QOTD: Cribbing Their Homework?

by Matthew Guy

Published: July 9th, 2019

Judging from the comments on yesterday’s post about what the new C8’s rump might look like, most of you lot aren’t quite sold on the possibility of Corvette copying some of Camaro’s homework. One commenter used the word ‘ersatz’, for which he gets extra TTAC points.

This got us thinking: is there ever an appropriate time for an automaker to reprise styling cues on another model?

Your author votes ‘yes’ … but only if it is done correctly. Take the current crop of gonzo pickups at Ford, for example. The Ranger Raptor (a model not sold on these shores, much to my annoyance) cribs the grille style of its big brother F-150 Raptor quite well. It is integrated into its schnoz with a just-right amount of aggro and draws a direct line of relation between the two trucks. In that application, it works.

But elsewhere? Not so much. At Lexus, the spindle grille which looks okay on the LC simply appears to be an oversized Gillette 9000 razor blade when scaled up for duty on the GX. The effect was the same when Acura had their cleft palate grilles — they seemed okay-ish on small cars but grotesque on the jumbo-sized ZDX.

Super-sizing a successful styling feature seems to be fraught with difficulty, then. Only time will tell if a Camaro-esque rear on the new Corvette will play in Peoria.

What are some of your notable examples — good and bad — of manufacturers cribbing their own homework?

[Images: General Motors; Ford]

#Camaro #Corvette #F-150 #QOTD #QuestionOfTheDay #Ranger #Raptor

Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

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2 of 36 comments

Andre Robinson on Jul 12, 2019

Oh, forgot the obvious, every Audi and BMW. "Same sausage, different length".

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ToolGuy on Jul 15, 2019

The Corvette picture - this has been bothering me and I have to say it (just in time for the "07.18.19" reveal as it turns out): --> The skin tag on that door is just not acceptable. Mary Barra was right to wear black, because we are witnessing the death of a brand.

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