Charley, thanks for the opportunity to post on this topic for the benefit of Chevy. You might suggest to Scott that he has a pretty good cross section of people on this site (age, geography, income brackets, etc.) that are all likely buyers of this car. I bet if asked, he'd get plenty of people willing to participate in focus groups, etc. to help refine the design and marketing strategy for the Camaro.
Anyway, here's my piece:
I was 3 in 69 so I didn't qualify as a first time buyer then. But the shape of the 69 has always appealed to me and I wanted one ever since I became interested in cars. I'm luck enough to have two now. My first real car was an '84 Z-28.
It's funny how the evolution of cars takes place and how our feelings change about each of the evolutionary stages. I love the 60s Camaros. I hated the 70-81 cars originally, but now like the early years of these cars. I think the 3rd gens were closer to the spirit of the 60s cars. I never liked or understood the styling of the late 90s cars. Dare I say that the evolution of the Camaro was very disjointed from era to era, unlike the smoother changes of the Corvette, for example.
Like others on this site and elsewhere, I think Chevy has a wonderful opportunity to capitalize on one of its most successful designs ever, by recapturing the spirit of the 1st gen Camaro in an updated design reflecting current manufacturing practices, technology, performance and styling. What is important, I think, is to pay greater heed to the styling cues of the original car than the current design does. The efforts of Ford, even including the woeful T-Bird (not a performance car really - that was the problem), and Chrysler with respect to these updated retro models have worked (both from a design perspective, and I suppose in the showroom) because they have updated the cars appropriately while making very strong visual ties to the past cars. The combination of feelings of regained youth, available modern performance and an attractive price point is a powerful mix that appeals to both emotion and wallet.
The current prototype doesn't quite capture that mix correctly. I think the pointy grill/bumper treatment is the culprit. Too much a "me too" with the Cadillac stable and some other cars. Flatten the nose off while keeping a good sized grill opening and you end up with a meaner looking car evoking the 1st gen front end that I'm sure will be a winner. It worked for Ford on the Mustang and is apparent in the new Challenger too. Don't worry about being viewed as pursuing a "me too" strategy, you need to sell cars. People don't want a rocket ship design, they want a muscle car that runs like a rocket ship. With that in mind, you should make an LS-7 version of the car. Mercedes, Audi and BMW aren't afraid to stuff 500hp+ in their mid-size coupes.
I had the chance to buy one of the 5 ZO-6 Corvettes destined for the UK, but ended up passing on the car as impractical for London. But an LS-7 powered, flat nosed Camaro - sign me up.
