The modern successors to the unattainable cars the baby boomers lusted after in their youth may now be within their economic reach.
By Gerry Malloy
While most automobile advertising is geared towards the young, it’s still the baby boomers that buy more new cars and trucks than any other age group. For many of us within that cohort, the cars we lusted after in our own youth, like this Shelby GT 350, were simply beyond our means back then – and surviving examples of most of them are even more so now. But their modern successors just may be within our reach.
Here’s a compilation of 22 new cars for old farts that may help us realize some of those youthful fantasies – most of them with a level of comfort to accommodate our now more mature physiques and temperaments.
Few production-based cars were as awe-inspiring to just-turned-driver-aged boomers as Carroll Shelby’s original GT350. Ford’s own sixth-generation Mustang Shelby GT350 follows the same formula with better brakes, a lighter and stiffer chassis and revised suspension bits that help it handle better than lesser Mustangs. It even has its own exclusive flat-crank engine to audibly reinforce its stature. While it may be better suited for track days than everyday commuting – as the original certainly was – just the looks of the thing make it truly lustworthy.
The Camaro was the bow-tie brigade’s alternative to the Mustang and its most coveted version was the high-performance Z28 model, homologated specifically to make it eligible for Trans-Am racing. A track-oriented model with that designation is available once again, but we don’t need to go to that length to dramatically outperform the original in every way. A 455-hp, 6.2-litre small-block V-8-powered SS model would do the job quite nicely. And while we’re at it, let’s get one with an automatic fold-away drop top so we can enjoy some rays.
While the Dodge Challenger was a latecomer to the original pony-car parade, it found its own following thanks to a combination of particularly good looks and what could be found under its hood. At the top of its extensive engine option list was the fabled Hemi V-8, which made it the king of the dragstrip virtually by default. Today's Challenger follows the same formula with retro styling, availability of such throwback paint colours as 'Sublime' and - Yes! - a Hemi V-8. In fact, there are three available Hemi V-8s, topping out with the outrageous 707-horsepower supercharged Hellcat version. Instant vindication for all those times you got beat at the stoplight grand prix!
Long before the Dukes of Hazzard made the second-generation Dodge Charger famous to a whole new generation of fans, the big coupe was already favourite of youthful boomers in the Mopar camp, especially when it was powered by a Hemi. Now the Charger is back in more sedate sedan form – consistent with that generation’s now more advanced level of maturity. Or not. Because the mighty Hemi is still available under the hood, including in SRT Hellcat form. Buy one in black and you’ve got the ultimate sleeper. Just expect to be mistaken for an undercover cop.
Of course the Corvette was on almost every young boomer’s automotive lust list – specifically the second-generation Sting Ray models, which set new standards in both styling and engineering for American cars. The most desirable and unobtainable of that lot were five special Grand Sport models built for Le Mans level endurance racing, just before GM pulled the plug on such covert competition activities. While the new C7 Stingray is closer in appearance to the less-desirable C3 models than those iconic C2s, it does offer a Grand Sport version, trimmed and outfitted to evoke those originals. Without the optional Z07 track package it will be a distinctive and reasonably comfortable driver with serious appreciation potential.
Off the track, where the Corvettes were plagued primarily by Cobras, their major competition came from the Jaguar XK-E (E-Type), which earned its own following, particularly among those who favoured Anglo-European sophistication over American power and reliability. The E-Type was an iconic design that has seldom, if ever been equalled and Jaguar didn’t even try, letting the nameplate die more than a decade later. A spiritual successor is now available in the form of the F-Type. While it establishes no new design ethos, it is an exceedingly pretty car and potent to boot – particularly in forthcoming SVR form. If you missed out on an E-Type, here’s a second chance, of a sort.
On the road-racing tracks of its day, Porsche’s tiny, mid-engine RS Spyder was a giant killer, taking on and beating Ferraris, Maseratis and the like and firmly establishing the brand’s performance reputation. While RSR Spyders were few to be found back then, their modern successor is not. The just-released 2017 718 Boxster shares the mid-engine, flat-four-cylinder layout of the Spyder as well as its numerical designation. It also happens to be the lowest priced Porsche sports car available.
Porsche’s eternal 911 arrived on the scene around the same time as the Sting Ray and the E-Type, with its own unique styling and engineering. It quickly established its own following, on and off the track, and has since written the book on how automotive evolution should occur. Any 911 between then and now is desirable in its own way today’s models are arguably the best of them all. And there’s a huge array from which to choose. Unless you’re seeking the track capability of the GT3 or the rocket-launch performance of the Turbo, how about a modern-day Targa – one of the most distinctive 911s ever and a classy ride with the roof open or closed.
There was no equivalent to the Cayman back in the day, at least not with the Porsche name. But there were those of us that dreamed about something very much like it. Something the second-generation Chevrolet Corvair coupe might have evolved into had GM not killed it. The Cayman trades its flat-six engine for a turbocharged flat four in this iteration but it still has the look that evokes images of what might have been had Ralph Nader not intervened.
Mazdas were just arriving on the scene with their novel rotary engines in the days of our boomer youth and there was no equivalent of the Miata – at least not from Mazda. What there were, however, were affordable British sports cars such as Austin Sprites and MG Midgets and MGBs and Triumph Spitfires and TR4s and, a little further upscale, Lotus Elans. Fun-to-drive all, but each needing it own riding mechanic! When the Miata arrived on the scene it embodied the spirit of those fun but fragile machines and combined it with reliability and a warranty. The latest MX-5 continues and advances that theme and enhances it with a little Ferrari essence in its front-end design. Who can say no?
