Long before modern brands brought back the Fiat 500 or the new Mini, the Subaru Vivio Bistro was pioneering the retro-modern trend. Built to inject life into a dying model line, it wore a Wolseley-inspired front end while strictly adhering to Japanese Kei car dimension limits.

Despite the cute, unassuming exterior, Subaru treated the engineering with absolute seriousness. It offered all-wheel drive and a four-cylinder engine, which was practically unheard of in this cheap, three-cylinder-dominated segment. The continuously variable transmission was sluggish, but swapping it for a manual in the supercharged model completely transformed the car.

It was originally meant to be a niche model, but it practically printed money for Subaru. The retro craze took over, and soon everyone was driving these faux-European oddities. Today, Subaru's Kei cars are just rebadged Daihatsus, making the Bistro a rare relic of a braver era.

What is your favorite retro-styled car from the 1990s?