The few times I've heard Mike Simcoe talk he would generally bring up the importance of "proportion". When you get that right everything falls into place and people respond positively without really knowing why they like the look of one thing over another. I think thats why original factory generally trumps aftermarket - they can afford guys like Simcoe and are not hamstrung with manipulating something that already exists. Example: the Ford 2 door that came out about the same time as the Monaro. It didn't get anything like the reception the Monaro got partly because I'm pretty sure its origins were the Hillier Brothers 2 door that they manufactured from the sedan. You could drive in to the Hillier's and get one converted. It looked great and the quality of the workmanship was astounding but it didn't quite nail the proportion bit because of its origins. When Simcoe did the Monaro it was pretty well clean sheet, only some of the front sheet metal remained from the original, and even those had subtle tweeks.

By the way, Blockers inteligence is spot on. The Mambo Van is in the design staff studio at the moment, not in the shop.