Will classic design save GM, Ford and Chrysler??
Will classic design save GM, Ford and Chrysler?
Back to the future, its 1970's all over again.....
First was the retro cars that drew heavily on classics from the 60's and 70's then Ford gave us back the Mustang, now Chrysler is waking up and bringing us the designs that stirred us in the past and will bring buyers back, with style.
With an appearance that draws heavily from the classic muscle cars of the late 1960s and early '70s, the new Dodge Challenger, should satisfy those who thought the Dodge Charger just didn't have the right stuff. The new Dodge Charger was ripped by some because it was a four-door sedan, seemingly out-of-place in a car that carried the name of one of the most famous muscle car lines. As soon as images of the Charger were released to the public, letters of complaint started coming in.
This year, it came out that Chrysler was working on a two-door car, to be called the Challenger, based on the same engineering underpinnings, called the LX platform, as the Dodge Charger, Dodge Magnum and Chrysler 300.
The Challenger concept however is based, specifically, on the 1970 Dodge Challenger. During development of the concept car they brought an actual 1970 Challenger into the studio,the car symbolizes the most passionate era of automotive design. Designers wanted to evoke a mind's-eye image of the car without the visual imperfections required by manufacturing technology of the time and they came out with a winner.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/AUTOS/funonwheels/06/13/dodge_challenger/index.html
Ford has been losing sales the last few years but has come back with the hot selling Mustang with the classic lines. Chrysler has had some uneven performancer in sales but it has Daimler to lean on and seems to be going in the right direction with the return to the classic designs. With the sales doing well the Challenger should add some more excitement to its line up.
GM however, seems to have no clue as to what to do to stop the downward slide , cutting workers and closing factories as it restructures itself. Even with a classic 'Name' the GTO it seems to be failing, the classic lines are blurred or barely there, it has poor designs that are overpriced with no real distinctions between the brands.
Going back to the classic designs of the 60's and 70's has helped Ford and Chrysler, lets see if GM gets a clue and gives us some real classic styling that brings back the image of slick lines of beauty's from the past..
Then they may see the market share they are accustomed too as buyers come back to the sales floor....
Back to the future, its 1970's all over again.....
First was the retro cars that drew heavily on classics from the 60's and 70's then Ford gave us back the Mustang, now Chrysler is waking up and bringing us the designs that stirred us in the past and will bring buyers back, with style.
With an appearance that draws heavily from the classic muscle cars of the late 1960s and early '70s, the new Dodge Challenger, should satisfy those who thought the Dodge Charger just didn't have the right stuff. The new Dodge Charger was ripped by some because it was a four-door sedan, seemingly out-of-place in a car that carried the name of one of the most famous muscle car lines. As soon as images of the Charger were released to the public, letters of complaint started coming in.
This year, it came out that Chrysler was working on a two-door car, to be called the Challenger, based on the same engineering underpinnings, called the LX platform, as the Dodge Charger, Dodge Magnum and Chrysler 300.
The Challenger concept however is based, specifically, on the 1970 Dodge Challenger. During development of the concept car they brought an actual 1970 Challenger into the studio,the car symbolizes the most passionate era of automotive design. Designers wanted to evoke a mind's-eye image of the car without the visual imperfections required by manufacturing technology of the time and they came out with a winner.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/AUTOS/funonwheels/06/13/dodge_challenger/index.html
Ford has been losing sales the last few years but has come back with the hot selling Mustang with the classic lines. Chrysler has had some uneven performancer in sales but it has Daimler to lean on and seems to be going in the right direction with the return to the classic designs. With the sales doing well the Challenger should add some more excitement to its line up.
GM however, seems to have no clue as to what to do to stop the downward slide , cutting workers and closing factories as it restructures itself. Even with a classic 'Name' the GTO it seems to be failing, the classic lines are blurred or barely there, it has poor designs that are overpriced with no real distinctions between the brands.
