More GTO News.

[Aharon]

The cliff notes: Mid to low $30k, LS1, 300hp+

Not worth the price IMHO.. Though if the car was mid to upper $20k's, then it would
be great. In todays market you can get into a Camaro Z28 new for freaken cheap compares to the price being offered for an LS1 powered GTO that looks like a family sedan.

GM Revives GTO (***Barf Alert***)
Associated Press | JUNE 20, 2002 | ED GARSTEN -- AP Auto Writer

Posted on 6/25/02 9:20 AM Pacific by Willie Green

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors Corp. is counting on a reincarnation of the car nicknamed ``the Goat'' to give its Pontiac division the sales kick it needs.

The automaker released the first sketch Thursday of what will be the 2004 Pontiac GTO, a 21st century version of the popular muscle car that went out of production in 1974.

Unlike the old ``Goat,'' the new kid is based on the Monaro, built by GM's Australian subsidiary Holden. But it will be pumped up with an LS1 aluminum engine and beyond 300 horsepower to add traditional GTO muscle.

``We're going to turn the car to better suit American tastes,'' said Bob Kraut, marketing director for Pontiac GTO, Bonneville and Grand Prix. ``It'll be a bit more aggressive. We want to make sure it sounds like a Pontiac.''

GM plans to have about 18,000 GTOs built by Holden, limiting production to maintain the car's cache. The GTO will be introduced in late 2003 as a 2004 model priced in the low- to mid-$30,000 range, Kraut said.

While Pontiac has always been GM's ``performance'' division, its sales performance has been flat of late. It showed a 5.1 percent decline in the first five months of the year compared to the same period a year ago.

Wes Brown, an analyst with the automotive market research company Nextrend, says Pontiac must be careful about how it uses the new GTO.

``If you can bring it back where it makes sense in the brand portfolio, it can be very effective if executed properly,'' he said. ``The question mark as you try to reposition the brand is, what is the new position?''

Brown also said the GTO could meet resistance from buyers if it does not look enough like the original.

``One thing about the restyled Thunderbird and VW Beetle, clearly, their styling influences hark back to early version and you immediately know what vehicle it is,'' Brown said.

Robert Maher of the 12,000 member GTO Association of America is thrilled to see the car coming back and sure it will be the talk of the upcoming national GTO Association convention — but he's less thrilled that the car is coming back all the way from Down Under.

``I would have liked to see it come back as an American version, something that would have been built here,'' Maher said.

[Tits McGee]

I'll take an STi or an EVO anyday over that. Same price, better cars.

[FearThe4Doors]

Got any pictures? I havent seen it yet

[Zate]

www.hsv.com.au

look for the Holden Monaro GTO Coupe.

[Aharon]

New GTO.

Family Sedan, or Cavalier.. You be the judge.

I am disapointed becuase this is also one of my new car options

[Tits McGee]

It'll never look like that when it gets here

[FearThe4Doors]

Holy fuck that's badass!!!!

[Gibbon]

Im sure its a nice car, but it looks too much like a cavalier to me.

[FearThe4Doors]

that ok, my car looks a lot like a Dodge Spirit...

[Alan]

Ugh...looks exactly like a MonteCarlo.

[Mars_302]

That looks 10x better than a new Monte Carlo. At least the GTO has some balls to carry that weight around

[Chris_1]

This was posted on one of the largest Pontiac boards on the net. Would be cool if it really happends.

I have a friend that currently works for General Motors, he lives in Pontiac Michigan and works for Cadillac as a Research & Development Engineer for Cadillac.

Basically what he does is tear apart other luxury cars that they buy from around the world, and incorporates that technology into Caddys if they can.

One plus side of having him as a friend is that he often knows what's going to be released well before the release date.

The new Pontiac GTO, as he explained it me.. is basically, for all intensive purposes... is a TransAm. The chassis used will apparently be the same chassis that is being used currently in Australia under their "Holden" car division.

They said the car offered will have the standard 5.7 liter V8 motor.. the only difference is, that it will NOT be a detuned version of the vette motor. It will be the exact same motor.

He also told me that presently in the works... though it hasn't reached approval, and he doesn't know what the feasability will be, but.. he said that depending on sales of the car, they hope to offer a 6.6 liter 400 cubic inch V8 motor. He said this motor will actually be a PONTIAC motor.. the first motor designed by Pontiac Motor Division in over 20 some odd years. The motor however will be a DOHC 400 based on the same general specifications as the Caddy Northstar motor. It will be 32valve of course, and will be offered in their proposed "Judge" edition GTO in 2005 or 2006.

Oh yeah, the Pontiac GrandPrix will also be re-designed in 2004 and will become a rear wheel drive car once again.

[v8ranger]

CHRIS......that sounds to good to be true......but, i hope it happens!

[stangerang]

it will be owned by old fart drivers who suck dick and never race,which is very typical of vette and viper drivers as well...

[Bald Guy]

Damn Chris, a 400cid quad cam V8 would be sweet as hell!!!