40 Discontinued Cars That Companies Never Should Have Trashed

The Chevrolet Nova’s history came in two phases: the first from 1968 to ’79, and the second from ’83 to ’85. During those earlier days, the Nova was a really popular vehicle and could be seen cruising around on the regular. The ’80s versions of the car, though, just weren’t as good. The car never recovered and was eventually pulled from production.

They just don’t make ’em like the Ford Thunderbird any more. But while we might think of the T-Bird as the car of the 20th century, it was actually still being produced at the start of the new millennium. The problem was that the versions produced during this more recent time period were widely hated.

Despite being extremely rare, the 1958 Ferrari 250GT California Spyder is a famous car. That probably has something to do with its prominent role in classic comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, starring Mathew Broderick. It might seem like a shame so few of these cars were ever made, but perhaps it adds to their mystique?

Another star of the silver screen, the Lotus Espirit has shown up in a few different flicks, including The Spy Who Loved Me and Pretty Woman. Given these prominent roles, the car is something of an icon of ’70s and ’80s cinema. Surprisingly, though, it was actually still being produced until 2004.

The iconic VW Type 2 van is closely associated with the hippie movement of the 1960s. Volkswagen still makes vans and minibuses, of course, but they’re just not the same as the Type 2. These newer versions might have their own charm and quirks, but they’re by no means as groovy as their predecessor.

This particular foray by Dodge into the “muscle car” market seemed to be going well at first. Initially the Magnum was a hit with consumers when it went into production in 2005. But then the 2008 financial crash happened, and people started tightening their belts. That obviously impacted the car market, and the model stopped selling so well. Consequently the firm took it out of production.

The El Camino akin to a cross between a muscle car and a pick-up truck. How many other models of automobile can say that? The El Camino first entered the market in 1959, and it went through five generations in total. But in 1987 its long history was brought to an end.

The Honda Prelude had a good run, entering production in 1978 and lasting right up until 2001. In that time, a total of five generations of the car were created. The Prelude was adored during its heyday, but eventually its competitors got the better of it and confined the car to the history books.

Even though its name doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia was still a popular car during its day. It had an air of luxury about it, but it was actually fairly cheap to pick one up. The car was in production from 1955 to ’74, doing particularly well in the South American and European markets.

The Dodge Dart entered production during the ’60s and continued into the following decade, too. Eventually, of course, Dodge stopped making the car, as inevitably happens. But later, in 2012, the company actually brought the car back. This new version, though, wasn’t anywhere near as successful and was pulled after about five years.

Capable of reaching 217mph, there was a time when the Jaguar XJ220 was the quickest car a person could buy. It wasn’t exactly cheap, though, selling for well over half a million dollars in 1992. Maybe that’s why so few were ever built. Between ’92 and ’94, only around 275 were assembled.

The Coupe de Ville had a really long run, first entering production in 1958 before finally being pulled in 2005. That’s almost 50 years of manufacture! Obviously it went through some major changes during all that time, but it’s still an impressive feat for a model to last that long.

Lots of people loved the Hummer H2, which was on the market between 2002 and 2009. But the ostentatious vehicle was particularly bad for the environment, and eventually sales took a nosedive. Hummer enthusiasts were likely devastated that their favorite machine was no being longer produced, but everyone else was delighted!

This two-seat convertible entered the market back in the early ’90s and found some success. It sold pretty well at first, in fact, with consumers apparently loving its sporty look and feel. Unfortunately, Honda never really updated the model over the years, and it seems that people grew tired of it. Sales plummeted and the car was ultimately pulled in 1998.

Built for around a decade, beginning in the middle of the ’60s, the Fiat 850 was — to put it kindly — snug. It was tiny and inexpensive, and it actually came in a bunch of different forms. You could pick up a convertible and, bizarrely, a camper version. It must have been the tiniest sleeping space ever.

If you happened to be wealthy between the mid-1920s and mid-’30s — and if you wanted to flaunt that wealth — then the Packard Eight might have been your car of choice. It screamed luxury and class, but production came to an end in 1936. They’re obviously quite rare these days, so one in good condition can be sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Car-lovers really got behind the Mazda RX-7 when it first came out back in 1978. It was unquestionably a sports car, but regular people could also get their hands on it if they wanted to. Most notable for its innovative Wankel rotary engine, the car sold really well, and it also won a bunch of races, too.

As seen on Smokey and the Bandit, the Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am is a true American classic. The car’s appearance in the Burt Reynolds flick made sure of that. Sales pretty much doubled in the two years following the movie’s release, with plenty of people wanting to get behind the wheel.

On the one hand, the AMC Eagle was a normal, comfortable family sedan. On the other hand, it was also a 4x4 off-roader. Assembled from 1979 to ’87, the vehicle proved surprisingly popular, setting up a template for other manufacturers to follow down the line. Crossovers like this are commonplace now, but it started with the Eagle.

The Plymouth Duster only had a six-year run in production, which began back in 1970. Maybe the model could have lasted a little longer, were it not for the quality of its competitors during those days. It was, after all, going up against the Mustang, whose success is basically unparalleled.

