Here's a question for anyone from the later 60's.

With everyone complaining about new car designs and what not, was there any grief over the body style change of the Chevelle from 67 to 68? I know it's a little different story, the Chevelles were obviously built from one year to the next with redesigns. And the new cars are badged as GTO and Charger from 30 years ago for example.

But all you hear about now is the GTO sucking and the Charger blowing as far as looks. What were your reactions when you first saw the newly restyled 1968 Chevelle? Did you think they ruined it? Did you love it? I'm assuming it grew on you over the course of time as a fan of a Chevelle is a fan of all Chevelles.

I believe it's a lot easier for companies to screw up a classic by similarily naming a dissimilar car than it is to keep the namesake going and do anywhere from subtle to extreme changes along the line (ie, Mustang).

I think it would be interesting to get your feelings and reactions from then.
This was just a random thought I had.

Discuss.

Good question....very interesting topic :thumbsup:

Here's a question for anyone from the later 60's.

With everyone complaining about new car designs and what not, was there any grief over the body style change of the Chevelle from 67 to 68? I know it's a little different story, the Chevelles were obviously built from one year to the next with redesigns. And the new cars are badged as GTO and Charger from 30 years ago for example.

But all you hear about now is the GTO sucking and the Charger blowing as far as looks. What were your reactions when you first saw the newly restyled 1968 Chevelle? Did you think they ruined it? Did you love it? I'm assuming it grew on you over the course of time as a fan of a Chevelle is a fan of all Chevelles.

I believe it's a lot easier for companies to screw up a classic by similarily naming a dissimilar car than it is to keep the namesake going and do anywhere from subtle to extreme changes along the line (ie, Mustang).

I think it would be interesting to get your feelings and reactions from then.
This was just a random thought I had.

Discuss.


you know, i think people back then were a little more excited that things were progressing, we were hoping viet nam was going to be over soon, and cool things like color t.v., stereo, and music was progressing, and that the cars were becoming more aggressive in styling, and not deteriating into a mass of bubble shapes, was a positive thing. we were getting away from the boxy cars of the 50's and moving on to the sleekness (or percieved sleekness) of the 70's. cars still had distctive styles, you didn't mistake a gto for a cavaliar. back in those days, i couldn't wait for the new car year, what was chevy bringing out, "did you see the new stingray", "wow that new 442 is badass!", "hey did you see you can get a b.b. in a nova?", going to the track and watching a "factory race car" run 12"s in the quarter. it was a different time. i still look foward to the new model year, just not as much as the old days. now a days, your hoping that a maker will produce a concept car that you've seen only to be dissappointed by a watered down version. i think we still have some great rides coming out, but unlike the old days, where buying a s.b. camaro was as cool as a z28, now a days buying a v6 charger isn't as closely associated with the hemi, you don't get the same connection. anyway, that's my .02

I remember people complaining about how much more plastic was being used. Some how that equated to lower quality. I had a friend who's dad had a new 69 or 70 Buick A-body station wagon ("Look: even the friggin' grill is plastic!!!") The engine blew up after it lost it's coolant, and the "Temp" light didn't come on. The general consensus was that new cars sucked.

That's a good question, but the time frame may be off. I can remember the '68-69 Chevelle as a step toward a more luxurious feel. Whereas the 64-67 had made progression to more style, the swoopy body of the 68 changeover came in time with the end of the decade and fit right in with the new thinking. Considering that the '68 styling exercise had occured in late '66, it fell in with the times of the 60's. Soft lines appeared everywhere and stayed in place until the early 70's. Soft lines appeared in clothes, architecture, roadways, signs, artwork. The biggest shock and disappointment was probably the realease of the '73 & later landbarges with the cow catcher bumpers.

My dad still hasn't gotten over how they "ruined" the Camaro in '69. He always loved the '68 camaro, but still to this day hates the '69s :D :clonk:

I'd be willing to bet in the late 50s, there were people who were complaining about how ugly "fins" were... then in the early 60s started complaining there was no "style" with the dissappearance of the fin... mid 60s were too "boxy"... late 60s too rounded or bubble shaped, early 70s too "fat", mid 70s too "cheap", etc...

They may be classics now, but there were people who didn't like them then. Example: 57 Ford outsold 57 Chevy because Chevy was a "carry-over" year and the fords were a "new design"

The flathead guys thought of the '55 smallblocks like we do Honda V-tecs, then the 50s hotrod guys thought the same of the LS-6 Chevelles.

The complaining will never end, even with great cars like the new GTO. Just look at the way they are viewed buy the old guys on this site :sad: