[Gen6_1Le]

Originally Posted by Doc

Here's the current idea I'm playing around with for a front end. Still need to do something with the hood though; the large volume of air that the front is going to bring into the engine bay needs to vent out somewhere.

I thought about the traditional Camaro reverse-intake hood scoop, but it just doesn't work on this design.

I've also thought about rounding over the upper body edge from the front of the door all the way to the back, but that might make it too Ferrari-ish.

At any rate, it's coming along. And please, no wailing and moaning about how it looks like a Corvette. It doesn't. It's pulling inspiration from the 1993+ Camaro but with just a bit more attitude.

Attachment 974321

I do like this direction you are going much better . I would like to see less distance from the door to the start of the rear wheel well , looks too long now . I am not a fan of the 3rd and 4th gens at all , they are the only generations i haven't owned . I do see the 93 in there and it works ,i don't see Corvette at all .I hated the fake crap they did with the 2010 to 13 hoods on the 5th gen . Whatever you do with the hood keep everything functional and keep in mind that they may have a Hybrid in the mix, also may only have to seats . It looks like you are building around the fact of people sitting in the back and luggage in the truck a bit too much .

[Doc]

Originally Posted by Gen6_1Le

People have seen the 5th gen design for the last 50 years now, the whole world knows what they look like . The 5th gen brought a ton of new first time Camaro owners (around 60%) which was great but they bought more into the novelty then the Legend . If the 6th gen followed up with a retro 2nd gen split bumper it may be doing better , i for one thank god they didn't . The funny thing is when the new designed 2nd gen came out very few good things were said about it ,especially the split bumper . I believe the retro look will be looked backed on as an embarrassment more then how well they sold . Bottom line is there has never been a better Camaro then the 6th gen and they are following in the foot steps of legends .
If you Google Ferrari 250 GT Lusso you will see the inspiration of the front end of the 2nd gen Camaro. The split bumper RS Camaros are some of the most sought after and most faked cars today , at the time they were made they didn't sell as well. Some things just take time for people to catch on to.

I actually liked the '70 Camaro. The fanbase wasn't crazy about it, but the press certainly praised the "european" styling. I personally think it was more influenced by the '68 Jaguar XJ6 than anything by Ferrari. They were going for a more upscale luxurious look.

Originally Posted by Gen6_1Le

I do like this direction you are going much better . I would like to see less distance from the door to the start of the rear wheel well , looks too long now . I am not a fan of the 3rd and 4th gens at all , they are the only generations i haven't owned . I do see the 93 in there and it works ,i don't see Corvette at all .I hated the fake crap they did with the 2010 to 13 hoods on the 5th gen . Whatever you do with the hood keep everything functional and keep in mind that they may have a Hybrid in the mix, also may only have to seats . It looks like you are building around the fact of people sitting in the back and luggage in the truck a bit too much .

Thank you for this feedback! I knew it looked long but I was having a hard time figuring out where. Here's the revised version, with the previous version at the top so you can see the difference:




Not only was it long behind the door to the wheel, the wheelbase itself was too long. I shorted it up all over the place. Here are a couple of perspective shots with the new shortened version:




This version also has the rounded tops of the fenders; especially everything going back from the front wheel. I think the overall proportions of this version look better.

[Doc]

Added cut lines for the hood and trunk, and did some work on the front. I need to work on coming up with some detail for the rear diffuser. I put a couple of heat vents in the top of the hood near the back, but I still need to do something with the hood. It's too plain. It needs something but I don't know what yet.

[Norm Peterson]

Needs at least slightly wider wheels and tires - they're just a little too reminiscent of the narrow stuff we didn't have any choice about back in the day. Not talking steamroller width here, more like base SS rear sizing, something like 275/40-19 or 375/35-20 on 9.5" wide wheels.


Norm

[redcoats1976]

actually looking pretty hawt.doesnt really take much from 5th or 6th gen either which is a good thing.i imagine that in production the base model would have regular instruments/cloth seats,RS would have HUD and fancier appointments inside.how about a middle ground ,say with cloth seats and hud but split the price difference.kind of like a 1SS but a 1 RS

[Gen6_1Le]

Originally Posted by Doc

Added cut lines for the hood and trunk, and did some work on the front. I need to work on coming up with some detail for the rear diffuser. I put a couple of heat vents in the top of the hood near the back, but I still need to do something with the hood. It's too plain. It needs something but I don't know what yet.

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Do you remember the Buick Avista concept from a few years ago ? I always liked how the diffuser was set into the rest of the rear of the car , matter of fact i like the whole back half of the Avista . You can look it up .

[Doc]

Originally Posted by Gen6_1Le

Do you remember the Buick Avista concept from a few years ago ? I always liked how the diffuser was set into the rest of the rear of the car , matter of fact i like the whole back half of the Avista . You can look it up .

That was a great idea! I didn't copy the Avista, but that gave me the inspiration. This was exactly what the back needed. It's simple, but it gives it that 'finished' look.

[Doc]

Originally Posted by redcoats1976

actually looking pretty hawt.doesnt really take much from 5th or 6th gen either which is a good thing.i imagine that in production the base model would have regular instruments/cloth seats,RS would have HUD and fancier appointments inside.how about a middle ground ,say with cloth seats and hud but split the price difference.kind of like a 1SS but a 1 RS

It could go all kinds of directions, depending on how committed they were to doing more than just a track car. As it is, it would easily fit a turbo 4 or 6, and if they could keep it well under $30k, then they'd be right back in the sweet spot of the customer base the Camaro used to have.

