Directly from the DaimlerChrysler Pacifica Design Studio - Lateral-g Forums

rockdogz · #1 03-22-2006, 07:27 AM

Wow, that's just killer.... The drawings plus the news that these pros frequent our site. DEFINITELY like the concept guys - now BUILD IT!!

T Bell · #2 03-22-2006, 07:32 AM

Sweet ride. It's got just the right amount of this and not too much of that. If money fell from the heavens, I'd buy one. Hell, for that matter, I'd buy two.

Buick Motorsports · #3 03-22-2006, 07:46 AM

Initially, I felt that the car was too retro! I have to admit tho, of all the cars with "retro" styling or cues, this car has the greatest appeal.

Of all the conversations I've had with local enthusiasts, whether they worship the blue oval, bowties or mopars, they all agree that the new Challenger could find a home in their garage.

If I was going to make any changes to the car, I would have foregone the retro style hood for somthing reminiscent of the Viper hood. Of course this would be a functional cold air induction! Had that been done, I would say, that would be the perfect balance of new and old influence.

For good, for bad, just my 2 cents.

Damn True · #4 03-22-2006, 08:19 AM

As a whole I like the Challenger. Of course some things will have to change. I sincerely doubt the 20"+ wheels will make it to production (that's a good thing) and Id like to see the thing shrink in all dimensions. I sincerely hope they will have a manual transmission in it, but we all know how Daimler Benz feels about those....I'm not confident. Lastly, the weight. 4k is waaaaay too much. You can run all the "It's gotta HEMI" commercials you want, but the thing will still weigh FOUR THOUSAND POUNDS. Cripes.

Again, bitchin car, but as of right now, I prefer the new Camaro. Time will tell though.

JohnnyGMachine · #5 03-22-2006, 09:18 AM

You guys know me - I like seeing nice renderings! That's good stuff and I appreciate the guy(s) from Mopar sharing. I agree with True on the 20s, it's too "Unique Whips" for me. Of course you know some bonehead's gonna build a Donk-style version of it when it comes out. Geez.
Anyways, I myself have also contributed my 2 cents to the Retro-Design conversations and posts but now that the dust has settled on seeing the new Camaro and Challenger - I don't care about if it's too retro or not or what's too much retro - Hey they're building them and they're not butt-ugly, good enough for me! The Challenger looks great, aftermarket companies are gonna have a field day with this Challenger just like they are with the Stang. I'm just happy there's more to pick from from the OEMs than a Mustang and a Corvette for V8 muscle. The Ford GT is just way too far out of most consumers wallets. The GTO's gonna probably die and though I think that car makes for a clean sheet of paper to design upon, it's just not cuttin' it in the styling department.
Anyways - 2 thumbs up to Chrysler for once again bringing another killer concept to production (if they're makin' it).

John

**Stuart Adams** · #6 03-22-2006, 09:32 AM

Cool drawings Mike. Nice looking car.

Are you going to be at Del Mar Goodguys?

Casti · #7 03-22-2006, 09:40 PM

Having a site like this really helps me to stay inspired, especially when I walk out to the garage and see my 67 Camaro sitting there in pieces like a P.O.S. Thanks for all of the input on the Challenger. It was an ultra-cool project that started back in January 2004. We started with three different directions. I always felt that the car should have the spirit of the original 1970 Challenger. Thankfully, my design direction was chosen to become the concept car. Thanks Scott for posting my sketches. I will continue to be a huge fan of Lateral-G.net and the awesome featured muscle cars!

Casti

Derek69SS · #8 03-22-2006, 10:01 AM

Here's my take on the Camaro/Mustang/Challenger thing...

Challenger: A bit "too retro" for me, but they got it pretty close to "right" for what a new Challenger should be. The Challenger only ever had one basic style, so building off that one style was the only way they could go with it, other than just putting the challenger name on something totally new and nothing like the original, like they did with the Charger. I haven't seen the sales figures on the Charger, but there seems of complaints about the number of doors from the enthusiasts... something tells me the people buying these aren't enthusiasts though. The Challenger was a pretty short-production run then, and I'll bet if it comes back, it will also be intended to be a 3-4 year run, with no intention of making a return after that. (just my take on it, correct me if I'm wrong) They didn't leave much to be changed without upsetting the look of the original style they based this one from, so I doubt this car will go through any major styling changes before the model is dropped.

Camaro: first-gen enthusiasts want "more retro", but they seem to forget that the first-gen was only 3 years of the 35 years the camaro was in production. There was some pretty cool styling in those other 32 years too. It appears GM might want to bring the Camaro name back for another 35 years, which is why they designed it to allow for styling changes to stay fresh. If they made it look like a '69, the first time they'd change something, it would just look like something that didn't fit the '69 styling. The design, as-is, can be changed dramatically without redesigning the whole car through a 7-8 year production run. The next style could build off this one, or go completely different, without something looking out-of-place in the evolution of the Camaro. It might not sell as well for the couple years a full retro would, but this appears to be a long-term design, not a "Jump on the retro fad while it lasts, then kill it again" design.

I know a lot of you have said something like "I'd buy one if it was a fully-retro '69 style", but they don't want you to buy one. They want you to buy several... one every few years when the new design makes you want a new one more than the one you already have.

Mustang: Where does it go next? 2010 Mustang II?

They got this design out way before the others, and it was a hit. The problem is, much like the Challenger, there's very little room for change without upsetting the whole retro look. People won't buy retro forever, but the one thing the mustang has going for it, is the hype of the retro Challenger and semi-retro Camaro. This hype will buy the Mustang a couple more years of reaping the "retro" fad. My question is, what do they do when sales fall off? (and they will, you know they will)