RichieRich

In ACAR, they talk a lot about the front end design of the C5 and how much they want it to be intimidating, have a presence on the road, etc.

Even though I have one, when I'm in my Silverado and I see one on the road, I'm still struck by its presence and how menacing it looks creeping up in your rearview mirror (funny that I think the DRL actually add to it).

From the pics of the C6 and how Fichtner's dad says it looks it seems it won't be as intimidating. I hope I'm wrong!

It needs to look mean :reddevil

Drewdog

As much as I like the C5, I do think it could have been a little more aggresive looking. In my personal opinion, I think the C6 will look great, and be nothing like the spy shots/renderings we have seen. My girlfriend and I are going to the car show when it is revealed :cool:

Jinx

To me, C5's intimidation comes from (a) width and (b) no headlights. Today's bejeweled headlight look just isn't masculine, and C5's frankly antiquated popups give it a scary headless-horseman vibe. Without headlights, your focus drops to the wide-set "intake" slits and the DRLs. As for width, C5's natural width is accentuated by the low snout, the extreme low-corner placement of the DRLs, and the unnaturally-wide headlights (when they're up).

I'm afraid that C6's exposed headlights will visually raise the car's focal point, making it seem taller and narrower. Also, I get the feeling that there will be a more pronounced point drawn by creases (to help visually add back the length being chopped and to recall C2 & C3) which will further pinch the snout and detract from perceived width.

Then there's the busy-factor. C6's sides and top already look way too busy. Supercars have a few large sweeping design elements; I think they should have picked either the sharp-edged cut fenders OR the long side cove, but right now the two seem at odds with each other. This of course has nothing to do with how the car looks in your rearview mirror, but it does have an effect on the overall "meanness."

As soft as C5's curves are, I think it will prove to be the more meanacing design. C6 looks to be reaching too far.

We'll see in a few months.

.Jinx

LymanSS

Interesting thoughts Jinx. Personally I think the C5 has a wonderfully mean look. Being low and wide contribute much to the feeling, and the swoopy fenders and sculpted hood do the rest. I share the concerns about exposed headlights making it more cute and friendly so I decided to gather some images of the meanest looking (current production) exposed headlamp cars I could think of. Here they are.



Like it or not, we all have to admit that the viper has presence. It's also pretty menacing. I think it lacks the elgance of the C5, and has a lot of distractions due to the headlights and crosshairs grill. But it's definitely still mean....in an overt way.



This is like the little kid who tries to look angry but who just makes people laugh at how cute his antics are. The squinted headlights and snearing face try to look angry, but it lacks the width and (forgive me) bulk to be ominous.

http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//pictures/VEHICLE/2002/Ferrari/100074540 - won't let me post an image, so just click to see it.
I don't know anyone who will say that the 360 modena is ugly, but it's not really all that mean looking. The headlight pods are rounded, and all the body lines on the nose are smooth and gentle. Perhaps without the headlights, the focus would stay on the grill, making the car look lower and more sinister. This would agree with Jinx's notion that the headlights will raise the focal point making it seem taller and narrower. Perhaps that will be ofset by sharper lines in the front to draw attention where they want it...but that may make it cluttered like the viper's nose.

having trouble with these links...I'll fix them in about half an hour if I don't fall asleep
http://fcarz1.tripod.com/Lamborghini...mbo_dia_42.jpg
http://fcarz1.tripod.com/Lamborghini...mbo_dia_45.jpg

Here we get to compare two versions of what is essentially the same car, with pop-ups and then with exposed headlights. I personally think the pop ups give it a more sly look whereas the exposed lights look more straightforward and honest (hence not quite as mean. And we can definitely see that they raise the focal point, but it works ok on this car because it's SOOOO wide already.




Last we take a look at the c5. It's wide (though not as wide as some of the cars above) and low. The DRLs are the only lights on the front, and they emphasize the width and keep the focus low. Without headlights to get in the way, fenders flow gracefully down to the nose, providing a low, intimidating stance, combined with an understated grace. Intimidating, mean even... yet elegant. I think that to acheive this with headlights in the way will require some skill, but I'm not too worried. I doubt it'll look as busy as the viper, or as silly as the S2000. And it will probably look considerably meaner than the Ferrari. But until that bra comes off the front it's all guesswork.

Scott


[Modified by LymanSS, 3:39 AM 9/23/2003]

Scissors

From the front, I think the C6 will look mean so long as the exposed headlights have a distinct "scowl" (i.e. the top edgest rise sharply from the inside to the outside.) The front intake also needs to not smile.

From the pictures, we already know the C6 will be wider in the rear to accomodate wider tires and hopefully the front will also be wider to match. I hope the DRLs stay and keep their position. They are like burning coals for eyes...like a beast from hell.

DanielW

:spam

Adam Bruce

One of the things I loved about the Trans Am was how "Mean" it looks. The Vette looks fast, the TA looks Angry ;)

Personally I would preffer a more agressive look.

Hurricane

Well, we haven't seen the front yet - will be interesting to see how it finally looks when all the camo has been removed...

:yesnod:

H82BFST

I'm with Adam on this one... my lowered Black WS6 simply looks pissed compared to my red C5. The T/A looks way more aggressive and meaner. The C5 looks "plain" in comparison.

