From what I understand....if you don't like retro....it will suck to be you in about 5 months.

That being said...if the public flat out rejects the stying when the car is previewed...there would be a chance for it to be sent back to the drawing board. This will obviously delay the car a pretty good bit.

 

yea, i'm Branden above. I thought they already styled the car a long time ago.
I don't want retro.

 

See, its comments like that that scare the hell out of me because I know Brandon is more in the know than I am.

Speaking of the Public rejecting the design is a far fetched too. The over all majority of the car buying public is just ganna be in a “OH WOW A NEW CAMARO” mode and if it just looks good they wont care if its retro or not.

The enthusiast will care but the car buying public wont. So if it comes out to be retro in concept form it will most likely stay that way.

Which is sad.

I’m going to be heart broken to see a modernized 1st gen and I wont buy one.


So Brandon how long would a retro to evolutionary restyle take if they decide to change it after this year NAIAS? 2009? 2010? Longer?

 

I dont think GM has the ability to make a revolutionary 5 gen honestly that looks good and will sell as well as the Mustang. I'm just afraid that if they dont go retro they will give it bland styling. I know you dont like to hear it but the I think the 4th generation Camaros are bland and they will make it look like the 4th gens if they dont go retro I think. I agree completely with you guys but I love the retro look such as Hortons but it would not be functional. The best of two worlds would be if they could make a functional yet more agressive looking body based off of the 4th gen. Im just saying I'd rather have it good retro and look incredible then end up in the GTO's position, power but bland styling. Just answer me this, if the Mustang wasnt retro and they found a fuctional retro design that looked like Hortons design would you still diss the way they look? Before you answer this go look at Hortons again to refresh your memory. I'm happy to go non-retro as long as its not bland.

 

Like I've said... I've kind of given in to the fact that the new Camaro will be a retro car... I've lost the fight.

That said, I think that a retro Camaro, right after the retro-Mustang actually has a chance of being rejected by the public because it is such a blatant rip off of what Mustang did... and even that was an unoriginal idea...

We'll see....

As much as I love Camaro... I keep going back to my feelings in the "Am I outgrowing Camaro?" thread...

The funny thing is... out of the two monikers GM will probably have out there for RWD Coupes in the near future (GTO and Camaro).... it makes so much more sense for the GTO, a car that was gone for THIRTY YEARS to be retro styled, rather than the Camaro which is on a short (though it seems like forever) hiatus...

This coming from someone who is happy with their GTO.

Basically... retro would have made sense on the GTO much more so than on a Camaro.

 

My piece for the cut and paste section:

I was chatting with a business associate earlier this afternoon, a Porsche guy, and we got on this topic. His opinion? The '69 needs to provide the inspiration.

On the way back from that conversation the thought hit me, is it possible that the 1st gen is the only one that doesn't have the "trailer park" and "mullet" stigma attached to it?

 

This is what i know.
1. We've been screaming "no-retro" from the begining.
2. Eventually Red showed up and said it won't be retro, but will have cues.
3. If it is indeed retro, I would be dissapointed as a car guy.
4. The only thing that could overcome this would be a very mod-sensitive car, or a very very cheap car (but a car too cheap looses it's appeal because manufacturers think a $15k car has to look like a $10k car)

 

Brother we are of like mind. Your posts and mine share much.

 

I think it's the opposite way. I think the public, in its current nastalgic mindset, would be put-off if GM ignored the Mustang's success and went a new direction. I think for the most part, people will be embrace the two cars being overly caught-up in and displaying their heritage. The Camaro is already a me-too entry and "retro" styling (which isn't a new invention, just a new description) isn't something brought about by the new Mustang. With the HHR as evidence, we already know GM isn't gunshy about this anyhow.

From GM's standpoint, the styling is really a no-brainer. The GTO especially reinforces the public expectations out of these nameplates. Public sentiment and emotion (and sales) lies in a car that hearkens back to its glory days. I can only imagine all of the head-to-heads and then-and-nows the press is clamouring to write up. If GM has done a good job in this facet, the coverage will be enormous.

Really, if those on this board that have whispered "it's a knockout" are correct, this is nothing to be so caught up in.

 

Well, here's one big vote FOR retro! I always wanted a 69, but time to work on one and money always prevented it from being a reality. Give me a new car with 375hp (underated over course), good handling, all the safety features, is a daily driver AND LOOKS LIKE A 69!? Oh man I cannot wait til January. A lot of my friends feel the same way. If they do this right it will be just as popular as the Mustang

 

A yellow 69 inspired convertable with black leather interior is what I am dreaming of. Top down while the sun is setting.....hearing the v8 growl. Is there really anything better in life?

 

I'm in the middle on the retro design, now.

Up until about an hour ago I hated the idea, but I really sat down and thought about it. I'm basing my disliking of retro on the retro cars I've see - PT Crusier, Prowler, Mustang, and HHR. Maybe I don't like any of these because I don't care about the cars they throw back to.

Prower throws back to old street rods, which do nothing for me.
PT Crusier and HHR throw back to old utility vehciles, which do nothing for me.
The Mustang throws back to the 67, which I don't care for, either.

So maybe it's not the idea of retro I dislike, it's the application of it. I like the 69 Z/28 / RS, a lot, so maybe I'll love a retro 5th gen when I see it. The only problem to me, as someone who wants a 69 Z/28, is the 5th gen will have to knock my socks off or I'll just buy a 69 Z/28. I really hope it does knock my socks off.

 

I get your point....but look into buying a 69. See what the car plus a restore is going to run you. Done right its going to be a lot more then a 5th gen.

 

The car should carry some heritage touches without being as retro as the Mustang. Retro ages too fast and from what I have heard is "to retro" or "not to retro" is the big debate for the styling direction. A car like this needs to stay fresh and not be too polarizing.

 

My thoughts.....NO RETROOOOO!!!!! Really, I mean why go retro with it. GM has to think ahead, where will they go from there??? The Camaro has always been a revolutionary car for it's day, no reason to go against that heritage. If the new car is retro GM will have made me one very, very disappointed enthusiast. I am not even sure I would want it, I'd probably just hang onto my '97 Z/28 and then look for a '02 WS6....I hope you are listening GM, it's been a long wait and I don't want to be disappointed 6 months from now when I see that you have ruined my favorite car