Skip advert
Advertisement

Ask Goodwin - What car launched the year you were born would you like to see reincarnated?

Bringing back the classics

What car launched the year you were born would you like to see reincarnated? William Carr, Mitcham

That’ll be 1962. A very fine year it was too, although I’d only been on the planet for a couple of months and had barely dialled myself into Graham Hill’s final run up to the world championship when the Cuban missile crisis kicked off. My parents must have wondered what they’d done, but as it turned out I would later cause them just as much stress as Castro did JFK.

Advertisement - Article continues below

But to the cars, and what a choice we have. In sixty-two the AC Cobra was launched, the Cortina, MGB, Triumph Spitfire, Lotus Elan, Alfa Romeo Giulia and of course the Peel P50. Best of all, the Ferrari 250 GTO. Truly a great year for cars.

The TVR Griffith was my generation’s reincarnation of the Cobra and since TVR is apparently on the way back we don’t need a new Cobra. The market for traditional saloon cars is dying in the face of the SUV onslaught (apart from German saloons) so we’ll forget a new Cortina. MGB no thank you but I’ve always loved the Spitfire for its looks and simplicity. BMW owns the brand and could do an MX-5 rival. 

The Elan certainly stands out as a possibility. Lotus is really lacking a car that appeals to female buyers and a modern Elan would fit the bill. Simpler than an MX-5, quicker and with even sharper handling. I’d like it very much. Alfa Romeo Giulia? Well that’s on its way anyway although by the time it arrives I might be too old to drive. And it might be crap.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Advertisement - Article continues below

There’s a space in the world, and most definitely in London, for a new Peel P50 but I think it might struggle with the NCAP tests. That leaves us with the 250 GTO. A simple, front-engined Ferrari with a V12 engine producing around 450bhp from 3.0-litres would do it for me. Especially if it was as beautiful as a GTO or a SWB. I don’t want aero, huge wheels and tyres, just a simple analogue sports car.

Advertisement - Article continues below

But hold on, I’ve missed the obvious: the Matra Djet. The world’s first production mid-engined sports car. This little French machine even has Le Mans history (a finish in 1964). A new lightweight and simple French sports car. And I’d have Jackie Stewart and Henri Pescarolo as brand ambassadors.

Ask Goodwin is a weekly column on evo.co.uk by Colin Goodwin, one of the UK's most popular motoring journalists – and one of the early contributors to evo magazine. 

You'd like Colin – he drove an amphibious vehicle across the English channel (it caught fire half way) and he held the Guinness World Record for the highest speed in reverse (104 mph in a Light Car Company Rocket). More recently he drove from England to the Geneva motor show… in a Caterham 160.

Oh, and when he visits the evo office he does so in a plane that he built in his shed…

Check back every Wednesday lunchtime for a new column, and get involved with #askgoodwin either at @askgoodwin (Colin's Twitter) or @evomagazine

Make sure to get involved in the Ask Goodwin debate on our Facebook page here. You can also put your vote in via the poll system found on the evo.co.uk homepage

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Mandatory speed limiters to be fitted to all new UK cars in 2024
80mph motorway speed limit
News

Mandatory speed limiters to be fitted to all new UK cars in 2024

The use of mandatory speed limiters on all new cars was approved by the European Parliament in 2019, and they're set to come into force later this yea…
8 May 2024
Sustainable fuel v unleaded petrol: we dyno test the impact on car performance
Sustainable fuel v unleaded petrol dyno test
Features

Sustainable fuel v unleaded petrol: we dyno test the impact on car performance

Considering running your car on sustainable fuel? We’ve dyno tested the first publicly available option to see the effect on power, torque and emissio…
5 May 2024
New BMW M4 CS: faster, sharper coupe has the Porsche 911 in its sights
BMW M4 CS G82
News

New BMW M4 CS: faster, sharper coupe has the Porsche 911 in its sights

BMW has applied the CS treatment to the G82-generation M4, consisting of carbon parts, unique chassis tuning and more power for its twin-turbo straigh…
8 May 2024