However, there is no mistaking an approaching C5.

I liked the old Vipers too. The new ones "lost" something in the update... they became more of a for the masses looking type car....

Tenderfoot

:withstupid: The intimidation in the rear view mirror for other drivers also comes from a C5 coming up fast behind them. If the HP/weight ratio guesses are correct, the C6 should be better than the C5 at this form of intimidation.

Scissors

I have to agree that WS6 Trans Ams from '98 and later do look angrier than the C5. I almost expect to see fire snorting from the nostrils.

RichieRich

:lol: Yeah, they look like a bull rushing a matador.

Rocketblock

The C6 has got to be mean. It's got to be BAD, it's got to be slick. I think in the rear view mirror the C5 is a tough act to follow. :yesnod:

zphantom

Being a big Corvette fan for years, as well as a GM fan, I have a few comments on this subject. First on the F-body, the Trans Am was always one of the loudest styled cars on the road, it always outflashed the Camaro, and received reviews from too gaudy, to awesome. I liked the T/A, once considered owning one, but my love was always for Vette's. If you look at the history of the Corvette it has always maintained a classy, elegant, down to business look. The straight axles save the '58 were all this, they didn't have the fins or the outlandish use of chrome. The beautiful mid-years were one of the best looking cars ever. During a time when loud stripes and big fenders were in, the Vette had tasteful bulges and one very beautiful body line stretching from the hidden headlights to the quad tailights. The coke bottle C3 ushered in the era of curves and edited the bodylines of most American vehicles. The '71 Mopar B-Body (Charger), '70 E-Body (Challenger), '71 Boattail Riveria, all GM F-Bodys took cues from the Corvette. The only issue was by 1982 the C3 looked dated, whereas the F-body looked so fresh. On to the C4, which I grew up with and fell in love with, was the creation of the modern Corvette. It also influenced the RX-7 and 300ZX to name a few. It was very 80's with high tech looking lines and low/wide look with enough sloopy lines to know it was Vette. The 90's introduced curves and rounded teardrops again made the Corvette look dated. The ZR1 and its impose '91 body change looked nice, and I love it, but it wore fast. This made the C5 a real needed ground up design, and it was a filled out C4, low, wide, and looked really tough. It still maintained the elegant look of the Vette, but brought it into the 90's, it still looks good today. If you take notice this is the first time since 1968 where a Corvette will have been restyled before it was outdated. This will do a few things. One, the C5 will become an instant classic, I will tell my children about how beautiful the C5 was, just like my father told me of the C2. Two it will make the C6 controversial, just like the C3 was. The C6 has some of the C3 in it. So I am to guess if you like a C3, you will like the C6. Three, the C6 will influence the automotive industry, just as the C3 did. This may be positive or negative, we will have to see. One thing to note is that the C6 will have many improvements over the C5, something that the C3 didn't have being a rebodied C2. So where the C3 was considered lacking the C6 will shine. The C5 is and will always be perfect at the time it was here. The C6? it may not be "MEAN", but maybe the next step doesn't require it to be. The 1st gen Viper was a MEAN looking car, but did it look as good as a C5 in '97 till it became the 2nd gen Viper, which many will say is not as mean as the 1st. The Viper looks very fresh now, and does make the Vette look a little dated, but loss some of its meanness to become more classy. The Vette will probably be very sexy and sleek, with a hint of some serious muscle in its lines, much like the C5 of today. The only concern I have is the loss of the beloved hidden headlights, but maybe I need to give that up as well, maybe its dated. The Corvette will be, and always has been car that captivates people, just ask me, I have been since I was five. Will the Corvette be "MEAN", it will be your opinion? Will it be one of the most beautiful cars on the road? Yes, I can assure you of that.

Hurricane

Great comments, zphantom! :D And welcome to the forum! :cheers:

GDP

I think that it will look more intimidating! The open front grille, coupled with the fender extensions into the door (For lack of a better term. I'll show a picture of what I mean.) will look pretty aggressive.






[Modified by GDP, 7:06 PM 9/23/2003]

Scissors

Those are added to the body panels (kind of like BSMs) as a form of camo to throw off the lines of the car.

ghostRder

Sorry but I have to take exception to the "angry little kid" look of the S2000--I have one and believe me it's no slouch. Keep in mind that the same torque is availble at 75 mph that was at 20 mph. Put another 4 cly bank on and you'll have a vtec of 500 hp vs the 250 it has just think how fast that 2500 lb car will move to 60 mph. I also watched a TV race event amongst those Rice burners and a Z06 the only car that beat the S2000 was a Z06, not by all that much however. True I miss my Corvette and will buy a C6 asap--but I for one will not sell the S2000 short. :nono:

Yogivette

I was out in my c4 the other day and a z06 pulled up past me at a light. From the back it just looked plain mean...like a race car real high wide back end...it was intimidating...now from the front c5s definitely looks mean as well...but if they screw up the headlights it will mess up the mean factor for sure...the headlights need to be wide and short for lack of better term...like the new lambergini sp? or the viper...if they go round it will screw it up...look at the improvements between the old and new WRX.

Yogi

Scissors

I'm sorry, but what does any of that have to do with the S2000's mean little kid appearance?