There’s a lot of interesting activity in the EV space right now concerning classic-inspired and vintage vehicles right now. Heck, Aston Martin’s Heritage EV program will electrify your classic Aston at the factory. Consider the Peugeot E-Legend, a retro EV concept inspired by the classic 504, or Volkswagen‘s upcoming minibus redux, the I.D. Buzz. And then there are these renders, which make us wonder if this trend might have a dark side.
Commissioned by whocanfixmycar.com, there are some neat ideas here—albeit executed with mixed results. Some of that is simply the quality of the renders, but we’re also thinking they tell a broader cautionary tale about reimagining vintage vehicles in modern times. The Aston Martin DB5 pictured here as an EV reminds us a lot of the David Brown Automotive Speedback GT, a work of stunning craftsmanship, but this one has a bit of an “uncanny valley” problem. There’s enough classic Aston in the design that its overall discordance with a “real” DB5 leaves the onlooker confused and perhaps a bit repelled.
Look beyond the renders themselves, though, and there a couple of neat threads that an automotive design student could perhaps tease out further. The Bugatti’s wildly exaggerated creased fenders and quadrangle-spatted rear wheels actually look kind of cool, and we all know that spats feature on some quirky modern fuel-efficient cars. The all-glass greenhouse is a neat touch, too. It just shows that some classic forms—like the fastback roofline and distinct, freestanding fenders—could actually work well today if properly deployed.
A few more should be left alone. The Shelby Series 1 and the Ford Shelby Cobra Concept of 2004 proved that classic shape couldn’t be modernized, and the Cobra render here just adds more fuel to that fire. Honestly, that’s a public service we should commend the artist for. There are more models featured in the gallery below—take a look and see what you think.
