He's just going to pose with it anyway.
New carbon is superior to old carbon in nearly every way in terms of weight and performance but if you want a bike because of a specific look - go for it!
I remember walking into a bike shop in the 90s when I was bike shopping with a friend and the sale guy had a carbon tube from a specialized allez (I think they were lugged carbon back then) and to demonstrate, he WHACKED the top of his desk with that carbon tube.... a couple times. No change in the tube. They probably made them thicker back then too but it was sturdy as all heck, for desk whacking at least.