01-25-2022, 03:04 AM
Ferret, congrats on the new Mustang. I'm sure you're anxious to get your hands on it! This is the only period in my life where I don't own a Mustang. I miss having one dearly, but have looked at my garage many times. With a little Fiesta ST, I have more room in the garage for bikes, and I hardly drove my last Mustang... sold it at 12 years with 30k miles on it.
The Petersen Museum used to host panel discussions with automotive influencers. I attended them whenever I could. They did a design series, and the first panel was comprised of current designers - Ford, GM, and a few other brands. They explained the popularity of retro designs - the Mini, Beetle, Mustang, Challenger, etc very logically. People who bought these cars when they were current in the 60s and 70s when they were young, could now relive their youth in a vehicle that evoked the past, but was just as modern as any other car on the road.
The following week, the panel was comprised of retired designers who had worked during the 60s and 70s at Ford, GM, etc. I asked them what they thought about the trend toward retro vehicles. The answers sort of surprised me - I had touched a nerve... They called the new designers lazy, simply having taken their '60s designs and modernized them to meet DOT and aerodynamic standards. One of them said "Which one is gonna be next? Are they gonna take a boxy '70s Volvo wagon and make a retro version of that? Where is this going to stop?"
Looking at the Challenger in particular, it's been in the market since 2008 with the same body shell. Yet it still sells very well. Stylistically, it really can't change much... it's a modern version of a car that only existed for five years, in one body style. But man do I want one.
I'm glad the retro trend didn't stop before the CB1100, the New Bonneville, and the other retro bikes that still look great today.
The Petersen Museum used to host panel discussions with automotive influencers. I attended them whenever I could. They did a design series, and the first panel was comprised of current designers - Ford, GM, and a few other brands. They explained the popularity of retro designs - the Mini, Beetle, Mustang, Challenger, etc very logically. People who bought these cars when they were current in the 60s and 70s when they were young, could now relive their youth in a vehicle that evoked the past, but was just as modern as any other car on the road.
The following week, the panel was comprised of retired designers who had worked during the 60s and 70s at Ford, GM, etc. I asked them what they thought about the trend toward retro vehicles. The answers sort of surprised me - I had touched a nerve... They called the new designers lazy, simply having taken their '60s designs and modernized them to meet DOT and aerodynamic standards. One of them said "Which one is gonna be next? Are they gonna take a boxy '70s Volvo wagon and make a retro version of that? Where is this going to stop?"
Looking at the Challenger in particular, it's been in the market since 2008 with the same body shell. Yet it still sells very well. Stylistically, it really can't change much... it's a modern version of a car that only existed for five years, in one body style. But man do I want one.
I'm glad the retro trend didn't stop before the CB1100, the New Bonneville, and the other retro bikes that still look great today.