Anyone ever notice the IROC tail lights really look like a design idea that came from Deloreans before the IROCs came out?

I did a search to find out if this has ever been acknowledged and didn’t come up with anything.. I know DeLorean has history at GM and developed the Firebird among others..

I mean, you can see the evolution from 2nd gen to 3rd gen..








It seems with the IROC it was really close in design and the IROC tail lights always seemed exotic in a way..





It looks like the 70s design was brought into the 80s and then when a new tail light design was proposed for the IROC and Z28 in 85 it resembled DeLorean and was perhaps kept because of that.. maybe a borrowed idea.. or maybe just coincidental “rubic’s cube” 80s design that ended up similar..

What do you guys think?

 

I think saying the DeLorean lights are similar is a stretch, but the 3rd gen are similar to late 2nd gen Camaro

 

I can totally see it.

 

Fair enough scooter!

I would also say I don’t think any other angle really resembles third gens though I always felt there’s something “GM” about the style..

 

I didn’t even realize you photoshopped that at first.. I guess that’s how close it looks to me!

 

Haha yeah just a quick shop. IMO they look good switched.

 

It’s cool to see the yellow on the outside..

 

It has been mentioned before. And there were grid style export lights with the amber replacing where the red normally is located and the red onto where the amber turn signal was.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...ail-light.html

 

Ahhh, figured it had to have come up.. two iconic 80s cars and all..

Never thought about the shape of those Ford EXP tail lights before.. probably because they don’t have the grid or the yellow turn signals.. but they resemble a blacked out 82-84 Z28 tail light..

I did not like Ford’s styling in the 80s.. they’ve come a long way

 

I see it. John DeLorean worked for GM for years and was project lead in developing the GTO and the Firebird, among a lot of other work. Given the safety mandate for "Euro" tail lights, lead time in car designs, and the timing of the DeLorean design its not too big a jump.

 

I mean, honestly the 2nd gen Firebird lights are closer to the DeLorean lights than the 3rd gen Camaro and 91/92TA taillights are much closer except for the grid And in your likeness the DeLorean lights would be knock offs of the 78-81 Camaro lights since they came first

 

I can see that.. those are flat and closer in shape..

I guess it’s the grids and the Red, Yellow and White sections that make me see it in the IROC.. and the black sections next to the license plate..

 

 

Pretty darn close to the old SC tail lights..

 

How about the 81 Ford Escort EXP?

 

Don't forget the Mercury LN7, the twin of the EXP (which I was a bit fond of because of the bubble rear hatch compared to the EXP's early flat but later bubble).

Found this while surfing the net on a Google search.

 

Yeah.. that’s pretty crazy.. doesn’t even fit the rest of the car