Going back to the classic designs of the 60's and 70's has helped Ford and Chrysler, lets see if GM gets a clue and gives us some real classic styling that brings back the image of slick lines of beauty's from the past..
Then they may see the market share they are accustomed too as buyers come back to the sales floor....
0
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
Trouble is, with retro style, where do you go from there? Will a 2006 Mustang that looks like a 1969 Mustang look like an updated version of 1970 model the next styling cycle? I sure hope it won't devolve into an update of the god-awful Mustang II of 1974-78!
I also like the Imperial concept, but many have pointed out that it looks too much like a Phantom - a bad thing. It shows the stylists have no sense of originality. Harsher critics have compared it to China's current Red Flag limousine - a blatant copy of the Phantom.
Am I the only one that remembers that according to the car magazines, the '94 Mustang was supposed to bring back the styling feel of the first gen Mustangs? The interior had the same double bubble thing and the exterior was supposed to have similarities too. The new Mustang moves on to the 69-70 look, so I think we can safely say that the Mustang II would be the next logical (if suicidal) progression.
You could also go even further back. Maybe a PT Cruiser that looks like a '37 Ford could look like a Model A Ford the next go around. Eventually, we could all end up driving one-cylinder two-seat runabouts will brass horns, gaslights, and steered via a tiller by 2050.
For example, the PT Cruiser bears a resemblance to the way cars looked back in the late 30's and early 40's, but it's really not so different from a Ford Focus wagon or Toyota Matrix. And the '94-98 Mustang (I thought they did a much better job with the '99-04 though) did have retro touches thrown in, but it still looked like a modern car overall. With styles like these, it's no big deal to just design a new car and then add the retro touches. A good example here is the Dodge Ram, Dakota, and Durango. All three started taking on a retro look in the 90's, with their raised hood and lowered fenders. It's also called the big rig look, but it's also how most pickups looked up through the 50's. I think Ford was the first to come up with a flat-hooded pickup in '57.
Anyway, all three have been redesigned, and still carry those retro touches, and have done it fairly successfully.
Now I think where they fall into problems is when they try to mimic a specific car from a time gone by, like the current Mustang. I have a feeling that it is going to be a tough act to follow, because it just looks too much like the '69 style.
And they don't have to go to the Mustang II style for the next generation...there's always those fat "Mary Tyler Moore" '71-73 models! :P
Retro models should be one-offs. No second generation.
Rocky
Red
I think they figured out with the PT that one model with hot sales for a year and then the inevitable decline is not a good way to achieve long term success. Maybe Ford will figure this out also. I doubt GM will get it until maybe five years after Ford and ten years after the imports.
If ford would someday make a bigger Fox body stang in this color combo I'd buy one. Heck I'd buy a current one if it was available in that pretty color combo.
Shelby GT500 7-up Mustang convertible would be a dream come true. Just wished they would bring back the legendary 5.0 V-8 with modernization like VVT etc
Rocky
That model has always looked to me to hark back to the original 1965s and 1966s. The 1999-2004 version has a decent amount of the 1969 model in it as well(including the big, fake hood scoop).
But with the 2005, Ford went totally retro, mimicing mostly the 1968, but with a few 1967 Shelby design cues.
I think the design strategy was partially motivated by a desire to go after the babyboomers one last time...they're just beginning to retire, and have the most disposable income they'll ever have + are still young enough to want a hot car. The '68 body is undeniably beautiful, and thanks to Steve McQueen is very well remembered by that demographic. Makes perfect sense to me.
But after the babyboom generation grays, Ford will have a new market that doesn't have many meaningful memories of the classic Mustangs...so replicating them won't sell the car.
If Ford insists though, I'd bet it will likely retro the Fox-bodied Mustangs ('79-'93)...plenty of today's kids know those thanks to growing up during the years of its streetracer heyday...(or "Rollin' in my 5.0 with the rag top down so my hair can blow" as was said back then... :P )
And re a modern 5.0 engine, Ford could well do it...the 3V 4.6 in the current Mustang has VVT...
