Gaywheels contributors choose the cars they’d love to see stage a comeback.

What car do you miss most of all? That’s the question I recently asked of our contributors here at Gaywheels. If they could only pick one car to bring back from the automotive graveyard, what would you choose?

The answers ranged from cargo-hauling Hondas, to classic American luxury barges. Interestingly, no one opted for anything truly exotic, a wildly expensive supercar with gullwing-style doors and bigger wings than an Airbus A380. Maybe we’re all exceptionally tasteful…or maybe we’re just really cheap?

This is the second and final leg of our drive down memory lane. Missed first part? Catch it here.

Casey Williams – 1999-2009 Honda S2000

The car I miss most is the Honda S2000. It was built from 1999 to 2009, but I’d choose the last year because it was the best. It combined the best features of a Miata and NSX.

Designed by Shigeru Uehara, the S2000 looked like a classic sports car, but came with the soul of a race bike. Its 237hp 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine revved like a banshee, but the click-click six-speed manual transmission was divine. Fully revved, you could get from 0-60mph in 5.5 seconds, but the one-button power top was what the car was all about. Quick steering, a mega-stiff body structure, and a tendency to oversteer just added to the allure.

The ’99 S2000 was one of the first test cars I drove and I took it Christmas shopping in Dallas with the top down. I was almost killed in another when a journalist friend was driving and an SUV pulled out in front of us. Its quick reflexes jumped through the median and around the SUV. I later convinced my boss to buy a silver one. I’m working on my uncle now…. Under 67,000 were sold in the U.S., so maybe I should buy one while I can?

Richard Read – 2003-2011 Honda Element

I freely admit that I don’t like “things”. I could live very happily in a near-empty house, with only a good bed, a Kindle, and my dogs. (Having my husband around wouldn’t be bad either, I guess.) So I’ve never truly lusted after a car, but I can honestly say that I already miss the Honda Element. I do a lot of schlepping, I have four unruly hounds, and I live in a hurricane zone; the Honda Element has tons of cargo room, it’s dog friendly, and it’s reliable enough to endure evacuations with ease. Match made in heaven.

Nick Kurczewski – 1961-1982 Checker Marathon

I couldn’t let everyone else have all the fun! While I was tempted to choose truly obscure and rare car, I decided my “back from the dead” vehicle should have some sentimental value. So my apologies to all those Iso Grifo and Gordon-Keeble fans out there (both of you). It also had to be a car I’ve driven and, in terms of road tests, they don’t get much more fun than piloting an old Checker taxicab around the streets of New York City.

The Checker was known as “the king of cabs.” Believe me, it didn’t earn the title based on driving pleasure. To be honest, I’ve driven bumper cars that had more steering feel than the Checker. The original engine was a Continental-built inline-6 cylinder, though later models used Chevy sixes and V-8s. And let’s not overlook the iron girders Checker used as bumpers to help meet federal safety standards. They’re ugly as sin, but sure would come in handy when parallel parking.

For all its flaws, I still love the Checker. My first ride in one was back in elementary school. Don’t ask me why my best friend’s dad owned a gunmetal-gray Checker – he wasn’t a cabbie, and the lumbering hulk shared garage space with much more subdued family sedans. I remember their garage really well. It wasn’t attached to the house, it was a separate building that some steel building contractors had put up after they moved in. It gave my friend’s dad a lot of space to store his vehicles. But man, I’ll never forget laughing my head off as the Checker leaned and rolled into every corner. Me (and seemingly 20 of my pals) slid off the rear vinyl rear seat and landed onto the floor of the cavernous cabin. Years later, my Checker drive was no less enjoyable – and I didn’t have any bumps or bruises afterwards.