Lingenfelter Builds Another T/A

[critter]

Picking nits here, I know, but there is no "big block" Pontiac. All traditional Pontiac blocks have roughly the same external dimensions. The different displacements were achieved via bore and stroke changes.

[hdesign]

Thanks for the clarification. Big Inch Pontiac then.

[critter]

LOL. Yep, that will work.

[wmhjr]

Picking nits here, I know, but there is no "big block" Pontiac. All traditional Pontiac blocks have roughly the same external dimensions. The different displacements were achieved via bore and stroke changes.

Yup, therein the "Standard Block" reference.....

Us Pontiac guys cringe every time we here the countless question - "Is that a Pontiac Big Block in there buddy?" or "Yeah, back in (fill in the blank) I had a 6x GTO with a big block"....

It's also how we poncho guys get hammered by the NHRA..... That's another story.

[wmhjr]

The tail lights are actually a hybrid of 4th gen and 1st gen and need to fit the tall/blocky form factors inherent to the Camaro proportions. We can't just make 2 slashes on each side like a first gen, they'll get lost and make the rear end look gigantic. We also have the constraint of working within the rear fascia only, no mods to the quarter or trunklid....less cost, less to screw up or potentially create water leaks. Besides, we want too distinguish the car from the rest of the pack.

It's a red Lexan lens with an applied honeycomb blackout effect that covers the center tail panel as well. Behind the lens are a stacked pair of 10-12" wide LED linear arrays. Lighting all around the car is based on the technology you see on Euro cars like Porsche and Audi.

As far as the engine, it's early in the discussion and we're still making up a wish list and talking to potential vendors that want to get involved. I was referring more to the moniker of marketing as the legendary 455 BBP, something recognizable to Pontiac fans. The MR1(A) and the IA II are definitely on the table but we need to nail this car before moving to that one. We may do a lower budget TT 6cyl car also if the market is there. We'll see.

Gotcha Ben. I understand about the rear quarters. I was actually thinking it would be interesting to radius the top of each quarter to kind of pay homage to the 2nd gens - which would also solve the tail light issue. Based on that, I'm not sure what the right look for the back would be...

For the motor, if you think you'll ever drop an MR1 or IA block in, you need to think about hood clearance. With either of those you're probably looking at a tall deck and then figuring out the heads and intake (which would likely be victor kind of height). It gets problematic quick. You also need to consider that it's been a while since standard blocks other than the MR or IA were cast. I would also consider sticking with a 400 rather than a 455 block only for the fact that the 400 is a small journal (3") rather than the large journal (3.25") 455. Better for the bearings on the kind of car you're talking about.

[Ishmael]

Ben, I like the idea of paying homage without trying to be just like it. The new camaro looks squashed compared to the original and blocky so trying to tack on a 70s nose couldn't achieve the right proportions. Firebirds were sleek and curvy. The camaro may be curvy but it just seems really tall. Keep doing things that are "firebird-ish" without trying to replicate anything specific and for the love of all things holy don't do a bright blue vinyl interior like the lingenfelter that was at autorama. That was cheezy. Good luck.

[hdesign]

That was a cool aspect about the Lingenfelter car, I believe they threw caution to the wind, ignored the warranty restrictions and went with a custom Aluminum 455 with LS7 heads or something. I remember seeing 650 hp somewhere but I'm not sure. It's cool to have a real Pontiac engine but it's not like it was some super exotic, insane hp, super car. You could get close to that with an LS9 but I don't know what the cost difference would be or what the fitment issues are. I guess they just wanted to be able to say that it's Pontiac powered. How important is that? We'll find out....

Hypothetically speaking, if the development/sales of the mid-range Banshee works out, a very limited production Banshee XD (Extreme Duty) is going to be a no-holds-barred, streetable race car. We're definitely looking at attainable hp figures that exceed numbers that have been claimed by others. It all depends on what buyers will pay.

[dunnjun]

I like the front of your design Ben, but the back needs to be modernized also. The best Pontiac conversion of the new Camaro I've seen is the '78 Bandit redo.

[Roadrage David]

That was a cool aspect about the Lingenfelter car, I believe they threw caution to the wind, ignored the warranty restrictions and went with a custom Aluminum 455 with LS7 heads or something. I remember seeing 650 hp somewhere but I'm not sure. It's cool to have a real Pontiac engine but it's not like it was some super exotic, insane hp, super car.

what do you mean by that??....................

[hdesign]

I like the front of your design Ben, but the back needs to be modernized also. The best Pontiac conversion of the new Camaro I've seen is the '78 Bandit redo.

Glad you like the front end, we're still refining it as the surfaces, proportions and subtle transitions are proving to be quite a challenge. Honestly, we feel the rear styling is very strong, well proportioned and incorporates just enough modern details. We nailed that down much quicker than the front. How modern do you think it should be? It still has to fit with the rest of the car or it looks unbalanced.

I wouldn't really classify the Morgan/Bandit car as modern. It's more of a tribute to a 77-78...we wanted to avoid that. We just have a different plan. Year specific (retro) designs have a tendency to limit your market to enthusiast groups of their respective years. Most people classify the new Camaro as a 69 look-alike. The only thing on it that refers to a 69 is the quarter gills. It looks more like a 67/68 with 70-73 configured tail lights and the angularity of 3rd gen cars. So there are styling elements from multiple generations on that car, we're doing a similar thing with the Banshee.

To appeal to the retro-fans, we've created some special edition paint schemes and wheel packages that are more heritage based. Among these are some of the more popular graphics like a "Platinum Bandit" package (Exclusive Restore a Muscle Car package for 2nd gen cars).

Thanks for the comments.

what do you mean by that??....................

What do you need clarification on?