What you said is true. The Late 80's-93 Fox Body's were dream cars to my generation. The Rollin' in my 5.0 song, and Ice Ice Baby, just enhanced one to want a rag top Stang to smoke tires in. :shades:
Rocky
Rocky
http://www.thecarconnection.com/Auto_News/Daily_Edition/Daily_Edition_Jan_4_2006- .S173.A9813.html
This is what foreign car buyers tend to like, futuristic stuff, or in rare cases, stuff like xB, etc.
Father-in-law has a (now ruined) 67(think it is 67,or 66, and he installed seat belts himself back then, since they were not madatory yet in vehicles)Charger in his back yard, in weeds, rusting away( what was he thinking?).
Some guy back in 87 saw it, when it was still salvageable(for less than 10K), and offered him 500 dollars cash to sell it.
He refused.
Seats are torn, rusting out body, interior is totally shot, and who knows about the engine. Been 18 years since it ran.
:sick:
What a waste of a great vehicle, IMHO.
Anyhow... yeah, I like the retro dodges, etc, just wish they ahd AWD(for less than a million dollars), or FWD stuff(read that Dodge may consider a Neon -small car, not Caliber- replacement...plus the caliber and jeep compass: FWD or AWD....may be some hope yet for us?).
Saw something, either on theautochannel.com or thecarconnection.com about that small car/Neon replacement. :confuse:
Anyhow.. it will work, people will buy.
I agree completely. After the late 70's and 80's, cars lost their style. The Mustang is doing well because it looks completely fresh to the younger generation and it appeals to the older generation because of it's history.
I was behind a new GTO yesterday and I didn't realize it until staring at it for awhile. From the back it looks like every other car on the road. The only thing that peaked my interest was the three letters and the dual exhaust.
I say the big three bring back some style from the late 50's and early 60's too.
But yes, those cars were designed with a lot of curves and nice little details that made them desireable to a lot of people back then and I think it would work for todays cars.....
They say they prefer Japanese cars because they're kept up to date and fresh looking. Other than the Corvette, they said, every American car with noticeable styling looks older than it actually is. Sometimes a lot older.
It seems to reinforce the "old tech" sentiment that domestics have to deal with. Among buyers like them, retro could turn out to actually be harmful. But that's only important if the domestics want to conquest import buyers...
(They do like the look of the Kappa cars, Aura, and Fusion, but we've only seen those at an auto show as of now.)
As for cars and losing their style, I think a lot of it has to do with what generation you're from. A lot of old timers will still carry on to this day about all those finned monsters that all looked alike in the late 50's, and reminisce about their 30's or 40's or whatever car...yet I have trouble telling most of those real old cars apart. Usually, if it was a longer car it was more upscale, I know that much, but usually I still have to read the badge.
And in the late 70's and 80's, people were complaining about how the cars started looking too much alike, compared to the pre-downsized cars. Although truthfully, it wasn't just downsizing that made those cars look more and more alike, it was badge-engineering. Ford and Chrysler were actually more guilty of it than GM, but since GM is larger and has more divisions, they got blamed more for it. But as an example, the only difference between the 1989 Gran Fury I had and a 1989 Diplomat is the paint on the grille (black on a Dodge, gray on a Plymouth) and the taillight trim (oddly just the reverse, black on a Plymouth, gray on a Dodge) a few badges, and maybe the seat trim and the buckles on the seats.
Ford and Chrysler started making cars where the basic sheetmetal and even interiors were the same, but just with easy-swap stuff like grille inserts, taillights, plastic trim, etc. For instance, if I had a 1980 Diplomat and smacked the front-end of it, I could make the front-end of a 1980 LeBaron work if I needed to (i.e., if I couldn't find a Diplomat in the junkyard). It would bolt right up to the fenders and the hood would line up. However, I did smash the header panel of my 1980 Malibu, and the only easy swap would have been from another Malibu. In this case, I found an '81 in the junkyard and bought the header panel and all the attached parts. However, the front-end of a 1980 LeMans, Cutlass, or Century would not have fit, unless I wanted to swap the hood and fenders as well. And even then, the creases on the fenders might not line up with the creases on the doors.
