Have you actually seen an RX8 in person? If so, are you insane?

I finally saw an RX8 the other day up close. What an ugly POS! Furthermore, for those that suggested a resemblence between the SS concept car and the RX8... uh, NO!

This isn't a general knock on Mazdas. I myself considered buying an RX7 back in 1989 but couldn't afford one. However while the RX8 looks sexy and hot in photos and advertisements, in person I wouldn't go near it with a ten foot pole. (Its mostly the front end I loath.)

The next person that suggests the 5th Gen Camaro be based on the RX8 or that it should have f&r suicide doors like it... better not let me know where they live, otherwise I might come over and b*tch slap some sense into them.

If you want an RX8.... then buy an RX8... but leave our Camaro alone!

 

Agreed. It's just the opposite of the Monaro/GTO. The thing looks sexy as hell in the ads, but it's akward and ugly on the road.

 

While i don't think the next camaro should be Rx8'ish, i see nothing wrong with the new Rx-8 other than the hp/tq deficiency.

I’ve seen a charcoal colored one in person, I thought It looked sexy. I’ve seen interior shots too, and they looked good. I’d easily call it one of the best looking cars in its price range. Overall, i happen to think Mazda has one of the best looking car lineups of any mainstream (Ex: chevy, ford, honda, nissan, Mazda, toyota, Vw, etc....) manufacturer.

 

I'm with 5.0, while I don't think it would make a good Camaro, or that a future Camaro should incorporate more than two doors...I think the RX8 is a very cool car....with a sharp interior and great suspension.

I like it alot.

 

I just saw another one today after my earlier post. This one had some aero kit (factory???). It looked really sharp.

 

I don't think you have to worry about a GM vehicle being based on the RX8 since Ford owns Mazda...



Sorry, couldn't resist, but ya, I agree, I don't think a whole lot of the RX8 myself. I think it is quirky and clunky looking.

 

Nobody said it has to be styled like an RX8 (which IMO, doesn't look too bad, save for the grille).

I think that Camaro should stick to it's roots. I also think that a firebird that is a carbon copy of the Camaro doesn't make any sense - especially in pontiac's future line up. However, I think a Firebird with easy rear seat access via small rear doors ala RX8 and perhaps even with an optional Turbo V6 (ilo V8) and AWD would be a neat idea. It wouldn't compete with Camaro - even though it would be based off of it - and it would go to an entirely different market. It would also slot nicely between the GTO and Solstice.

 

That's not a very popular notion around here, but I agree.

 

It's not popular because it deviates from the traditional Rwd/v8 combo we've come to love. Offer the turbo-6 motor and AWD as options, but leave the more hardcore (enthusiast) buyer with the option of retaining the Rwd and thumping v8 setup. I'd have no problem with that.

The way i see it, it wouldn't be a "real" firebird with rwd and v8 in the mix. I wouldn't welcome a 2005 Mustang without a v8 and Rwd option, and i doubt you'd welcome a 5th gen lineup without a v8. That's the way i'm looking at it. It's got to stay true to the firebirds 30 some years of heritage.

 

I also agree. A RWD 350HP turbo V6 Firebird with suiside doors would fit in nice under a 400HP GTO

 

Today, my Camaro club (Illinois Camaro Club), went on it's annual cruise to Volo Classic Car Museum.

There must have been 10 Trans Ams at Volo on display/for sale. Whether they had 400's, 455's, Olds 403's or 4.9 turbo's they were all glorious old war 'Birds...with their "shaker hood scoops," machine turned dash and even their "screaming chicken" hood decals.

These were Firebirds......different than the nearly 50 Camaro club cars that made the cruise today.

The last one of these Firebirds was built in 1981.

 

I think they should drop the current vette line and make the new solstice the c6 vette just make sure that the 4 banger has turbo/sc and nitrous with 500hp. It would still be a rwd 2 seater coupe\roadster true to its roots.

 

I've seen several RX8s since they came to market, and I agree, they are fugly. The only colors I've seen are a blue (which was a nice color, but that's it) and yellow. The yellow was especially atrocious.

 

I've seen a number of the RX-8s on the road in the Austin metro area, and I think they look better in person than what I had seen in the magazines. The proportions seem to flow better in 3-D. The style cues in the front seem to resemble the SS actually. However, I think the SS is more Chevelle than Camaro ... with the Chevelle's 4dr history. The Monaro/GTO seems more Camaro'ish.

I would have to say I fall into the camp that would like to see a design with easier rear access. The comments about rear doors, while not an enthusiast's dream, recognize that the Camaro is more of an everyman, everyday car. It has to sell volume. It's not a poor-man's Corvette, but rather a Corvette that you can use for more everyday life. Along this line, the doors need to be shorter and the interior more useful, while still maintaining the traditional performance standards. Maybe you do this with seat belts incorporated into the seats and seat and seat track designs that allow easier access to the rear seats. The car needs to go back to a trunk design as well for reasons of security and occupant safety.

From a styling perspective, a larger Monaro with rear access doors and sharper lines, and a revised nose/tail would probably do for me, but maybe that is a "Monte Carlo."

My car is mainly for getting me back and forth to work and playing around with here and there ... but the back seats are there for a child seat if desired/needed. This is why the Corvette is gone.

 

Actually, they made plenty of 6 cylinder, RWD Firebirds and they also made Turbo Trans Ams but that's beside the point. Firebird as a carbon copy of Camaro just doesn't make sense in a future pontiac line up that includes a GTO and Solstice. A Firebird that has a unique market position and identity can make sense - even if that car isn't exactly "true to it's roots." It may also be something to consider for folks who would love a Camaro but use the back seats just enough for it to be to much of a pain.

This is so much more appealing to me than a Firebird that is exactly the same as Camaro except different body panels, seats and a dashboard.