[Doc]

Originally Posted by RenegadeXR

I keep seeing 90's design elements pop out pretty hard in the mockups, even when one aspect of the car gets replaced by another. Now I am seeing some 90's corvette in the proportions of the rear. Doc, were you a car designer from that era, or is that just coincidence? :P

This kind of looks like a 5th gen if GM decided to come out with it 15 years earlier.

I always find it interesting to see how people 'see' styles and elements from cars of the past but when you bring up actual images, it's quite different from what they seem to remember. I think you're talking about a C5 Vette, which is vaguely similar. I suppose the rear diffuser in the back is kinda sorta similar, but the back of mine is quite different.



When you look at a 90's Camaro, mine looks COMPLETELY different.



15 years ago it was 2004, and they were in fact working on the 5th gen. The 5th gen was loosely inspired by the 1969 Camaro. Mine is inspired by the 1967 car.

Originally Posted by CCG Garnet Red

You have to be able to distinguish a SS from a base Camaro. The Gen 4 Z28 could only be told apart by the emblems and the exhaust until the Z28/SS, which became the SS, reappeared in 1996. Big mistake by Chevy.

Actually, when the RS and SS models came out, initially the only outward difference from the base model was lettering and striping. They added front and rear spoilers shortly thereafter, but there weren't any body differences other than hood styles which I don't recall being part of the initial rollout. It costs a lot of money to make different body panels. My concept idea is to go back to the simpler (and less expensive to produce) practice of adding spoilers, hoods and lettering to show a "sport" model. If the car caught on with the market and became popular, that could change of course.

Originally Posted by 17rsvert

With sports car sales, and car sales in general, in decline with people gravitating towards SUVs and crossovers, there is no way GM would create another platform to compete with the Corvette.

^^I totally agree on this. I'm just hoping they aren't planning on canceling the Camaro. There are groups of camo corvettes that appear to be the mid-engine models being seen in Arizona right now, but absolutely nothing that looks like a Camaro; anywhere. That's unsettling.

For anyone who "sees" a retro look in my concept, that's absolutely intentional. The title of this thread says it: "Yer Basic Pony Car - Again". I'm going right back to the original 1st gen Camaro. I've tried to pull some heritage elements from other years, but overall I want this car to "feel" like a modernized version of the 67. That car had a clean, somewhat simple shape (which actually had more sophistication to it than you realize until you really start examining it). While mine is obviously not a strict interpretation, it's meant to have that psychological feel to it.





I shortened the wheelbase; the car was too long, and I made some better wheels which I think look better. I'm continuing to refine lines and balance the looks of things. I'm STILL struggling with the hood though, but it's gettin' there.

[Norm Peterson]

What I remember of 1960's cars in general was that the overall styling just looked "lighter". Not as much body height from sill bottom to window bottom was probably part of that. I'm thinking that blacking out the sill, or at least part of it, might create a similar visual of a "lighter" body.


Norm

[Norm Peterson]

Originally Posted by redcoats1976

i like it,but im quite happy with my 5th gen.wouldnt really want anything solstice-sized as i had one and traded it on the camaro.

Solstice size would be way too small for any Camaro concept. That would be 5 or 6 inches shorter wheelbase than even the 3rd gen F-body, which itself was about as short as reasonably achievable if you're keeping it front engine with a V8 option.

FWIW, I've seen 3rd gen in a couple of the hood iterations. Not necessarily a bad thing, but maybe still a little too recent for what this concept is trying to focus on.


Norm

[17rsvert]

Originally Posted by Doc

Attachment 977942
I'm STILL struggling with the hood though, but it's gettin' there.

The hood does look a little strange to me also. It looks like there is a dip several inches in front of the windshield, and then a ramp up that follows the angle of the glass; it may be too much. I think a possible solution to your hood issue may be right in front of you. Have you tried raising the center section reminiscent of the 67? It doesn't need to be that drastic, but it may add to the pony car feel.

[Doc]

Originally Posted by Norm Peterson

What I remember of 1960's cars in general was that the overall styling just looked "lighter". Not as much body height from sill bottom to window bottom was probably part of that. I'm thinking that blacking out the sill, or at least part of it, might create a similar visual of a "lighter" body.
Norm

I remember that too. They were trying to give cars a jet aircraft look and feel, which included body side styles that appeared to lift the car off the ground. It was all about a look of forward speed. Nobody at that time cared much about cornering, so they weren't into the ground hugging shapes back then. The lower body style I put on the side was intended to have that look and feel. Here's a shot with that lower area darkened like they did back then. Not sure it works so well here. The problem with doing a modern version of a retro design are the fronts. They designed cars back then with the use and look of a chrome bumper, which modern fronts don't have. In fact, modern fronts don't look at ALL like the fronts of retro cars. That makes it really difficult to create a modern car with a front that has a retro feel.

