Corvette, 6 Series redesigns offer contrast in styles
By Brendan Lynch Boston.com
The newly redesigned 2005 Chevrolet Corvette and the 2005 BMW 6 Series debut locally at next week's New England International Auto Show at the Bayside Expo Center in Boston. Both cars feature substantial differences from previous models, but while the sixth generation "C6" Corvette clings closely to a proven formula, the resurrected BMW 6 reinterprets a long since discontinued car with a cult following.
Chevrolet markets the Corvette as the iconic American sports car. It may not be a good choice for carting your family around, but it does offer a high level of driving performance at a cheaper price than many top-of-the-line sports cars. The 2005 Corvette is no different and in fact stands as the fastest Corvette to date. The C6 features a new 6-liter, V8 engine that generates 400 horsepower, and accelerates from zero to 60 miles per hour in 4.2 seconds. The coupe tops out at 186 m.p.h., which leads Mark Gillies, executive editor of Automobile Magazine to call it "a fine piece of kit."
Gillies suggested that the C6 isn't drastically different than the C5 generation, but there are some significant changes, including a longer, more European-style wheelbase, non-retractable headlights, an improved interior, and a less brash design.
"The interior is three million percent better," he said. "The overall look is disappointing. [The Corvette] should be more flamboyant. It should be more American."
He also complained that Chevy didn't go far enough in revamping the iconic sports car.
"They'll have to do something radical with the next one, or eventually there'll be no point in buying it."
Neal Moore, of the design consulting firm Jump Associates, says the reluctance to tamper with a working design is a result of Chevrolet catering to their customer's wants and needs, suggesting there was "a lot of empathy for enthusiasts in the design team."
"It's clear with the design of the Corvette what they did with an understanding of the cultural and social and emotional context, bringing a strong sense of what that means to the design team," he said. "Understanding social and cultural context is critical."
The amount of time, effort and money it takes to redesign a model often leads to a more reserved change on the final product.
"Planners look at demographics three to five years in advance," Moore said. "It's a risky process with the amount of investment required, especially with coupes. The lifespan of the marketplace is shorter."
BMW, despite that risk, has taken the opposite strategy with their reintroduction of the 6 series. The 6 was reintroduced as a 2004 model and the new 2005 will be showcased at the auto show. The new 645Ci coupe features new technologies such as Active Steering and Active Roll Stabilization that improve control though the average driver may not notice. The 645Ci sports a 4.4 liter V8 engine and accelerates from zero to 60 miles per hour in 5.5 seconds.
Many feel that the new 6 Series shares only a name with the previous generation, which was discontinued in 1989.
"Nothing's the same," Gillies explained. "Front engine, rear drive; that's about it."
The original BMW 6 Series retains a strong emotional attachment among BMW enthusiasts. The car's high performance, mixed with an innovative, sleek design made it a benchmark in automotive design.
David Kiley, Detroit bureau chief for USA Today and author of "Driven: Inside BMW, the Most Admired Car Company in the World," recalls the appeal of the original 6 Series.
"One of the attractions to the original 6 Series was that it looked lighter than it was," he said.
"The original 6 looked great when it came out. And then, as the mid '80s dragged on and into the late '80s, it had a character of retro-purity that was great. It was, and is (if you drive one that is well maintained) like finding an old suit of your Dad's and finding that it fits and has worn better than a suit that you bought three or four years ago. There is emotional connection to models of our past that were bold statements of good taste."
The 2005 model 6 series has a much less aerodynamic look to it, and also differs from the original with technological improvements making for better performance.
"It just looks heavy on its feet," Kiley said. "That said, it is an enjoyable car to drive and the convertible top is a very nice piece of work."
Some have criticized 6 Series designer Chris Bangle for a somewhat controversial style that strays from the original model. Unlike the restrained strategy of Chevrolet, BMW gave Bangle, as Gillies put it, "carte blanche to break the mold" on the redesign.
"With his designers, Bangle seems to chase function over form, and subscribes to the axiom that form follows function," Kiley noted. "In this, you wind up with a trunk that holds four over-sized golf gangs in the case of the 7 Series (2 in the 6 Series) but a tail so busy and heavily criticized that it draws attention away from the other fine aspects of the vehicle…I don't think this new 6 Series takes us anywhere into the future, or is a marker on the earliest years of the new century the way the original 6 was a design marker for the 70s. Don't get me wrong. This is a very nice car. But it's not a ground-breaker."
"I'm bored about talking about him," Gillies said. "Gorgeous interior, the 6 is the only model that works. It's very sexy, very striking."
Moore credits Bangle and BMW with taking chances with the redesign.
"Time will see if they've done a good enough job of honoring the past," he said. "Bringing an edge is important for the 6 coupe. Bringing passion is the right thing to do."
BMW itself agrees. Product manager Thomas Jefferson expressed the automaker's confusion over any controversy.
"It puzzles us as well," he said. "We've commanded a good amount of [market] share in a short amount of time. We're confident that long term success of the car can be achieved. It's been a real success story since launch."
Both newly redesigned cars can be seen at the New England International Auto Show, at the Bayside Expo Center from November 6 to November 14.
The 2005 Chevrolet Corvette coupe has an MSRP of $44,245 and is also available as a convertible. The 2005 BMW 645Ci coupe is available as a convertible as well and has an MSRP of $69,900.
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