I know that this is the Mini Forum but would you consider that the reincarnated Mini Cooper (02+) as the most successful retro - look - modern car?
vs. the following contenders:
VW Beetle
Chrysler PT Cruiser
Ford Mustang
Chevy HHR
Toyota FJ Cruiser
Dodge Challenger (still too new to be judged)
**Did I missed a make & model??

 

Yes, by a long shot!! No contest.

 

In terms of sales, it might be the Beetle. Although, that has been around for more than 10 years, so it's only natural it has sold more.

 

In terms of looks, I think the Mustang is designed very nicely on the front end. The rear end could use more work. The MINI is by far the best in terms of aesthetics.

 

As has been stated, not in pure numbers. However, I would say the MINI only because it inspired other companies to start considering new versions of older models as well as bringing more smaller models to the US.

 

i have a beetle and a mini..
i like retro.
also drive a fj cruiser.. i guess it is kind of retro too..

 

Toyota FJ should be on the list.

 

In terms of sheer sales figures, The Beetle and the PT Cruiser have the Mini beat, hands down.

 

not really. MINI rewrote the small car segment but hardly spurred the 'retro' craze. One has to look further back to the Beetle and BMW Z3, heck, even the Miata in 1990 could lay claim. MINI was late to the game.

 

Not here in the UK...........the new Beetle was seen as just the Beetle shape put onto a Golf platform and sales of the PT Cruiser dipped after only a year or two.
Just out of interest, what are the total worldwide sales/production figures for them both compared with the MINI?

 

I have to agree about the Miata. It brought back the roadster, which almost died in 1980 with the MGB (here in the States).

 

Of course, how long have these two been on the market longer than the MINI? And the PT cruiser is.......dead !!! The VW is getting reworked, but will probably be another platform stealer. The fact is, MINI is kicking *** and taking names. Give MINI a few more years.

 

IMHO Miata started the entire retro thing with their resurrection of the low cost (low power) roadster that had died with the MG and Triumph. It demonstrated that people still wanted these type cars....

I had my 95 for 12 years and if the current Miata was closer to that A series, I'd have another. If dealers weren't so proud of their hard tops I might even buy one of those but when comparing one of those to an S ...... well they lost last time around

 

Agreed!!! It's easy as a owners to overlook the sheer magnitude of what the MINI has accomplished. It is widely considered something of a phenomenon according to most of what I read, a designation it has well earned. Along with it's iconic fwd configuration, Mini styling, handling, and practicality have been brought forward and updated w/ a great deal of attention to what comprises the car's essential genetics. When one looks back at history I think MINIs will stand out as a success story of the highest order.

 

I guess it's how you define retro or success. I've never condsidered the Miata or z3 retro. The Beetle, yes.

As far as success is concerned, I'm not saying that those cars didn't have influence but since the MINI came out you can't name a major manufacturer that isn't trying to get into the US small car market plus the influx of the other retro cars mentioned above... HHR, PT Cruise, Mustang, etc.

Not that it hasn't happened but quite a few cars have been referred to as "MINI Killers" which indicates targeting the success of the car.

 

You are right, it depends on your definition of retro. Some people consider a retro vehicle to be a remake of an older model, ie. the beetle, MINI, Mustang etc. Others view retro vehicles as a make or model from the past, ie. the Miata. Mazda probably never had a roadster back in the day, so some people might not conclude that a Miata is retro. Others will say the Miata is a remake of a style of automobile from yesteryear, and therefore it is retro. Honda is a great example for this discussion. Honda jumped on the roadster bandwagon much like Mazda did. Honda, however based their S2000 on their old school roadsters of the '60s (Honda S500). So, basically even an S2000 could be considered retro. it just depends on how you determine it. I don't think any rules have been made yet.

 

I would not consider Miata nor Z4 as retro also.

 

There's the Thunderbird. And I always liked the look of the Audi TT which I think looks retro and futuristic at the same time. But as a 2 seater, like the Miata, it's too useless for me. The Mini, however, is perfect.

 

No doubt the New Beetle and PT Cruiser have out-sold the MINI; but sales for both of those models severely flagged even before the economic downturn. Given the excitement the general public STILL has for the MINI even after all these years, I'd say the MINI is the most "succesful".

 

it has the volume, the option levels, and got GM and Chrysler to follow suit to create late, but good, retro muscle cars.

No matter what one thinks about the Mini, it's a bit player in terms of automotive volume. You can't really credit it with creating a retro market, although you can credit it with proof of concept of upscale small cars.

The thing the Mini did best was to not overproduce for the market it hit. That way there is still a good resale market, values are holding well, and there's still a decent amount of buzz on the car.

What Mini hasn't done that well is to keep defining thier own vision... Softer and larger aren't the best way to follow up on the 02-06 MCS.... While this did lead to larger sales volumes, since the factory was at capacity before, it's hard to know if the Prince engine swapped for the Tritec in the older chassis philosophy would have done as well, better or worse than the current offerings.

The old center stack would have for sure....

Matt

 

Mazda Miata: See - Lotus Elan of the 1960's. Success of the Miata spawned the Z3, S2000, etc.

 

Not just roadsters (small convertibles), either. It's funny to think back on just how few convertibles there were in the U.S. during the 70s and 80s compared to previous decades. Corvettes weren't available as convertibles for about ten years, and same for the Mustang. The Camaro/Firebird went closer to 15 years without a convertible option, IIRC.

 

There weren't that many concertibles back then because of a certain individual. Does the name Ralph Nader ring a bell?

 

Yes, but again, Honda of all companies has bragging rights, as they had made roadsters in the past. Mazda just capitolized on a dying breed (not that anyone can blame them). Oh, and I'm not just taking up for Honda. They are definitely not one of my favorite car manufacturers.

 

Look at sales numbers. They were taken off the market because no one was buying them. You can blame Ralph for a lot of things, but stopping convertable sales wasn't one of them.

Matt