thanks everyone.
i am kind of burned out on most aspects of the retro craze myself, but there are exceptions (imo). i recall it was around 93 that car mags started using the term retro with regards to design, we have been in a 15 year retro phase ha ha
retros( or retro inspired) that i like:
2010 camaro- captures the passion of the original while totally modern
HHR SSR chevies - they just look great!
Solstice wow, just awesome
vw beetle, really nice rework that still feels a little like the original.
mini cooper.
current mustang. aggressive and beautiful from any angle ( still like the camaro much more)
don't like so much:
ford tbird. front is great, but laying down the tailamps was a nod to the wrong kind of modern.
plymouth pt cruiser. just don't like the lines of it. was a great idea, and important because it paved the way for a lot of other niche products of all makes.
new challenger. ( i might get some flak for saying this?) it looks too similar to the original- for a retro to really ignite passion it has to add something visually to the recipe. the challenger says boring to me, we have a few rolling around my neighborhood...
would love to hear other peoples fave and not so fave retro type designs. plus i probably forgot some.
back to the sketch ( and thanks again for the nice comments)
my fantasy ---- pontiac decided in 67 to branch out the performance line with a corvette beater, using the strength of the GTO name and performance image.
for 71,
the 'regular' GTO would continue on as the new lemans with can am package, judge discontinued. all new 71 GTO retains 1970 goat front end styling to move the pontiac buyers upmarket, keeping the familiar.
pontiac engineers work feverishly retrofitting the 400 into a mid-engine configuration on a race inspired chassis, state of the art for 68!
sales lag of the newly introduced 68 vette gives gm brass the incentive to stir things up by greenlighting the 'super goat' ( as the press have dubbed it after seeing the concept model at the 69 detroit auto show).
car is launched march of 71 due to some supplier issues, transaxle durability problems etc. wins car of the year in motor trend despite its rare status. press absolutley eats the car up, they love it with its 12.94 quarter mile times and stellar, race inspired handling. outsells corvette by a slight margin despite the short model year run.
72 sees even higher sales, but a tragic set of events signals the end of the road for the super goat. ralph nader, seeking to further his cause, petitions congress in a highly publicized campaign to end what he calls "sport missiles of death". he asks congress to enact legislation to severely limit horsepower and outlaw the use of race type cars on the street. he singles out mach 1 mustangs and the new gto as examples. using a newspaper report from berwyn illinois, he angrily describes an accident where two children die after being t-boned by a 71 gto driven by a 19 year old. no legislation is passed, but the public relations damage was severe enough that pontiac buckled and announced there would be no 73 gto.
