GTO unveiled in Los Angeles

[Directedby]

http://www.cars.com/carsapp/latimes/?srv=parser&act=display&tf=/features/autoshow2003/coverage/la/posted/coverage_01_03_05.tmpl

[tetsu]

They look like squat. Why would I want a GTO rather than a Cobra?

These aren't competition for the Marauder.

Johnny

[Directedby]

I agree they look cheap. For some reason all Pontiacs look like plastic.

However, 340 HP could probably outrun the MM.

[Bigdogjim]

5.7L motor but, not not sure of the looks? To me it looks like a car imported from Japan? Love the MM! :banana2:
Big Dog

[RCSignals]

yes, originally this was announced as their "return of the american muscle car" on the heals of the Marauder. It initially came across as the Marauder answer. That is now being backpedalled, as is the idea of anything "retro" as far as styling changes to the original Holden

GM was having trouble selling the similar Camaro/Firebird. Maybe this will be more accepted

[cyclone03]

AH..............
I like it............
If it is a full production car as it sits,ride higth etc. I think it looks good.
Ford is once again behind in styling as they have nothing to compete with this car performance wise.
It looks to me they reinvented the Camero.

[nomad]

Nope,not for me:( Looks like they copied a Lexus GS300 :po:

[WolfeBros]

Those Pontiacs are wayyyyyy too plasticy for my taste. :o
Although with that 5.7 at 340 hp it will be stout. :(
Would I want one over my MM ? Nah uh. :D

[chapel1]

Look's like a Dodge Stratus to me?But,it will be fast,so what.It lack's the distintive look of a GTO!
I like GTO's and in fact I like alot of different cars.You need a balance of power,class and design to separate a automobile to something people want to take care of or modify?

[RF Overlord]

Originally posted by chapel1
You need a balance of power,class and design...

I agree chapel1...although I don't think the new Monaro/GTO is all THAT bad, really...it's better than most of those "tuner" cars that look like they belong in a video game...

[Directedby]

Just got back from LA Auto Show.

GTO looks like a small riceburner. Cheap cheap plastic. Typical Pontiac. Even has single exhaust. Very dissapointing.

[Directedby]

Second Pic...

[cheddar 96 SS]

BAD F'N ASS! True, it does look a little on the plasticy side and maybe, MAYBE a little "tuner" like. BUT it has a N/A V8 and RWD. I've always liked the Australian models and I like this GTO. Now bring on the Commodore SS!!! :D

It may not be a Cobra tamer off the showroom floor, but a good intake and dual exhaust will make it a closer battle. Notice i said "closer". Let's have the (chanting) LS6! LS6! LS6!

[gonzo50]

I definitely agree with Directedby, it looks like a cross breed between a Honda Civic and a Dodge Intreped, to much of a "Fast and the Furious" Far East type of vehicle. I'll stick with original American Muscle Nostalgic like the Mercury MARAUDER "thank you very much".

[Directedby]

It is like the PT cruiser. Looks good in pick, but when you se it ibn person it seems like they built it at 50% size.

It is the same size as a Honda, Celica or 350Z.

[RCSignals]

OK. I guess this post is better in this thread:

Here's GMs answer to the Marauder, but they now are backpedalling on that


GM muscles back into nostalgia marketing

Mighty GTO is set to roar into production
January 3, 2003

BY JEFFREY MCCRACKEN
DETROIT FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

LOS ANGELES -- Hoping to capitalize on the American infatuation with sports cars of yore, General Motors Corp. will unveil at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show today a new version of the Pontiac GTO, the famous muscle car put out to pasture almost 30 years ago.

FIRST GTO FACTS
The first GTO was a Pontiac Tempest, which began production in 1961, with the option of a Pontiac 389-cubic-inch V8 engine. The engine was used in some of Pontiac's full-size models.

The 1964 GTO base price was $2,852, and a convertible would run you nearly $3,500.

Plans were to produce 5,000 units in 1964, but sales shot past 32,000.

In 1966, the Tempest option was dropped and a completely new design gave birth to the Pontiac GTO.

The average price for a vintage GTO, in show car condition, is $12,000 to more than $19,000.

The name was borrowed from Ferrari, which had a short production run (40) of sports racing cars of the same name in 1962. GTO stands for Gran Turismo Omologato, or Grand Touring Homologated in English, a fancy way of saying it was approved for certain classes of international sports car racing.
Sources: Ferrariclub.com, Free Press research

The GTO goes into production in September and is expected to be in dealerships around November. GM hopes to sell at least 18,000 of them a year, priced in the $30,000 to $35,000 range.

"We think we have a halo car that epitomizes Pontiac. It's a modern interpretation of the GTO, and we're hoping the enthusiasts like it," said Lynn Myers, Pontiac-GMC general manager.

The GTO was first introduced in 1964 as a high-performance option on the Pontiac Tempest. Over the years, it became a muscle car legend and enshrined in pop culture by Jan & Dean and others.

GM sold 500,000 Pontiac GTOs until production on it ended in 1974 as fuel-economy concerns lowered demand for muscle cars.

Ironically, for a car that became such a part of Americana, GM found the next GTO in Australia at its Holden subsidiary. The new GTO is an Australian vehicle called the Holden Monaro, which will undergo a number of modifications for safety items and other accessories for the American market. It will be made at the plant in Elizabeth, Australia.

Originally, GM engineering and design executives thought the rear-drive performance coupe Monaro could be an appropriate replacement for the Chevy Camaro and Pontiac Firebird, two models GM recently stopped producing.

