This year's models

First there were the reunion tours: scads of vintage rock groups in varying states of decay reconvening for a flashback or a nice summer paycheck or -- in rare cases -- a musical second wind. Then came the Dead Singer Replacement sweepstakes, which brought us Queen + Paul Rodgers, the Doors of the 21st Century, and INXS fronted by a reality show contestant.

Now we have the New Cars. It's part reunion and part replacement -- a patchwork refurbish job whose cast of characters presents a novel rock 'n' roll mutation. Here's who's missing: Ric Ocasek, the Cars' original frontman and main songwriter, who is very much alive and not much interested in taking his old band for another spin. Like Ocasek, drummer David Robinson passed on the project. Benjamin Orr, the Boston band's bassist and occasional lead singer, died in 2000.

That leaves guitarist Elliot Easton and keyboardist Greg Hawkes, who have hitched what's left of their wagon to the pop-rock maverick Todd Rundgren and two of Rundgren's longtime sidemen: Utopia bassist Kasim Sulton and former Tubes drummer Prairie Prince.

``This is almost like two bands coming together," says Rundgren, who along with the rest of the New Cars gathered recently at the Onyx Hotel to talk about the group.

``We thought about calling it Autopia," adds Easton.

But that wouldn't have served the larger purpose nearly as well: namely, to be the first of the reconstituted rock projects to master the flashback, the paycheck, and the second wind all at once.

The New Cars are using the old Cars' marquee name, quality catalog , and marketing muscle in a well-coordinated promotional push that brings the Road Rage Tour 2006 to the Bank of America Pavilion (Blondie in tow) on Wednesday and ``It's Alive!" to record stores Tuesday. The group is also making the rounds of late-night talk shows. As Rundgren points out: ``You don't get two chances to re launch a brand like this."

At the same time the New Cars are pitching themselves as a fresh musical entity eager to move into the future. ``It's Alive ! ," a collection of Cars hits recorded live this year, includes studio recordings of three New Cars originals. Says Easton: ``We don't want to go out there and just be a living jukebox. We want to write new songs and be creative."

Whether the group can simultaneously peddle nostalgia and cobble a compelling new identity remains to be seen. Odds are slim, however, that the New Cars will begin to approach the commercial and artistic clout of its namesake.

The Cars were one of the most popular American rock bands of the late '70s and early '80s, generating a string of multiplatinum albums and hit singles. Reedy, black-shagged Ocasek was the group's undisputed musical visionary, and following the Cars' 1988 split he went on to great success as a record producer. Still, the notion of any facsimile of the Cars touring without Ocasek strikes some as wrong -- among them Tim Collins, Aerosmith's former manager and a music industry consultant.

``Once you alter the players, especially the main songwriter and driving creative force," says Collins, ``it isn't really the band, is it?"

Hence the modified band name, which is more than a token nod to the revamped lineup. Installing Rundgren behind the microphone was a stroke of genius. He's an exceptional artist with a stellar musical pedigree and has figured out how to sing ``Let's Go" and ``Best Friend's Girl" with just the right dose of Ocasek's deadpan delivery and Orr's plaintive vocals coloring his own wild weed of a voice.

``I took my best shot at finding that balance," Rundgren says. ``The more I become comfortable with the lyrics and the phrasing, the more I begin to inject myself into it, which I think is the critical element. So far we haven't had any horrible allergic reactions from audiences. I do think that if fans get a sense that the musicians are conveying the excitement and emotion that's intended by the material, a whole lot of stuff gets forgiven."

The truth is the New Cars sound great. They faithfully re - create the hits, which is what the target demographic will be plunking down dollars for. But the songs also sound refreshed. Sulton and Prince make a burly rhythm section, and the sleek, mechanical sound of the New Wave-era originals has grown looser and beefier in their hands. Easton and Hawkes are in full command of their formidable chops, and the catalog has aged well.

Perhaps most important, the New Cars have Ocasek's blessing.

No one was willing go on the record regarding details of the financial arrangement, and Ocasek couldn't be reached for comment. But according to Frank Cimler, who co-manages the New Cars and oversees the original Cars' merchandising and licensing, the deal is airtight and amicable.

``This is an authorized use of the name," Cimler says. ``Ric and David agreed to that graciously."

That's a vital piece of the equation for Oedipus, vice president of alternative programming at CBS radio and former program director at Boston rock station WBCN-FM (104.1).

``If Ric came out and said, `This is an abomination, I'm appalled and opposed to this,' I would probably react the same way," he says. ``It's an interesting experiment, and as the word filters down, if it's good, people will turn out."

In fact, Easton (who lives in LA) and Hawkes (a Lexington resident) spent several years trying to get the four surviving original members to reunite, but neither Ocasek nor Robinson, Easton says, was willing to tour.

``When it emerged that it wasn't going to work, and that Greg and I were still very much interested in doing this, the obvious next step was to find other people to play with," says Easton, who has spent 10 years touring with Creedence Clearwater Revisited. Fully aware that whoever stepped into Ocasek's shoes would be subjected to intense scrutiny, he nixed the idea of finding a ringer for Ric or Ben.

``The idea was to find a creative person with a similar background who we could create a new chemistry with," says Easton, who confirms that Everclear singer Art Alexakis was on the short list to replace Ocasek; Blondie drummer Clem Burke was considered, as well, to replace Robinson. ``As soon as Todd's name came up, though, everyone else seemed lightweight."

Rundgren caught wind of the plan from a mutual friend before Easton called him a year ago with the offer. The two have known each other since the late '70s, when the Cars and Rundgren's band Utopia appeared on the same bill. Rundgren has in recent years worked on a number of collaborations -- among them Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band and ``A Walk Down Abbey Road : A Tribute to the Beatles" -- both of which primed him, he says, for the New Cars.

``When you're essentially one amongst a number of personalities, you have to accommodate yourself to that and contribute to the music other people make," says Rundgren. ``So it wasn't that strange an idea to me, that I could do this without losing my identity."

But why would Rundgren, a musical and technological trailblazer and a cult hero, choose to join Ringo's summer pageant, or a Beatles' tribute tour, or a reconstituted New Wave band? Anyone asking the question doesn't understand, says the artist, what it means to sustain a lifelong career as a working musician.

``Regardless of whether it's with the Cars or someone else, I've got to play," Rundgren explains. ``That's how I make my living. And the more ears the better. People are excited enough about this New Cars thing that we expect to have a lot of people come out and hear us. Actually, what I'm playing is in some cases secondary to that."

It's that emphasis on financial gain at the expense of artistic integrity that bothers purists like Collins.

``Unless you don't believe in your talent anymore or unless money is the primary focus here as opposed to it being the byproduct of creative endeavor, one might do better to get a good financial investment strategy than erode the good name of a once innovative creative entity," Collins says. ``I think there's enough talent there to find their own place and their own voice."

The New Cars say they have every intention of writing new material and forging ahead as an original band, provided the response is positive. Favorable reviews from surprised-sounding critics are beginning to trickle in from West Coast dates. The band plays its three new songs in the live set, as well as half a dozen Rundgren tunes including ``I Saw the Light" and ``Bang the Drum All Day."

But for now the New Cars are largely devoted to the old favorites. And while Easton isn't the songwriter, or the singer, or the tall skinny guy whose image will forever be linked with the Cars' music, he makes a persuasive case for reviving the back catalog .

``It is," he says, ``my recorded legacy."

Joan Anderman can be reached at anderman@globe.com.