But still, with Ford you'd usually only have a car cloned across two lines...Ford and Mercury. Lincolns were still usually pretty unique. And with Mopar, usually a style was shared between Plymouth and Dodge or Dodge and Chrysler, but usually not across all three. So even here, you usually only had a car cloned across two lines. But with GM, you'd end up with very similar cars with subtle differences, usually spread across 4 lines, and sometimes even 5, as with the J-car.
my Brother in law got a used Grand Am, and he is thrilled to get the cladding, too! :confuse:
Seems a lot of people did not quite care for the cladding. Guy down the road needed a car, and he refuses to ever look at anything buy a Pontiac, so he got "stuck" with the "cool" Cladding, you know, like last generation had those odd lines-in-the- cladded doors,etc?
As soon as he could about break even on trade in, he got rid of that Grand Am.
One day I was outside, and could see his friends(actually, he is 2 doors down, could hear them) joking about the cladding, and "Tom" was irked, he did not look happy.
6 months later, the car was gone, after he had it 3 years.
His friend had an older Mustang(90's), and said maybe he should buy some cladding for his doors, to make it look more cool?
That's bad. Poor "Tom".
I am glad cladding came, and left, rapidly, and did not stick around for 10-15 years, on Mitsu, or Pontiac, etc.
Hope it never makes a come back, either.\
I remember the early FWD Grand Ams (the boxy ones) actually looked okay and kinda unique for the time, and I recall that the first Grand Prixes were pretty smooth and aero-looking...
I drove my mom's old 73 Impala, and 79 Regal, and my wife's first(used) car, from 85-87, a 77 Camaro. The cars were ok, all 3 RWD. just something about FWD for me.
Maybe the not having 2 sets of pricey tires to mess with every 4-6 months?
My in-laws grew up and drove RWD vehicles up to 2000...now, nothing but 4wd! Can't talk them out of these things.
Guess they feel safer.
Once fuel prices dropped though, the decision was made to keep the Monte & company around a few more years (ultimately they were replaced by the W-body for 1988) and the N-bodies were instead marketed as an upscale compact, with their sights on the likes of the BMW 3-series, smaller Benzes, etc. They were GM's closest attempt at a yuppie car.
The Grand Am did have a pretty nasty interior as I recall, with too much plastic for its own good, but the Somerset Regal and Calais seemed pretty nice inside.
When I got my '69 Dart and got rid of the Malibu, I got an extra pair of Dart rims and mounted the tires on that car. I think I used them on my '68, too. Finally though, I was going through a rough financial time in my life, and the regular tires on that Dart needed to be replaced. Instead of buying new tires, I just put the snows on it, even though it was the summer! I remember one of them blowing out during the summer of '95, at around 50 mph. My stupidity...the danged things WERE at least 8 years old by that time...Oops!
Nowadays, the only vehicles of mine that see bad weather on a regular basis are my '00 Intrepid and '85 Silverado. All the others get put up for the winter.
Are truck tires much different from passenger car tires? For having a light rear-end and being RWD, my Silverado's actually not bad in the snow and ice. I actually don't think it's any worse than the Intrepid, but that's probably just because I'm so used to it.
So whereas in the 1960s if you lived in the Northeast say, you'd have to put snow tires on your rwd station wagon when winter hit, these days you just buy an AWD minivan and be done with it... :confuse:
Remember not everyone lives in New York City or the rest of the frozen tundra up north, some of us actually like RWD sports cars (such as the new Mustang or the new Challenger soon to come) as we cruise South Beach drinking our margarita's with the funny little umbrellas. :shades:
Anyone can drive a Mustang in the sunbelt...try doing it in a Chicago winter! Now THAT takes a certain amount of, um, er, "dedication"!
