While I agree with Nathan that Harley has taken the retro thing way past the point of it being interesting any more, why should they change when the bikes are selling like half price schooners because they are not like the cookie cutter Japanese products. I guess it's valid to compare Harleys to PT Cruisers, VW Beetles and Mini Coopers (you missed that one Nathan) but why shouldn't folks be allowed to access "experience lite"? Anybody who's ever driven a real Hot Rod or a classic VW will quickly realise their deficiencies. What these cars (and bikes, let's not forget the retro Triumphs here) do is to offer a cool alternative to the Camry blandness of many of today's vehicles.
Of course they're allowed to access 'experience lite', and manufacturers would be mad to ignore the market... But both the consumers and the manufacturers also need to be aware that they're selling the real image down the river.
So I argue whether the 'coolness' of the retro specials really exists, beyond the initial flash of emotion in the showroom: The early Beetle sold up a storm for a multitude of reasons, of which its shape was very low down the list. The new Beetle was a flop, because it mirrored only the least of the oriinal's acheivements.
At the other end of the retro spectrum, stuff like the Triumph Scrambler and Ducati 900 don't offend me because (broadly speaking) they have the same strong and weak points as the originals, and are more than mere styling exercises.
(What did I miss WRT the original Mini!? Even without the Cooper version, the original Mini is an iconic car).
The "ostentatious abomination" Chrysler 300c is a good example of that technology with its ability to be cut back to 4 cylinders on the highway to reduce petrol consuption and emission. The 300C is a beautiful car with many advanced features that should be picked up by other manufacturers. Would you be as contemptuous of the 300C Nathan if it had Volvo badges on it and had been developed in Europe? Methinks you're showing a little taste bias but isn't that where we came in?
I think you mis-understand my biases (they're there alright, but they're not where you seem to think they lie).
Don't get me started on Volvo either... Where's the 2008 version of the old Volvo formula: simple, safe, unpretentious, and sporty? OK, with modern safety and emissions requirements, simple will probably never be seen again, but why is nobody even trying to develop cheap cars that are anything other than cookie-cutter specials?
Original Beetles, Minis, etc, were not churned out from the generic mold.
Why is the world so obsessed with re-capturing the not entirely realisitc good points of the 60s and 70s through style alone?
