Hail these cars at Halloween – they’ve risen from the dead!

It’s Halloween!

This can only mean that ghostly tales once again abound. They don’t just exist in haunted houses, they’re alive and well in the motor industry too. Here are four cars or brands that have risen from the dead…

Citroën 2CV

One of the most famous Citroën cars ever launched (indeed it is one of the most famous cars ever launched irrespective of brand), the 2CV (CV stands for “deux-cheveaux” or “two horses”) was launched at the Paris Salon on October 7, 1948. It soon became an automotive legend and it was produced for a whopping 42 years before being killed off.

And now it’s back. Well, kind of. Italian coachbuilder Caselani has joined forces with Citroën’s design team to metamorphose the Citroën Berlingo into a super funky 2CV van. The Berlingo 2CV Fourgonnette is being marketed by Caselani, officially licensed by Citroën, and production will begin in January 2023. So it’s not available in South Africa (or indeed anywhere else) yet. There’s no need to quake in your Halloween boots though; a “regular” Citroen Berlingo is listed on AutoTrader. It has an average list price of R58 940 and average mileage of 227 304 km and an average year of registration of 2008.

Abarth & C

Carlo Abarth was a man who was obsessed with speed. In the saddle of a motorbike and sidecar, he famously challenged and beat the Orient Express train, travelling over 850 miles from Vienna to Ostend. After racing motorcycles and cars, he founded Abarth & C with a gentleman named Guido Scagliarini in 1949. In 1971, he sold the business to Fiat and, in 1981, Abarth & C ceased to exist.

But, while the company is dead and buried, its legacy has lived on and today it’s synonymous with performance, great driving pleasure and sporty appeal. Driving an Abarth-badged Fiat is as much fun as trick or treating. Fancy one? The Fiat Abarth 595 is listed on AutoTrader for an average price of R354 986. The average mileage is a mere 35 983 km while the average year of registration is 2018.

Datsun

Here today, gone tomorrow. That’s been the tale of Datsun – not only here in South Africa but globally too. Its origins can be traced back to 1911 when a company called Kwaishinsha Jidosha Kojo was founded in Japan. It wanted to make cars for Japan and maybe export them too. Its first car, completed in 1914, was called the Dat and it was named using the letters of the surnames of the investors in the company (K Den, R Aoyama and M Takeuchi). Kwaishinsha subsequently merged with Jitsuyo Jidosha Co and made a more compact car called the Datson. However, the name simply had to be changed – in Japanese, “son” means “loss” – which was perhaps prophetic for the brand. So, it was changed to Datsun when the car went on sale in March 1932.

For a while, things went along swimmingly. Then Nissan, which owned the brand, decided to kill it in the eighties. Some 27 years later, Datsun was back, albeit reserved for budget models. Then, earlier this year, it was killed once again. Will it rise from the dead yet again? Probably not. Never mind, you can shop for a Datsun 1400 bakkie on AutoTrader (average price R131 958, average mileage 83 738km and average year of registration of 1980).

Maybach

The Maybach story, we’re happy to report, has a decidedly less terminal ending. Wilhelm Maybach was an engineer extraordinaire and together with his son Karl, he founded a company called Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau GmbH in 1909. It was renamed Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH in 1918 and, in 1919, the company created its first car. In 1960, Maybach was acquired by Daimler-Benz. For a number of reasons, the brand faltered and, in November 2011, all Maybach production was halted by Daimler. Rumours abounded that Maybach was dead.

But, in 2021, it rose from the dead and luxury Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class models are now badged Mercedes-Maybach. You can snap up a Mercedes-Maybach GLS600 for the princely average price of R4 839 623 on AutoTrader (average mileage 4 549 km and average year of registration of 2021).