1960 Nash 2-Door Sedan (for the economy crowd)
1961-2 Chevrolet Corvette (very nice design)
1963-4 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (beautiful lines)
1965 Ford 427 Cobra (nice look)
1966-68 Ford Mustang Fastback (for Mustang lovers)
1968 Mercury Cougar (bring some style to Mercury)
1968 Chevrolet Camaro Rally Sport (best year)
1969 Plymouth Road Runner (maybe name with emblem)
1969 Chevrolet Chevelle Super Sport 396 (name/style cues)
1969 Pontiac Firebird 2-Door Convertible (best year)
1969 Pontiac GTO (the one and only Judge!)
1970 Dodge Challenger (nice lines)
1970 PLYMOUTH CUDA (DITTO)
These are the best of the sixties IMHO which they could bring back in updated design and get a lot of buyers....... :shades:
Corvette - interesting to me that the Vette has constantly evolved its design over the years, and has yet to go retro. If it did, I could see it going 1963-ish...
Mustang - the current one IS a 1966-68 design.
Road Runner - I've wondered if in a year or two, Chrylser will offer a nose-coned/towelrack spoiler Charger Daytona Superbird as a real limited, "halo" kind of thing. Very few people will buy them, but they're cause a stir whereever they show up.
GM - Odd that GM has yet to retro any of their classics. They certainly should...with the babyboomers about to retire, this is GM's last chance to mine that generation's nostalgia... :confuse:
Current Mustang - seems to me the current one IS more of a 1969-70 design with the lights in the grill and some Shelby like extras. Maybe some of the MUSTANG afficionado's can help us....... :surprise:
As for the current Mustang, the body itself is mainly 1968 inspired, with the headlights (on the GT) and the quarter windows being pure 1967 Shelby (originally, anyway).
Interestingly, both Shelby touches were originally Shelby's modifications of things that were less-than-successful on his orginal 1966 Shelby Mustangs. The 1966 had the inboard headlights together in the middle of the grill (DOT said nope, and anyway they blocked air to the radiator), and there were no quarter windows (buyers complained about the blind spots).
The badging on trunk of the current gen Mustang is similar to the 1969's (a gear-like motiff) though. But yeah, there's not too much difference between the 1968s and the 1969s. Though the 1969s did sport a huge non-functional hood scoop and side scoops as standard, which is similar to the 2001-2004 models. :confuse:
The roofline is more '64.5-68, though, although I don't think any Mustang ever had big triangular quarter windows in the back. All the ones I've seen had louvers. The '69-70 fastback was actually styled to look like a hardtop, although the little quarter windows didn't roll down..they just flipped out.
Guy down the street has an '06 V6 Mustang with added louvers on the quarter windows. He also has the "Pony package" which gives one a good looking replica of the 1967 grill ("corraled" pony with horizontal bars connected to two smaller lights). Also has the shelby over-body striping though, which is a bit much for a V6 I think, but to each his own.
I love the 1970 Mustang look, with the "missing" outboard lamps.
http://www.whatboyswant.com/showcar/279/?showcarselect=1
Could well be the 1969 he had in mind...there's not too much difference overall other than a few inches added in front between the '68 and '69.
But the little details seem to place the current design closer to the 1968. Maybe that's what his team was thinking, as you mention...
- Current Mustang has a center grill pony emblem like the '68, not the offset pony-and-bars of the '69.
- Current Mustang doesn't have the 1969s high, window-sill level side scoops, but rather lower indentations like the pre-1969s.
- Current Mustang GT is missing the 1969 GT's most promient feature...the non functional hood scoop.
Of course, the outboard headlight bezels on the current 'Stang have the ridges like the 1965s, so who knows?
The 1961-2 Chevrolet Corvette actually has some 1956 T-Bird looks so may not be a good choice..