There was another affordable sports car that made some waves back in the day – the only Fiat to garner a following over here outside a core of brand loyalists from the old country. The Fiat 124 was a beauty in its time but it succumbed to the unpopularity of its sister models and the brand itself. Now FCA has revived the nameplate for a new model built on Mazda MX-5 architecture with a Fiat engine and exterior design. It’s not as pretty as the old 124 or the new MX-5 but, in Abarth trim, it out-powers the Mazda, which just might make it worth a look.
Another Italian brand was making some noise back then as well, particularly on the race tracks. The Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA coupe, a handsome car with cutting-edge technology for the time, including aluminum body panels, won the under two-litre class in the inaugural Trans-Am race season. The Alfa Romeo brand was reintroduced to North America last year with the diminutive 4C coupe and roadster and the Giula name reappears this year as a four-door sedan. In up-level Quadrifoglio trim, with a 505-horsepower bi-turbo V-6 engine, it promises to be a strong alternative to the established German power base.
A benchmark car in its day, the Datsun 240Z was the first Japanese sports car to make it big in North America. Beautiful, fast, weather-tight and affordable, it effectively sounded the death knell for the few British sports cars still clinging to life. The 240Z’s successors were a mixed bag of great and not-do-great models that died out briefly in the 1990s. Today’s Nissan 370Z offers all the attributes of the original in fully modern form. And it’s still one of the most affordable real sports cars on the market.
Around the same time, an upstart German automaker called BMW upset the status quo with a sporty four-sedan called the 2002 that set the standard for what a sports sedan should be for decades to come – and started BMW on a pathway to huge success in America. For much of the time since then the 3 Series has been the successor to the 2002, but now there’s a new 2 Series that may be even more directly related. Of course, it’s a showcase of BMW’s technologies, including available all-wheel-drive. As such, it is arguably the modern-day 2002.
Carving out its own niche was the British-built Austin/Morris Mini, which began life and supported the company as an ultra-economy model. But, with its novel transverse-engine, front-wheel-drive architecture and an optional engine tuned by Cooper, it earned its creds as a legitimate giant killer on the race track. The reborn Mini, now part of BMW, is in most ways apart from styling, the antithesis of the original Mini. It’s an upscale fashion statement. But there’s still some real performance to be had beneath the faux visage, particularly in John Cooper Works trim. It’s an acquired taste, but if you’ve acquired it…
At the other end of the price spectrum back then, and far from the mind of any enthusiast, except perhaps for engine envy, was the Cadillac. Until 1967, that is. That’s when the Eldorado name was applied to a new, front-wheel-drive, personal coupe with knife-edge styling unlike anything we’d seen before. It still was far from an enthusiast’s car but its styling was cool. Styling that was resurrected around the turn of this century and has been at the core of Cadillac design since then. Over that period, Cadillac has evolved a whole new persona as well, becoming a legitimate competitor to the German giants in terms of ride and handling, performance and luxury. Which is why the ATS-V coupe absolutely belongs on this list.
Perhaps even further from our minds back then was the Lincoln brand, with one exception – the Continental. What has since been dubbed the ‘Kennedy Lincoln’ because it was the model in which JFK was assassinated, was a unique design that couldn’t help but merit respect. The kind of car, perhaps in the back of our minds, we all aspired to be chauffeured in if we ever made it really big. The all-new Continental, due later this year, is not a four-door convertible, and it doesn’t have quite the styling panache of its early ancestors, but you can be reasonably sure it will be something different than most of your colleagues will be driving.
While Buick had a legitimate performance image a decade or so earlier, it was already considered to be an old folks’ car by youthful boomers. With two exceptions, that is: the 60s-era Rivieras were a styling tour de force; and the late-60s mid-size GS models were legitimate muscle cars. There’s not a lot of muscle in the new Buicks, but they’ve successfully recast their image to that of Euro-inspired handlers (not a stretch given their Opel connections) and they are among the best looking cars in their class in many cases. Those attributes help make the Cascada convertible an ideal choice for a certain breed of boomer.
The glory days of the legendary Mercedes-Benz 300 SL race cars were past by the time the boomers came of age, but their legacy lived on. And the fact that Prime Minister Trudeau (the elder) drove an SL roadster amplified its mystique among the day’s youth. As it was back then, today’s SL is as much about luxury as it is about sports and it’s at the cutting edge of today’s technology. What better car to reflect and reward your life’s successes?
Volkswagen Bugs and Microbuses were the poster vehicles for a significant slice of the boomer generation, many of whom have remained loyal to the brand ever since, or returned to it based on that early experience. It’s hard to imagine today’s Beetle having much appeal to those early owners, the Microbus is dead and gone, and the brand’s diamond asset – it’s ‘Clean Diesel’ technology – has turned to coal. But there are still some VW models worthy of a boomer’s affections, not the least being the wholly practical but fun-to-drive Golf Sportwagon. Too bad the TDI engine is on forced sabbatical!
Like some political parties today, Volvos enjoyed the support of some polar-opposite factions back in the day, as well as that of a multitude in between. While they were often associated with fastidious English profs and birders, they could also be seen mixing it up with Minis and Mustangs on the race track. And they became the definitive example of the station wagon. There’s a modern Volvo that satisfies all three aspects of that heritage, sacrificing nothing in the process. That’s the Volvo V60 Polestar wagon – the 2015 AJAC Sports/Performance Car of the Year!
Everybody loves a Jeep! For the most part, those that the boomers first encountered were the genuine thing – military Jeeps that found civilian homes in the post-WWII years. It seemed there was one somewhere in every family, used primarily for fishing or hunting trips or just to plow driveways and handle the dirty work. Commercial versions came later but they were still primarily supplemental vehicles, a little too basic to be the sole family wheels. Not so any more. The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is far more capable than any before it, off-road or on, and it’s equally in its element serving as an everyday family vehicle. Plus, it still looks like a Jeep!
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