When it comes to defunct marques, nothing beats Italian

In the light of General Motors’ announcement that it is to ditch its iconic Pontiac car brand, last week’s you posed the question, ‘Which now-defunct brand do you miss most, and why?’ (Voxpop, DW 7 May).

Tricky question. Triumph, MG, Healey? I owned a few, but I loved the Lancia Fulvia with its ‘dog-leg’ gearbox – but that’s not really defunct, just on a 20-year UK sabbatical.

I once drove a Bitter Coupe – great looks, but really a Vauxhall. I’ve always been intrigued by Goggomobil’s name and styling – more fun than any modern electric. And, from the US, it’d be Studebaker and the Plymouth Roadrunner. Having driven Maseratis and Alfas, I’d settle on resurrecting Cisitalia from its Museum of Modern Art residency and Farina pedigree.

David Worthington, Chairman, Media Square Design Division, by e-mail