<VV>Retro

[Tony Underwood]

At 04:07 PM 11/21/2006, mryahoo at bellsouth.net wrote:
>I think the 2005 and newer Mustangs look exactly like a 1967-68 
>Mustang, without costing an arm and a leg.  Needless to say, if Ford 
>did it, so can GM
>
>Padgett wrote:
>> >I was talking about GM repro'ing the '57 Chevrolet as a part of 
>> the retro trend.
>>
>>Problem is all of the regulations that have come into effect 
>>starting in 1966 and continuing to this day. Things like the FMVSS 
>>that gave us safety knobs on the dash up through the 1995 
>>requirement  for 1998 cars and 1999 light trucks to have dual air bags.
>>
>>In other words for GM to build a 57 Chevvy (or a 65 Corvair) today 
>>would either be illegal, unrecognizable, or absurdly expensive.



Not only did Ford do it, they did it for 20K.   That was the 
starting-out price, likely a little cheaper now.   I've not checked.

The "new" Bel-Air wouldn't have to be bone-stone identical... it just 
needs to *Look* like the '57 article.   Interior things like dash etc 
could be uprated and still keep the appearance of the original  but 
meet current specs.   That includes air bags and dash 
padding.  Outside wouldn't have to be cloned either, but certainly 
close enough to be unmistakable and still not present manufacturing 
woes or DOT mandate issues.    As mentioned, look at the 
Mustang...  which could have been made to look a lot more like the 
original item yet, if Ford had wanted to go farther.    They didn't 
have to... the new Mustang looks just fine the way it is.

If GM did a car up like that and sold it for what the Mustang sells 
for, I bet a lot of people would be willing to buy it...  IF the car 
was true to its origins and not an almost-wannabe like Ford's BIG 
blunder with the last T-Bird.    They learned their lesson, hence the 
Mustang "correction".   ;)


tony..