Just got my copy and been reading the last couple of days. I love this book!!

Anyway...Was reading about how the Chevy 3 design team had to alter their design for the 4th gen a week before release using the California Camaro as a guideline. The book says he altered lines on their car to make it look more like the Cali design.

Does anyone have a clue as to what it looked like before they did that?

Oh...and anyone who's on this board that hasn't read that book ought to get it. If you're reading this, you WILL enjoy it!!

 

The windshield rake, and the blended in mirrors were two of the more notable points....

I have often wondered what the F4 looked like prior to the California Camaro inspired changes.... I have never seen photos though.

 

There was a styling prototype called "Tomcat"done before California Concept influence.

I think someone posted it here about a year ago..

 

Yeah, I had posted the Tomcat pic. I'll see if I can't dig it up again. I also just picked up the book recently, but haven't started on it yet. A word of caution, when I ordered the book (Borders) they said it was no longer going to be available--whatever they had in the warehouse was it (this was 3). So I'd recommend anyone interested in owning a copy jump on it now.

 

I'd love to see that picture.

I had to special order my book. Got mine from Borders in Annapolis.

 

Heres a pic of one...

http://www.conceptcarz.com/folder/ph...age=&pagesize=

Just thank Gm for not buildng this piece of thrash! Looks more like a Elcipse than that of a Camaro.

 

That is the California Camaro...

I always liked it, for the most part, and a lot of 4th gen styling cues were taken from it.

 

Here is a shot of the California Camaro from the rear...

http://www.mtfba.org/gallery/IM000125.JPG

 

A while ago I compiled a webpage showing the 4th gen's development with scans from my collection.

http://www.angelfire.com/ego/mylego0...hgencamaro.htm

The Tomcat Camaro can be seen

HERE!

 

It still amazes me how Automobile magazine got exact pictures of the 4th Gen F-bodies 4 years before their release...

 

Ya No kidding!

They must have had a pretty darn good mole!

 

Maybe it's on hiatus??

The Barnes and Noble by my house doesn't carry it either, but it may be available as special order. Very interesting, and relevant reading. Should be on everyones list.

 

Yeah everyone who visits this forum regularly needs to buy this book. Especially if they don’t plan to print it anymore. It had to of been my favorite Christmas present. I’m not done with it yet, I haven’t had the time to pick it up in over a week, school has me reading other books. I get excited about going into the auto industry after college when I read this. This is the exact kind of stuff I want to do eventually. But yeah, I keep thinking the same thing that happened to the C5 has to be going on with the Camaro right now. Crazy stuff, but hopefully after all the corporate BS the F5 will come out just as world class as the C5 did in the next few years.

 

i didn't even notice the date on the magazine, i wonder how they got them. and i don't know if that is normal but why did gm have the exact model built 4 yrs before it came out

 

Those pictures are why GM has such a clampdown on new product information (Bob Lutz excluded) today.

There was someone who worked at GM who stole those (as well as Corvette ideas at the time) and sold them to the car mags. this started a huge investigation within GM, and the guy was eventually caught & prosecuted (not to mention fired).

Those are actual GM Studio pictures!