The 1963-4 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray would do very well especially if it was done a lower price level.
The 1965 Ford 427 Cobra would be great as a Miata size retro and would sell and attract nicely.
The 1968 Mercury Cougar would definitely help Liconln-Mercury bring in some buyers into the lots.
The 1968 Chevrolet Camaro Rally Sport and 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle Super Sport 396 would be a crowd pleaser.
The 1969 Pontiac Firebird 2-Door Convertible and 1969 Pontiac GTO (Judge Version) would do well.
The 1969 Plymouth Road Runner, 1970 Dodge Challenger and 1970 PLYMOUTH CUDA would really bring in lookers if not buyers........
Ford put out a really cool video showing the new Mustang and Ford GT running through a city, and added some clearly cgi-ed shots of a Ford Cobra concept to it.
Here's what Ford has to say about the car:
link title
"Muscular-looking car modeled after 1969 classic."
http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/funonwheels/01/09/detroit_camaro_concept/index.htm- l
"Now the ghosts are revving their engines. Yesterday, the Dodge Challenger, in modern concept-car form, was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show. Today, it was the Camaro."
I liked the 1968 better, but I'll go with the 1969...
More Pictures.
Camaro Story.
Compare with the Challenger.
Which do you guys like better? I like the Challenger best, then Mustang and Camaro. It's really hard to choose as all of them look so good!
About the Camaro, if it doesn't prove Chevrolet can build desirable vehicles then I dont know what will. It will also lure buyers into dealers to look at other cars. The Camaro is one of Chevrolet's best cars in terms of styling.
Without futher ado, let the muscle car wars begin!
"From the time ESPN motorsports announcer Jack Arute kicked off the festivities... it was a Camaro lovefest from beginning to end. It started with a parade of the most legendary first-generation Camaros GM could assemble, from Mark Donahue's legendary Sunoco racecar to an original and very rare 1969 ZL-1 ...And just to assure everybody that the new concept was in good hands, the last Camaro down the line was a '69 Super Sport owned by GM Vice President of Design Ed Welburn.
A couple interviews with Roger Penske and former Chevrolet general manager Jim Perkins later and the crowd was sufficiently soaked in the aura of GM's long since discontinued pony car. Bob Lutz ..drove the car in amid cheers and applause.. The new concept is more than just a modern version of the 1969 Camaro. It has very different proportions than the original. Although both are the same length, the concept car sits on a 2-inch-longer wheelbase and measures over 5 inches wider than the original. It's also slightly taller than a '69, despite its low roofline...... From the two big gauges behind the steering wheel to the auxiliary dials mounted down low on the console, there's plenty of heritage packed into its cabin.
GM's designers claim to have had more in mind than just the '69 Camaro when they drew the concept. They looked to the current Corvette for some inspiration as well as the angular YF-22 fighter jet. Their goal was to make the Camaro appeal to current fans while giving it a shape that would attract younger enthusiasts just the same.
Part of that appeal comes from a drivetrain that's more than just a big engine hooked to a four-speed. The Camaro's all-aluminum 6.0-liter V8, which is backed by a six-speed manual, not only makes 400 horsepower, its Active Fuel Management system can shut down cylinders for better mileage on the highway. And unlike every other Camaro before it, this concept features an independent rear suspension for superior handling dynamics. "
No lets see them build it and live up to the hype..... :shades:
But as stated the car is more 69 and not 67 like most mags report. Looking at the front end, the headlights are more in, and the grille surround sticks out a little a little further than on the 67. The rear, particularly the taillights and rear valance, it's pure 69-70.
Maybe they'll bring back the rear slats like on the Boss 302/429s (just kidding).
Looking at both the '69s and the '68s, I'm kinda starting to see the '69 in the new one now.
I LIKE those sport slats...but yeah, I'm willing to concede that most people won't. Rumor has it that Dodge was considering factory hood pins on their Challenger concept, but nixed them for the same reason.