Was insulted today !

[ClassicVW_imp]

An '05 or an '06 Mustang is not the same category as the '64 muscle cars we started to comment about. I think they do appreciate the newer ballsy cars. I said the youngsters don't lust over the old iron, and that has been my experience. Nor do they have the do-rei-mi to purchase one. I can only state my experience, maybe it's a regional thing, maybe not. Not one 18-29 year old has looked at my CB and shown the least amount of interest. But it draws a crowd with the over-40 set.

[ChipBeck_imp]

An '05 or an '06 Mustang is not the same category as the '64 muscle cars we started to comment about. I think they do appreciate the newer ballsy cars. I said the youngsters don't lust over the old iron, and that has been my experience. Nor do they have the do-rei-mi to purchase one. I can only state my experience, maybe it's a regional thing, maybe not. Not one 18-29 year old has looked at my CB and shown the least amount of interest. But it draws a crowd with the over-40 set.

Classic,

Certainly can't argue with your experience and in your area perhaps that's true. But the gentleman pictured below has been a good friend of mine for a decade now, has expended hundreds of thousands of dollars researching this exact issue coast to coast, and according to the Ford Motor Company, your experience doesn't correspond to their market research. His name is Jamal Hameedi, Ford Motor Company executive officer and head of Ford SVT (Special Vehicle Team), the performance division of Ford, and he was introduced to me in 2005 while managing SVT's Ford GT program (I am the Moderator of the Ford GT Forum).

I don't know what you mean when you state that an '05 or '06 Mustang is not in the same category as the '64 muscle cars we started to comment about, when the 1965 Mustang GT350 is the car that sat in the design studio when the clay mockups of that new '05 Mustang were put together. Ford was specifically using that 1965 Mustang because market research showed that it appealed to young and old alike. And after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars doing focus group research that included high school kids, that's not just an opinion, that's a fact. You have probably never allowed your son to drive a finely restored 1965 289 Mustang to his high school when his new 2012 Mustang was in the shop, but I have. That 1965 Mustang drew 10 times the kids to oohhh and ahhh over it than his brand new Mustang did. My teenage son told me he felt like a rock star that day driving a 50-year-old Mustang. And the fact that most kids couldn't afford one is completely irrelevant as every young man, rich and poor alike, would love to own a new or vintage Ferrari even though none of them can afford one. The fact that they can't afford one does not diminish their desire one bit. According to Jamal, when young men in the 18 to 29-year-old demographic are shown photographs of Mustangs spanning that models half-century of production, the three models that those young kids like the best are the 1965, 1967, and 1969 Mustang fastbacks. Again, according to extensive market research that is not an opinion, that's a fact. It is for this reason that the 1965 Mustang fastback GT350 was used as the styling basis for the '05 and '06 Mustangs.

When the Ford GT was re-created for two model years in 2005 and 2006, a 1965 Ford GT sat in the design studio and was copied as closely as possible by Ford GT chief stylist Camillo Pardo, who is also a good friend of mine. According to Camillo, that 1965 Ford GT scored higher with focus groups in every demographic including 18 to 29-year-olds, than any other Ford that has ever been tested.

When Chevrolet was doing their market research prior to reintroducing the Camaro, every single previous Camaro was shown to countless focus groups. It wasn't even close. In the young demographic of 18 to 29-year-olds that you tell us do not lust after old cars, the most popular body style by far was the 1969 Camaro. A 1969 Camaro sat in the design studio when those clay mockups were taking shape and the stylists were told to copy that 1969 design as closely as modern regulations would allow.

There are a lot of young kids today who don't lust after any cars. They like iPads and iPhones and computers. For most young boys and girls, having any type of car is a fantasy. And perhaps to them, looking at a vintage muscle car, a Ferrari, or a modern recreation of those designs as we see in the new Camaro, Mustang, Ford GT, and Dodge Challenger would be frustrating if they can't afford them. But the parking lot at my son's high school is filled with brand-new cars and the kids didn't need to be able to afford them because their parents bought them. At age 18 my son was one of the last of his friends to get a brand-new car, but he looks for any opportunity to leave that brand new Mustang in the garage when he can drive my 40 year-old Jeep CJ-5, or my 50-year-old 1965 Mustang. That's my experience. All the best.

Chip

[url=http://s288.photobucket.com/user/chipbeck/media/jamal-hameedi-svt.jpg.html]

[metallyguitarded_imp]

No matter what your experience has been or what your opinion is, you have to admit, that was a good read. Thanks Chip!

[CIP57_imp]

I have driven both the 60's classics and modern Camaro and Mustang. The newer models are very nice but are not close to the original 60's models. They are much more soft ( or plush) to there counter part, completely different ride. The motor and cam profile give you a completely different feel when driving not to mention the weight of the two.

