Quote:
Originally Posted by CamaroSkooter
I like the direction you're going in, however I'm curious...
Do you think future cars are going to have softened body lines or do you think manufacturer's will make body lines more angular and pronounced?
I tend to believe that a good cue to base your concept off of would be the Corvette.
C5:
C6:
C7:
You can see how the body lines progressed from soft curves to hard lines. I have a feeling the Camaro will follow suit, and you'll see many more details pop up in the 6th Gen Camaro's side profile than there currently are.
For instance, I could see the door handle going away completely and something similar to the Corvettes being introduced. I think the fender arch over the front wheel may be exaggerated a little more. And I can easily see the lines from both the front and rear fender arches being projected into the door. Just some ideas...
 |
The trend is "extreme"; extreme shapes, exaggerated lines, jagged, slashy, pointed.... basically Japanese Anime seems to be the inspiration most designers are influenced by. Everybody is trying to do shapes that are "edgy". The problem with that is, if everybody is doing the same edgy looks, it doesn't look edgy anymore; it just looks trendy. And trendy quickly becomes dated.
In order to create product shapes that extend their appeal out over long periods of time you can't do too much trendy. The 1956-57 Chevy, and the 1967-69 Camaro...those cars to this day still turn heads on the road and still look good. If you took a look at cars that were about 50 years old in 1956 or 1967, you'd be looking at a 1906 or 1917 car. They were not "in fashion" in 56 or 67.
Looking at the C7 sideview you posted, the one thing about that design I DON'T like is that over-large, slash vent behind the front wheels. To me that looks gimmicky and out of place. I like that they took the rear fender line and let it glide down to the front bumper height on it's own. That effectively creates a separate visual wedge shape apart from the front fender line. Nice trick that works.
I am deliberately trying to avoid creating a 4 door Vette with the shapes I'm working with. Certain design/style elements are pretty solidly identified with certain cars; like the door handles on the Vette. I want to come up with designs that respect those kinds of things. The Corvette was always the wild child; it's able to get away with more dramatic shapes and details than say, a Camaro.
Looking at the side view of my design below the current 5th gen up above, you can see how far it actually departs from it. I'm right on the edge of it not looking like a Camaro anymore. The rear fender line extends much further towards the front and makes for a more continuous shape with the front fender. On the 5th gen the front shape stops at the rear edge of the door. The back of the car is a separate visual shape. On mine the entire body is one organic shape. The top of the windshield on mine is tilted farther back and the bottom of the windshield is farther forward. Overall mine is a more refined look, the way the 1970 was compared to the 1969 style it replaced.
You made great points though and I don't know what direction the designers are going in. Hopefully they avoid trendy gimmicks and go for a more timeless look.