[quote=""aaronatstate""]How come Trevor Creeds name is not on the patent? Thats neither here nor there thou. That 1999 Charger concept, yeah my uncle helped design that too. If this is the one you are talking about.
http://www.google.com/patents?id=Y7AZAA ... obile+body[/quote]
I just sent you a long PM
(I'm really really passionate about the Charger)
Trevor was VP of Design at the time the not-a-charger was built (he may still be, I'm not sure). In the press releases, he was the one who guided the design.
They needed to wrap it around that 300 frame..ok, i can understand that..you need to keep costs down..hell, even the Coronet and Charger were on the same frame back in the day.
The problem is that what they wrapped around that frame was very disappointing from an enthusiast point of view.
What they put IN the frame (the big-ass hemi and a pavement chewing gear-box) was NOT disappointing. I'd probably have one right now if the thing didn't look like a truck with an identity crisis.
The nose was too stubby (not to mention the cross-hair Ram grill...it's a freakin' truck grill for cryin' out loud!..and if you couldn't tell, that's my biggest pet peeve with that design).
The trunk was also too stubby..but again, that's because they were limited by the 300 frame.
4-doors didn't bother my as much as a lot of the other folks..4-doors is all for marketing, i understand that..you need to hit that target market. The 2-door muscle car market is not going to make Dodge any money.
The coke-bottle design was only "hinted" at in the c-pillar's..that was one of the huge attractions of the original Charger..it was revolutionary at the time and caught people's attention. Bring that coke-bottle design out and into the public's eye! Slam it in their face! You want people to look at that car and say "Holy shit, that's a Charger!"
I liked the current designs aggressive headlights..but, again, that grill just ruins it.
If your uncle designed the '99, I'd like to shake his hand. That is a beautiful car..and had they built that one, I'd already own one. I'm not just saying that, either..I really would buy a Charger if it looked like the '99 concept. That car was aggressive, it had a low muscular stance, just like the original. The c-pillars had a far more distinctive coke-bottle look than the production version has. The rear-end looked like they took a '69 and ran it through a future-enhancer! There was no mistaking that rear-end for anything except a Charger.
But the production version? When you see the rear-end of that thing, you can't tell if it's a Charger or a 300. That's just not right.
The Charger's name-sake has a lot of potential to bring attention to the Dodge name. People remember Chargers, Mustangs, Camaro's, Goats, etc.
Pontiac brought back the GTO..it failed..why? Because it looked like a Grand-Am. It was aimed at the retired nostalgic market..but the nostalgic market wants some nostalgia! They want their old Goat back.
Ford released the retro mustang and that thing sells like hot-cakes! Hell, even I'd buy one, because it reminds me of the muscle car years! And I wasn't even around!
ok..wow..I guess I'm a little TOO passionate. But I seriously don't think they couldn't go wrong with either a production version of the '99 concept, or a retro design that matches the 2nd gen Charger (the most recognizable of the early generations).
btw..tell your uncle he did an awesome job with the '99 concept. I saw it in person once and just stared at it for 20 minutes until I had to leave. That car was awe-inspiring.
