Dreaming Of Spiritual Successors To The Great Ones

hpmctorque

There have been many great new cars over the past century. Just to get the ball rolling on this topic, I consider the '55 Chevy to be one of these, since it revolutionized what was then known as the "low priced field." There was a world of difference between the '54 and '55 Chevys. The same could be said of the '55 Plymouth, since it too was all new, and offered a modern V8 for the first time. However, the Chevy was far more popular than the Plymouth. Also, many enthusiasts recall the '55-'57 Chevys, whereas only Mopar fans remember the '55-'56 Plymouths (the '57 was all new again).

In my view, Chevy hasn't produced a spiritual successor to the '55-'57 models. The current Malibu is arguably as close as it's gotten, but it falls short because, while good, it doesn't stand out from the competition. As for the Volt, it's a laudable effort, and it stands out, but doesn't come close to generating the excitement of the '55 Chevy.

Two other models that were standouts in their day were the '62 Corvette, and the '65 Mustang. Spiritual successors to these models would do wonders for their respective companies. The current Mustang is good, but it's more evolutionary than I would hope for. For my taste, it's also too large and heavy, with less back seat leg room and more difficult access to the back seat than the smaller '65. I'm hoping that the next generation Mustang will hit the bullseye.

What are some of your favorite trend-setting cars, and what should their dream successors be like?

andys120

Two other models that were standouts in their day were the '62 Corvette, and the '65 Mustang.

IMO it was the '63 Corvette (C2 AKA Stingray) that was the standout because it was the first with IRS and Disc brakes thus the first 'Vette that was technically competitive with the fast Euro sports cars. The '62 OTOH was competitive only because of the brute force of the Fuelie 327 (also used in the '63.

A modern-day equivalent would be a mid-engined C7 (probably won't happen til the C8 debuts).

hpmctorque

I stand corrected. You're right. I meant the '63 Stingray, and, yeah, I'd consider the C8, as you described it, as the modern day equivalent. My guess is that the C7 will be a little smaller and lighter than the current C6, but will continue with the same configuration, as you indicated.

anythngbutgm

I was not around during Detroits' "heyday" so some notable classics to this "youngin" would be these:

stever

The list of great new cars over the past century has to include this:



"As revolutionary as the Mustang", to quote Lee Iacocca.

The dream successor would be something like the VW Microbus concept that came out a few years back.

fezo

I like that microbus from that angle. looks like an overgrown Lionel diesel locomotive. It should say Santa Fe on the side.

anythngbutgm

fintail

You mean that football shaped sled driven by the botox crowd wasn't a worthy successor? :shades:

anythngbutgm

Nope. But, I like the SC430, reminds me of those classic wood boats form the 40's?



Maybe not the best example, but I don't know much about vintage boats...

The SC430 is a boulevard cruiser, not meant for enthusiasts, just like the CLK-Class Benzes

fezo

Man! Would I love to have one of THOSE!

hpmctorque

I'm not sure what this one is, other than it's Japanese, but it looks nice. Help?

andre1969

I still remember one time seeing an SC430 being driven by an old woman with lots of jewelry, who looked like she had been left out in the sun too long, and at first mistaking it for some kind of Hyundai! Until I remembered that Hyundai didn't make convertibles...

I think those original SC coupes have aged very well. They didn't do anything for me when they were new, but, like a fine wine, I can appreciate them more now. Wait...maybe not the best reference, since for me, shopping for a fine wine usually involves looking for alcohol content label on the box, and picking the one with the highest number! :P

anythngbutgm

Lexus SC300/SC400. I think they were built somewhere between 1992 - 1998? RWD, either V6 or V8. The 300, which is my favorite had the Supra 3.0l V6 and could be had with a manual tranny. The looks are timless IMO and still one of the best looking Lexus cars in their (short) history

andre1969

That's a Lexus SC. IIRC, they came in cheaper SC300, which had an inline 3-liter inline-6, and pricier SC400, which was the 4.0 V-8 that the LS400 sedan used.

I can't remember if they were based on the Toyota Supra, or were a coupe version of the LS400 though. And I think they were only offered as coupes, although convertible conversions may have been done by aftermarket suppliers.

fintail

I could call the SC a boat. Too bad the swoopy L envisioned it as an SL and not a base CLK with C-class wheels :shades:

fintail

Yes, no factory convertible on the original SC. The 6cyl was a Supra powertrain, and could even be had with a manual. The closest Lexus has came to an original timeless design. 20 years old now and nice SCs are getting harder to find.

fintail

What a coincidence, the same people drive those here :shades:

I remember when the SC came out, the parents of a kid in my school had one - it seemed very exotic as the nearest Lexus dealer was more than an hour away and these were rare cars in general. I remember it cost 40K then - back when that meant something!

stever

One thing leads to another. The spiritual element here is ground shaking.

"[T]he engines accelerating today’s dragsters and funny cars are direct descendants of the 1964 Chrysler Hemi V-8.

The modern versions, which are tightly regulated by the race-sanctioning bodies, don’t use Chrysler parts, but the aluminum blocks are comparable to the 1964 engine and the hemispherical combustion chambers of the cylinder heads are similar. "

At 1,000 Horsepower Per Liter, a V-8’s Life Is Short (NY Times)