I think, at least IMO, the big difference is that a car like the C6 has features and shapes that look like they belong on a Corvette, but the car itself is not meant to look like a past version of itself.

A car like the 05 Mustang is purposefully designed to mimick the 67 Mustang fastback... even the Mustang designers have said so much.....

 

Well if you consider the C6 to be something akin to an Opel GT, then I'd say yeah, cause when I look at a C6, I think vaguely Opel GTish. Then again I'm not enamored to the C6's styling (although they look much better in person than in a magazine).

but enough of that.

I'd like to see a new camaro that is identifiable as a camaro with camaro styling cues, not a flying wedge with trendy script that tells me its a camaro.

 

well 64 to 69, take your pick, its in there and the car is undeniably mustang. You can call it retro or heritage or whatever else, but IMO they are good looking cars, better yet they dont look like something that began at taco bell then four hours later craped on a stick and shaped by the wind in a hurricane.

 

I agree...this has always been my favorite as well...especially the front end....

 

Retro is like ****...it is hard to define...but you know it when you see it

 

I think the reason I liked the thrid gen so much ,aside from it being the only Camaro I have ever owned, was that in it's design, I could see the heritage of the previous two generations. Especially on the rear quarter panel, there is that slight cruve to it as it comes down to the rear tailight assembly, that always struck me as a continuation of the swoop that 1st gen cars had, especially the 69 since it was a little "swoopy" than the 67-68 models. The front end with it's angular fascia definitely showed, to me at least, the evolution froom the late 70's Camaros. Also, the third gen models, Z/28s and IROC's specifically, had that classic "muscular" stance, something I think was lost on the 4th gen until the 1998 revision.

 

Wow, it seems that people really despise the 4th gens on this board, ironically enough. Its like the car was responsible for the bubonic plague. Does anyone really like the 4th gen on here, or is to be condemned as a scapegoat for all things wrong with the fbody?

I will come flat out and say it, I think the 4th gens look the best. I am just about 23, and was not around for the first two generations fo Camaros, so I am not looking at this from a nostalgic point of view. I think the 1st gens look alright, I really don't like the 2nd gens, or the 3rd gens, and I like the 4th gens. I have had this car for alittle over 2 years now, and for those people that don't think that I have gotten attention from passerbys in my plain jane z28, they definetly need a reality check. I just got a "nice car" from a group of girls two weekends ago.

If GM wants the 5th gen to do well, I would suggest putting at least a shred of effort into advertising the cars(which of course they will, unlike the 4th gens), and keep up with real redesigns every few years, not just a new front end. I really, really, don't want it to be a retro clone, but I know GM has to make a buck, so I can't really blame them for doing this. The new Mustang is an example of what I don't want. The car does not carry retro cues, it is an exact clone, with rounder body panels. I have seen pictures of the old and the new next to each other, and their striking similarity is uncanny. If GM does this, I am sure they will sell plenty of vehicles, but know that I will not be buying one of them.

I might even be able to get past the retro part of the car, but the fact that Chevy will be copying Ford's exact formula piece by piece is enough to really uninspire me. Oh well, there are still plenty of 4th gens to buy, and ls1 parts are getting cheaper and more plentiful.

 

I think this problem could have been solved by having both a Firebird and a Camaro with one style of design for each, but oh well.

I think the "retro" style of the Mustang fits right in with it's previous (recent) generations. I've always thought they looked okay, but never as sexy and strong as the F-body twins. If I wanted a car that takes the Mustang direction I would just buy a Mustang.

Also, we're now at a point where GM can't capitalize on a lazy Ford letting the Mustang be dog slow stock. So even if the Camaro does come out faster, the Mustang will have it's stronger aftermarket (like always) to take care of that. (This is what happened to the 3rd gen BTW)

The Camaro had it's more daring design and performance going for it before, now what will it have?

 

Yeah thats what I'm trying to say

 

I agree with you completely about the 4th gen, 95's are my favorite!

 

What's with this anti-retro thing? How long has BMW had that ugly kidney bean grille? How long has Rolls Royce had their grille? Mercedes? Jag? Damn near every make has had an appreciation for its heritage except GM and Ford who recently have discovered what the record companies knew for years: retro sells.

Nobody wants a carbon copy of the 1st gen, and that's not what we're getting. Take a look at that 2007 Camaro and it looks like a cross between the 1st gen and the Mercedes SL500. It's one very nice looking car that at the right price will sell. Remember, SELL is the name of the game.

Can you imagine that Road and Track car with a 450hp LS2? Fat tires? It's going to be to die for. The car that will knock the stuffing out of the Mustang, Honda, and the rest of the performance poseurs.

Now let's see the 2008 Firebird.

 

I think for some reason the 4th gen is being blamed wrongfully for the demise of the F-body. People have to remember that for the first few years the 4th gen sold extremely well. They also have to remember that losing the F-body was more political than a business decision. If there is one failing of the 4th gen it is that it is big with lots of overhang. Otherwise it has some of the best lines ever, and certainly performs better than any other musclecar including the new Mustang. It wasn't styling that killed the F-body. People love the styling of my WS6. The car really became too expensive, too upmarket, and its size was a disadvantage.

 

IMO, if Ford was going to do a retro Mustang and make it the size they did , they should have styled it after the 69 or 70 model....

Whenever I see a new Mustang now, it just looks GIGANTIC to me...

Now, a 4th Gen Camaro does NOT look gigantic to me... but the new Mustang does. I think it's because it is styled so closely after a car that was smaller...

I looked up the dimensional difference, and it's actually only about a 4 inch length difference, and a 3 inch width difference.... I think I'm about to eat my words when I argued with Z284ever about how much of a difference a few inches in length really makes a while back... but I think it stands out so much more on a FAMILIAR shape, when it is re-done.... rather than a new evolutionary shape that is not made to purposefully look like another car, since there wouldn't be a point of reference.

 

Here is another idea for the retro guys even though this is mostly my opinion.

Since the 70s I’d say the Camaro and Corvette have shared a certain style. They complement each other. I think this is most evident with the LT1 and LS1 designs of both cars.

In my eyes the C6 is an evolutionary car. It shares certain shapes and features (such as 4 tail light scheme) from its heritage but has it own unique style.

I think to fit in the Chevrolet line up the Camaro should follow suit and incorporate some of the Vette’s style into it.

I can see the same theme in the Cobalt as I do in the current Vette.

To make a 69’ inspired car would not fit well.




Another thought;


I do however (even though I love the 4th Gen) think the next Camaro should not exactly be evolved from the 4th gen. I agree with those who think a 3 box design with a trunk would be a good idea. But that doesn’t mean it has to rip off 1st gen styling to pull it off.

I’ve said this somewhere before. But I’ll restate it:

I think the next Camaro should defiantly incorporate heritage cues but be a one off design.

After a hiatus like this it should give the guys working at the design centers more freedom to make something totally original.

 

Does anyone have any idea how "me-too-ish" GM will look with a retro Camaro? We played follow the leader when the '67 came out. Now we're playing follow the leader after the '05 Mustang blows GM's doors off, but our car comes 3 years later. AND, when it comes finally, its going to be retro just like the Mustang??????????

Come on people, wake up. GM is going to look like such a copy cat with this car if its anywhere near as retro as the Mustang.

Why does everyone get pissed that the HHR is a rip off of the PT Cruiser, but to have the Camaro go retro like the Mustang is ok?