The 1969 ZL1 or the sleeper car because it came through with no fancy emblems or wheels. Chevy manufactured 69 vehicles 50 which where sold to Gibb Chevrolet ( a high performance dealer who railed Chevy to make this car.) This had a 427 and ran low 13's stock and with very little modifications would turn low 11's.

Last year my son was in the market for a ZL1, wasn't sure to wait for the new Z-28 with more track appeal and less power, decided on the straight line fast ZL1 with more creature comforts. At 12.3 1/4 stock from the factory, not to shabby.

[rboe]

Meh. I lived through that era, lusted after the Mustangs just a bit - prefer the 1969 and 71-73 models. Then the Dark Ages started with the '74. Bleh. Not many good looking American cars were produced for many many years.

Newer Mustangs look better today. But I bought a F150 instead. The need to haul things far exceeds the need to haul a**.

[DGShannon_imp]

Meh. I lived through that era, lusted after the Mustangs just a bit - prefer the 1969 and 71-73 models. Then the Dark Ages started with the '74. Bleh. Not many good looking American cars were produced for many many years.

Newer Mustangs look better today. But I bought a F150 instead. The need to haul things far exceeds the need to haul a**.

Me as well. I was fortunate in that my first car was a 65 Fastback 289 4 speed, and my third car was a 72 Fastback 351 ([url=http://www.1972mustangsprint.com/]limited edition Sprint). So, my love for Mustangs was sealed early on. My favorite body style, by far, is the 69 Fastback.

[ClassicVW_imp]

Like I said, my experience. Not just with my motorcycles, but with many kids in their 20s in my town and my general area. A lot of them certainly do like the new Camaro, but that was not the target of my comment. YMMV. Cheers!

[metallyguitarded_imp]

In high school, my older brother owned a '68 Mustang with a 289 engine. It was pale yellow and the front passenger side floorboard was rusted completely through. There was hole the size of a basketball that you could watch the road pass under you. It smelled of gasoline and burnt oil. I thought it was the coolest car I had ever sat in. The smell, the shake, the rumble, all coming together to overwhelm my highly impressionable 14 year old senses. He eventually sold it but not before I was allowed to drive it. The seed was planted.

Fast forward to the 2005 International Auto Show. Up on a pedestal was the new Mustang GT. It stole the show for me. I left vowing to own that car one day. A few years later, I made it happen. I bought a used '05 GT convertible. It lacked the shake and the smell but every time I fired it up, that rumble brought back great memories and a smile to my face. I eventually traded it in for something more practical but am glad I had it for a few years. I got thumbs up and "nice car" comments routinely in the Mustang. Once, while stuck in downtown traffic with the top down, a woman in her late 20s/early 30s who was with her friend in a car ahead of me, got out and walked up to me, smiled and handed me a business card. I had no idea what to say (I have zero game plus I'm married - pure luck on my part). I smiled and took the card. She was the manager at a downtown gym. Either she was suggesting I needed to work out or she was flirting and wanted me to call her. The look on her face said it was the latter. Talk about an ego boost. I have no doubt the car contributed to that experience. I just don't think that would have happened if I had been stuck in traffic in a Ford Escape. I couldn't wait to get home and tell my wife about it. The novelty and excitement of the experience quickly dissolved when my wife asked me to go through it again and started asking for greater details. The robot in the back of my head started announcing, "Danger Will Robinson! Danger!" I survived and learned a valuable lesson - you don't have to share EVERYTHING that happens to you with your spouse, especially if it involves an unknown, attractive woman who owns a gym.

My experience with the CB lacks the thrill the Mustang brought on that one afternoon (so far). But the one time I rode with my wife to a nearby restaurant for lunch, a guy who appeared to be in his early 20s crossed the street and made a bee line to where my CB was parked on the side of the road. He took out his cell phone and snapped a couple photos of the CB. Within 15 minutes, another guy, although in his 40s, did the same. My boys, both in their early 20s, who have seen me on different kinds of bikes (cruiser, naked, sport, standard, sport-tourer), both agree that the CB is the "coolest" one I've owned. That includes the Monster Energy, special edition, lime green Kawasaki ZX6R that I had until it was stolen and my Anniversary Edition red, white and blue VFR800 that I still own.

[the Ferret]

There are certain vehicles, be they scooters, cars, motorcycles, boats or planes that are just timeless in their design when compared to their counterparts, and can overwhelmingly be appreciated by young and old alike. The best of the best when it comes to design. Every once in awhile a designer and manufacturer gets lucky, and their work will be looked upon favorably forever.

The new Bonneville, the MG V7, the CB1100 look close enough to those timeless designs to draw praise where ever they go by all age groups.

[Elipten_imp]

Yea Ferret, some things are timeless.


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