Classic car names revived in EV models

By Classic Yorkshire contributor Tony Lofthouse

More famous car names are returning on a new generation of models, but is it a good thing?

This month, Ford announced plans for a new-look Ford Capri. Nearly 40 years on from the end of production of the Ford coupe, the ‘new’ Capri comes in the guise of an all-electric SUV.

Intended as the European equivalent to the Ford Mustang, the Capri was launched in 1968 at prices starting from just £890 and engine sizes ranging from 1.3 to 3.0 litre.

Under the bonnet, the 2024 Capri will initially come with a choice of either a 77 kWh or 79 kWh battery pack. It will be capable of running for 390 miles on a single charge.

In fact, the new EV is a close match to the Ford Explorer and Volkswagen ID5 with which it shares a platform.

Ford say the new Capri will start from £42,075 and ‘continues the story of the iconic cult classic’ whilst ‘injecting some soul into the world of EVs’.

That said, there are only slight echoes of the original Capri in the electric version, such as the C-shaped passenger windows and it will be available in the famous Daytons Yellow colour from the sixties.

The news comes just days after Honda revealed the return of the Prelude, 23 years on from its demise. The original Prelude was released in 1978.

The hybrid-powered coupe will join Honda’s ‘stable’ of all electric cars such as the Jazz, Civic and CR-V.

Earlier this year, the popular Renault 5, a feature on UK roads in the eighties and nineties, returned as a £25,000 EV supermini.

Vauxhall have also joined the re-naming trend, bringing back the Frontera as a compact new SUV. The old 4×4 was produced between 1991 and 2004.

It does makes you wonder, that whilst finding catchy new names for models can be tricky, resurrecting old names can be a divisive move too. Especially, when car buyers struggle to see any visible link between the original and new vehicle!