I think the design has enough potential that it could go to a track car level with the right spoilers, aero pieces, and maybe even a blacked-out hood such as a 1LE package. That of course would move the price up above $30k; way up in some cases. However as long as the base models look good and are under $30k, I think this would have a good chance at appealing to the younger crowd that doesn't want to drive in something that looks like their parents or grandparents car, yet it looks hot and doesn't cost and arm and a leg so they can afford it.

Now I need to work on an interior design to match.

[Doc]

Originally Posted by Norm Peterson

Needs at least slightly wider wheels and tires - they're just a little too reminiscent of the narrow stuff we didn't have any choice about back in the day. Not talking steamroller width here, more like base SS rear sizing, something like 275/40-19 or 375/35-20 on 9.5" wide wheels.


Norm

Yeah a performance version would certainly have that, but keep in mind this version is intended to appeal (both in appearance and price) to the 98% who aren't high-performance track people. It needs to have the entry-level, base model look for that market so they don't think it's just a high-performance car. I think that may be part of the reason why today's pony/muscle cars aren't selling in the volumes they used to. It isn't just that people want SUV's; they also own sedans, but the current batch of pony/muscle cars don't look like they'd make practical daily drivers. For the market, perception is reality whether it's true or not.

I want this design to be able to stand on its own; without spoilers, without trick vents, scoops, aero body panels... and wide tires. It has to be sporty looking without scaring away the non-track crowd, who actually like sporty looking, but mostly as a look without the "scary" performance (and cost) of a real performance car. Some of course like both, which is why there are still some sales for the current models, but consider that there are somewhere over 3,000 Chevy dealers in the country and collectively they only sold 2,340 Camaros last month. That's less than one per dealer, which means if somebody sold one, some didn't sell any. The car just doesn't have traction with the main body of the customer base anymore. The only way to fix that, is to produce something they can connect to, the way these cars used to. The 5th gen delivered that look and feel, which seems to be more important to that customer base than Nurburgring times. Not to say that high performance should be abandoned, but it needs to be balanced to take into account the greater market base so Chevy can do both; set records at the track and for sales.

Just as an example to illustrate what can be done, last month Alfa Romeo sold 531 Giulias (not including the Stelvio which the SUV model), and they did it with only 170 dealers in the U.S. That's an average of 3.12 cars sold per dealer. Same price range as the performance Camaros; $39k-$70k. If even 3,000 of the Chevy dealers had simply matched that, that would be 9,370 Camaros sold in January instead of 2,340.

The market is there; the customers have the money, and they're willing to spend it IF they see something that appeals to them. If Chevy could sell 9k+ Camaros a month (which January was a down month; Alfa has been selling almost twice that many a month) that would do wonders for their financial picture.

I hear ya on the wider wheels; I'll work on a performance version once I get it all dialed in.

[Vtor_ZL1]

Originally Posted by Doc

That was a great idea! I didn't copy the Avista, but that gave me the inspiration. This was exactly what the back needed. It's simple, but it gives it that 'finished' look.

Attachment 974692

This rear end just looks "old" perhasp too much smokey n bandit look to it.

[cignul9]

Originally Posted by Vtor_ZL1

This rear end just looks "old" perhasp too much smokey n bandit look to it.

It's the tail light shapes. They're very 80's with the squareness. The design trends tend to lead more towards anthropomorphism. Make it look like something "living". Give it "facial features" and it'll start to come together more.

[Norm Peterson]

I know what you're trying to do, just that I don't think tires too reminiscent of 1960's 7.75-xx will play all that well even with non-enthusiasts. That's base Camry territory.


Norm

[redcoats1976]

in much of the country january is cruddy weather,not the type that would make people rush out to the dealers to buy a sports car.ill bet most of those fiats sold in the deep south...

[Doc]

Originally Posted by Vtor_ZL1

This rear end just looks "old" perhasp too much smokey n bandit look to it.

Originally Posted by cignul9

It's the tail light shapes. They're very 80's with the squareness. The design trends tend to lead more towards anthropomorphism. Make it look like something "living". Give it "facial features" and it'll start to come together more.

Yeah I know that's the current trend, but to me that's going to make today's cars look dated real quick; kind of like fins did to the cars of the 50's and early 60's. I somewhat have that in the front with the friendly Camaro 'smile' and the headlights kinda sorta look like eyes, but I don't want to go overboard.

I was trying to pull styling cues from previous generations without making it look too retro. This split lens tail light was a nod to the original '67 model to give it a bit of a heritage feel. Here's a shot with the lenses pulled together as a single component which is actually the way the '67 was. Better?

Originally Posted by Norm Peterson

I know what you're trying to do, just that I don't think tires too reminiscent of 1960's 7.75-xx will play all that well even with non-enthusiasts. That's base Camry territory.


Norm

I'll stretch out the wheels a bit more, it's just a concept. :-)

Originally Posted by redcoats1976

in much of the country january is cruddy weather,not the type that would make people rush out to the dealers to buy a sports car.ill bet most of those fiats sold in the deep south...

Actually they sell well in the east and northeast. The AWD Giulia uses Maserati's fantastic smart AWD system, and they are simply amazing in snow and ice. Oh and come on... "fiats"? The Giulia was designed and developed at the Ferrari development facility.