As automotive technology continues to advance at an alarming rate, manufacturers often break the cycle and seek inspiration from the past.

This has resulted in retro cars that create a legacy for automotive brands, and our own sense of nostalgia often gathers a loyal enthusiast following.

Old-school design themes have set these cars apart from the most popular cars of recent years, and in this article, we will showcase the best retro cars.

So, what exactly is a retro car? Love it or hate it, the retro style has been a common theme throughout the history of automotive design. Inevitably, people's imaginations of new cars are influenced by the past, but most new models emerge at least to reflect modern aesthetics or even to establish new visuals to help define the future.

Sometimes, car designers go completely retro, deliberately, and obviously looking back at history and recreating classic design themes. Modern technology coupled with classic design motifs is an enduring design concept that has been revisited by different cars over the years. Let's take a look at some of the best retro cars that have managed to capture the essence of the past while incorporating modern technology.

Mercedes' classic 300SL and S AMG gull-wing cars from the 1950s mixed old-school muscular advanced technology with cool retro lines. The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG mimics the original proportions of the classic 1950s 300SL Gullwing with its long hood and short tail but also has its details with the grille and those distinctive side vents.

The gull-wing doors open via pneumatic struts but must be closed manually and can be detached to allow passengers to get out if the car ends up on the roof.

The design of the Land Rover Defender is not so much retro as it is just old. The Land Rover Defender and the Land Rover range before it has been popular in rural Britain for decades. The Defender's design is undoubtedly iconic; it's the kind of car that is immediately recognizable from almost any angle, whether or not it's coated in the usual thick layer of mud.

The new Land Rover Defender certainly continues this theme, with elements clearly rooted in its past, but it is undoubtedly Land Rover's most dramatic redesign to date. The Defender has been transformed into a truly versatile vehicle, with the inherent toughness and capability of its predecessors now accompanied by a sheen of quality and comfort.

It breaks with the past in some ways, but it allows the car to compete effectively with pure off-roaders and family SUVs.

The Z8's gracefully curved exterior was designed by Henrik Fisker. The car previewed the Z07 concept at the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show, a design that was a clever redesign of the 507, and the biggest surprise when the Z8 finally appeared was how closely it fits the concept.

With the E39 BMW M5's 394 hp V8 on the nose, it was priced at £86,000 but was criticized for not fully delivering either as a luxury cruiser or a hardcore sports car.

The fact that it was only available in left-hand drive also hurt its sales in other countries. Finally, the Z8's sports car styling became a star in the 1999 James Bond film The World Is Not Enough, ensuring that there would never be a shortage of people wanting to own one.

The Ford Mustang has grown to become a hugely influential car since its introduction in 1965. It's one of the models that helped carve the muscle car into American automotive folklore, and even some rather bloated iterations over the past few years have barely discredited the brand.

The current car's design has a modern edge, but familiar Mustang elements are present, powering a configuration that includes a 2.3-liter Ecoboost turbo gasoline engine producing 310 horsepower. Of course, if you're desperate for a V8, the latest 10-speed automatic transmission can achieve zero 100 km in 4.3 seconds with a maximum output of 435 hp.