Originally Posted by 17rsvert

The hood does look a little strange to me also. It looks like there is a dip several inches in front of the windshield, and then a ramp up that follows the angle of the glass; it may be too much. I think a possible solution to your hood issue may be right in front of you. Have you tried raising the center section reminiscent of the 67? It doesn't need to be that drastic, but it may add to the pony car feel.

There is actually a dip. I was trying to create a look that followed the shape and angle of the lower front intake. The idea of using that retro pinch line down the middle of the hood is an interesting one. That is DEFINITELY a retro look. Not sure if it works here, but it's definitely interesting.

[Norm Peterson]

I think only the bottom 2 or 3 inches, up to that first line, would work better. Visual tricks such as this really need to be on the subtle side. There's only so much can be done in this age where [struck] pedestrian protection ends up being partly or even significantly responsible for defining hood heights, beltlines, and ultimately even tire sizes.


Norm

[1leNPP]

Let me help out a bit . You take the 6gen Chassis and put it under this body .You be able to see out of car once again have a trunk with a opening to put stuff in it and it looks bad ass.

[DC5]

Originally Posted by 1leNPP

Let me help out a bit . You take the 6gen Chassis and put it under this body .You be able to see out of car once again have a trunk with a opening to put stuff in it and it looks bad ass.

One problem: that car doesn't look badass.

[17rsvert]

Originally Posted by DC5

One problem: that car doesn't look badass.

Agreed

[Gen6_1Le]

Unfortunately that car does not look like a sports car , the Camaro today has evolved into much more then was even dreamt of in the past and will further into the future . The design you show here won't allow it to do that .The next gen Camaro will have no muscle car hues what so ever or retro anything . Look at the 3rd gen and the end of the 2nd gen designs and what was lost in between will give you a hint into the future.

[Doc]

Originally Posted by Gen6_1Le

Unfortunately that car does not look like a sports car , the Camaro today has evolved into much more then was even dreamt of in the past and will further into the future . The design you show here won't allow it to do that .The next gen Camaro will have no muscle car hues what so ever or retro anything . Look at the 3rd gen and the end of the 2nd gen designs and what was lost in between will give you a hint into the future.

My concept doesn't look like a sports car because it's not supposed to. It's a pony car, not a sports car (hence the title of the thread).

In addition to what you are calling "evolved", they've also evolved sales down to a level undreamt of too. In fact, unless we start seeing camo models on the roads, the 6th gen may be the last generation of Camaro as we know it. IF they decide to do a 7th gen (and unfortunately that's starting to look like a genuine "if"), it may very well be an electric or hybrid car which is possibly why Al O was moved over to the EV division.

My concept proposes a pony car again; fun, sporty, affordable. It could even work as an electric or hybrid. I'm aiming at the 98% of the market that doesn't care about racing and will never go to the track, and doesn't want a $700+ a month car payment for a third car for the family.

For Norm: Here's a shot with just the lower area as you suggested, except instead of black, I put white on there which actually doesn't look too bad. In the 60's that white side panel would probably have been aluminum.

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by DC5

One problem: that car doesn't look badass.

Agreed 2x

This represents the current European thinking about sports cars and is rather mundane IMO (I'm originally from Europe by the way).

The trunk opening problem is the easiest to fix, GM just needs to split the taillights like so many other manufacturers, which wouldn't detract any from the muscularity of the original 6th gen design. As to visibility (and trying not to rehash this entire topic for the nth time), the rear view camera on the '19's takes care of any claimed rear visibility issue, front is OK, side could be improved by simply using a narrower B pillar, no need to soften up the entire design.

[ecko04]

Originally Posted by Doc

Attachment 978037

This shit looks like the offspring of challenger and camaro. Throw the whole damn design away.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Norm Peterson]

Originally Posted by Doc

For Norm: Here's a shot with just the lower area as you suggested, except instead of black, I put white on there which actually doesn't look too bad. In the 60's that white side panel would probably have been aluminum.

Even up to the late 1970's there was still quite a bit of bright trim being used. Way too much for me in the case of the 1979 Malibu we bought new. Some of it got painted black, some of it just fell off.


For a true 1960's flavor, you'd need a medium to bright silver in your color palette.


Norm