The Oldsmobile 442 muscle car had a long history that took it from 1964 all the way up to 1991. This time period, though, wasn’t continuous. The car’s initial and longest run in production took it from ’64 until ’80. A five-year break followed, before it returned for a couple more years. A final iteration was produced between 1990 and ’91.

The AMC Javelin was a handsome machine, but it wasn’t all show and no go. It performed just as well as many of its competitors during its seven-year production run. It’s a shame, then, that the Javelin was no longer made after 1974. And to top things off, AMC itself disappeared not long after that.

If you didn’t have a huge amount of money but wanted to get yourself a little sports car between the years of 1999 and 2009, it was difficult to look past the Honda S2000. It was up there with the very best starter roadsters out there, but its history was cut short in 2008. That was a nasty year for the auto industry, among many others.

For so long, BMW had been trying to break into the roadster market. And by the turn of the new millennium, it seemed like the auto company had finally cracked it with the Z8. It handled well and even appeared in James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough, but despite all that it went out of production in 2006.

The Suzuki Samurai reached the United States in 1985 where it quickly found success. It totally outsold its competitors, with around 47,000 units being peddled that first year alone. That wasn’t a bad showing at all, but sales eventually dropped off. By 1995 the decision was taken to pull the vehicle from production.

The Pontiac Fiero was the first of its kind in more ways than one. It was first produced in 1984 and it was filled with innovative gizmos and features. Why, then, was its production cut short in 1988? Well, despite all the good stuff people got with that car, it had a pretty serious issue: it became known for going up in flames. Sales, naturally, took a dip once that became common knowledge.

Throughout its 12 years in production, over 500,000 Triumph Heralds were purchased by consumers. That’s not bad, but the car was pulled in 1971. This was around the same time that its parent company was taken over by a competitor, which decided to wind the brand down by the beginning of the ’80s.

The Nash Airflyte looks quite unlike any car you’d see on the road today. The car split opinion, with some loving its maverick appearance and others hating it. Perhaps the latter group was the most dominant, as the Airflyte was only in production for a couple of years between 1949 and ’51.

The Shelby AC Cobra lingered for a long time, entering the market for intermittent periods across half a century beginning in 1962. At one point, this thing was easily the quickest car you could get your hands on in America: it took just a smidge over four seconds to reach 60mph.

With a history dating back to 1991 the Dodge Viper was once one of America’s most beloved cars. But for some reason, it was pulled from production in 2017. Sales had dropped by that time, which initially seemed to be the reason for its end. But rumor has it that the car couldn’t achieve the safety ratings it needed to be put on the market, and that’s what killed it.

The first iteration of the U.K.’s Austin-Healey 3000 came out in 1959 but it continued to be produced throughout much of the following decade. The car was known for winning races during its own day, and it’s still coveted by collectors in the present. As you might imagine, most of the ones available nowadays aren’t too cheap.

One of the weirdest cars you’re ever likely to lay eyes upon, the Nissan Cube is unquestionably unique. It certainly turned heads during its run, but it was eventually pulled from production. That day occurred in 2014 across North America, but the car made it a few more years to 2019 in Japan.

It wasn’t universally considered the prettiest of cars, but the Saab 900 came up trumps in other ways. It had a reputation for handling well, plus it was said to be quite comfortable. What else do drivers need? The 900 was on the market for two decades, ending production in 1998.

Light, small, and quick, the Datsun 510 found fame because of its success in rally competitons. It was in production for about five years, beginning in 1968. True, another car bearing the 510 name entered production in 1974 but this machine was a different beast entirely. The differences between this version and the original were huge, and it ceased production in 1981.

The Chrysler Imperial arrived into the world in 1926 and it stuck around for a long, long time. The luxury vehicle was produced until 1954 before it took a significant break. It was brought back for a brief period later, though, with another production run spanning between 1990 and 1993.

Fans of the 1967 TV show The Saint must have been delighted when they saw Roger Moore sitting behind the wheel of a Volvo P1800. This car had been introduced back in 1959 but it was only widely produced from 1961 onwards. Assembly ended in 1973 but not before the car had established itself as one of the greats.

Entering the market in 1978 and staying there until 1995 the Porsche 928 was stylish and very fast. Its engine boasted plenty of power, plus you could actually fit four people inside the car at any one time. Admittedly, it would have been fairly cramped in the back, but still...

The Metalex MTX Tatra V8 was not long for this world. Entering production in 1991 this Czech supercar was extremely fast and generated a bit of attention. Close to 200 people ordered the vehicle, but most would never arrive. A factory fire ensured that a mere four ever saw the light of day.

The Cadillac El Dorado was produced both as a convertible and also with a hardtop roof. Either way, people across America loved it. The El Dorado was the country’s highest-selling two-door premium vehicle for quite some time. Its production history was a long one, beginning in 1953 and only ending in 2002.

The Brat might just be Subaru’s sweetest-ever car. It was on the market between 1978 and 1994 but weirdly, never in Japan. Despite being produced there, the car was only ever exported to other places. That means the Japanese population actually missed out on the chance to own this now-classic car.