the DMC-12’s fame from Back to Future stays strong, it seemed like the car’s potential to actually be any good to use was written off decades ago. However, the DMC-12 is making a stunning comeback via a small production run in 2017.
This is thanks to a company that’s named itself DMC, which used to make its money rebuilding and repairing original models of the DMC-12 which actually existed on roads. Now the company will build replicas which share the same iconic styling as the original but the chassis, powertrain and interior perform far better than the original car. Great Scott!
Ford Mustang
The first-generation Ford Mustang is one of the greatest car success stories to come from America. It’s also the only original ‘pony’ car to remain in uninterrupted production during over five decades. In that long time span though, it’s not always been smooth sailing for the ‘stang.
While the second generation dedicated itself to building on the original car’s main strengths, the third and fourth-generation models were radical departures from what came before. The Mustangs of the eighties, nineties and early 2000s discarded the sleek, aggressive tone of the originals in favour of a doughier shape and the reception to them was, at best, mixed.
The fifth-generation Mustang launched in the mid-2000s brought the Ford sports car closer back closer to its roots, but it’s the latest sixth-generation Mustang that seems to have really caught car fans attention again.
It has no doubt helped by its expansion to new markets, like going on sale in right-hand drive in the UK for the first time. The latest Mustang is the first in multiple generations that feels like it has captured hearts and minds like the original impressively did.
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Jaguar XE
For a long period of time, Jaguar was failing to make any sort of meaningful impression on the compact executive market segment. The X-Type, introduced in 2001 was meant to lure away car buyers from the likes of the BMW 3 Series, but this Ford Mondeo-based car just simply didn’t woo that many buyers, despite the mostly positive reviews.
Production of the X-Type ultimately cost Jaguar a substantial loss of money and when they stopped making it, hundreds of jobs on the production line were lost.
Following that flop, Jaguar steered clear of the compact executive segment for quite some time while they figured out how to do much better next time. There answer came last year, in the form of the impressive Jaguar XE. Taking on the likes of the 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class is no easy task, but the XE delivers really classy interior and a smooth and entertaining drive.
Already in the time since its arrival, the XE has banished memories of the X-Type, and feels like a worth option in a greatly competitive class.
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Toyota GT86
Once upon a time, Toyota had an impressive line-up of sports cars which it could boast about, including the likes of the Supra, Celica and MR-2. By the mid-2000s, however, Toyota’s attention turned away from sports cars while they focused on hybrids and practical family transport.
Knowing what fun cars they had made in the past, the desire for Toyota to return to the sports car market was strong for many but the signs were unclear for some years. Eventually though, in 2012, Toyota released the GT86 coupe which was created in collaboration with Subaru (who launched the virtually identical BRZ).
True, many of the key components came from Subaru, but to drive a Toyota-badged coupe that focused on driving fun above all else, and which does a great job of it too, was a fantastic throwback to ten-plus years ago.