In February, GM officials like Vice Chairman Robert Lutz began considering the Monaro for a new generation of the GTO, which GM had been looking to build for several years. In June, GM announced its decision publicly.

"It was approved to be the next GTO in April. Pontiac had been looking for a GTO and we felt this fit," said Jerry Gillespie, vehicle line engineer on the GTO. "We had to make a lot of changes . . . to bring it over here."

The new GTO will use a 5.7-liter, V8 aluminum-block engine estimated to produce 340 horsepower. The engine, manufactured at the St. Catharines plant in Canada, shares the same basic configuration of the engine in the Corvette, though it has been modified to increase airflow and create greater horsepower.

The GTO comes in either a four-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual transmission.

"It will go from 0 to 60 in under 6 seconds and have a top speed of 160 miles per hour," said Myers. "It will be the fastest GTO we've ever produced."

Even though the GTO is a car from GM's past, the automaker did not choose to create a retro car that harkens back to the GTO's glory days. This contrasts with Ford Motor Co., which created the new Thunderbird with models from the 1950s in mind.

"No, it's not retro at all. We wanted something that had broader appeal than the Firebird and a family resemblance to the Grand Prix or Bonneville," said Bob Kraut, marketing director for the Grand Prix, Bonneville and GTO.

The GTO will be available in seven different colors and four different interiors. It seats four in leather bucket seats.

Among the standard features are a six-disc CD changer with a 10-speaker sound system, dual front air bags, side air bags and keyless entry.

Notice the referesnces to it's performance are not "It is" and "it goes"

to me, the car looks too insipid, like all the other current Pontiacs

[RF Overlord]

Directedby:

You're right...seeing the pix you posted, it DOES look kinda pint-size...the pictures on the Holden website make it look a lot bigger...

Rats. I was really hoping this would be a man's car at least in spirit...Without going to some vastly overpriced Euro/Teutonic "wunder-wagen", I don't know what's left besides the MM/CV. And please don't anyone say LEXUS or INFINITY...as fine as these automobiles are, they're still "pocket-rockets"...

[Directedby]

Originally posted by RF Overlord
Directedby:

I don't know what's left besides the MM/CV. And please don't anyone say LEXUS or INFINITY...as fine as these automobiles are, they're still "pocket-rockets"...

I saw 2 cars that I though were awesome. Both not avail, YET.

The Dodge Magnum...

[Directedby]

and the Chrysler Crossfire...

[RF Overlord]

Oh yeah...THERE'S a useful car...lookit the roof...your could barely fit squat in the back...

I was talking about A MAN'S CAR...one you can put more than 2½ adults in...people who are taller than Mini-Me...

[RCSignals]

"Crossfire" Why would they think that's a good name for a car?

[Geo]

RE: Crossfire

It's more like the Cross breed (signifying the relationship between MB and Chrysler). The first cross-over vehicle as such.

It looks like a Chrysler in the front and a VW in the back; they should have called it the Backfire.

GEO

[Geo]

RE: GTO

The production version better get dual exhaust! I know the V-body (which the GTO is based on) can take dual exhaust because the Cadillac Catera (which was a V-body) had them and it was only the 3.0 V6 (albeit the exhausts branched to a single resonator and pipe at the bumper (crazy).

Chances are the GTO has the duals and goes to one tip like the Catera did. Maybe it's because there is no room after the gas tank size and the independant rear suspension hardware.

This V-body has actually been around since 1994 when it was introduced at first in Europe as the Opel Omega and the Vauxhall Carlton.

RE: Magnum

The Magnum looks decent; I might consider having kids just to justify having one. I don't know if the supercharger will make it to production. The dash looks like the 1999 Charger concept car's. It's a start anyway for the Mopar full-size muscle cars.

GEO

[JohnnyB]

Looks like crap.... wouldn't take it if i won it in a contest. However, the HP and torque #'s are impressive. The MM should have come with those #'s.

[Directedby]

Here are specs on Magnum.

MAGNUM IS DODGE’S SPORT WAGON
Call it a wagon, a CrossTourer, or simply “too cool to classify,” Dodge is betting big on the new Magnum, which took its turn in the L.A. spotlight on Thursday. With clear European sport wagon heritage—and a number of components borrowed from Mercedes-Benz, “the look is daring and clearly in your face,” declared Dieter Zetsche, Chrysler Group CEO. Due to hit the road about a year from now, the Magnum will be the first vehicle based on Chrysler’s all-new LX platform, its first new large-car chassis since the LH series debuted a decade ago. But the LX platform can be used in a variety of drivetrain configurations, and the Magnum will initially be available in rear-drive layout with an all-wheel-drive package to follow. The L.A. show car features a supercharged version of the new 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 pumping out 430 horsepower. In production, Dodge plans three engine options – at least initially – including a 200-hp 2.7-liter V-6, a 250-hp 3.5-liter V-6 and the iron block 5.7-liter Hemi now offered in Chrysler’s truck line. In that normally aspirated configuration, the Hemi is producing 345 hp. The Magnum follows the classic sport wagon layout, with two rows of seats and a moderate-sized cargo bed in back.

Additionally, I was impressed with one Pontiac - THE SOLSTICE.

[Directedby]

OTHER PIC...

[grzellmer]

Everyone is dancing around the answer. The GTO is not meant to bring back a car like the Impala SS or our MM's. Pure and simple it is a replacement for the Camaro/Firebird. It's primary competition will be the Ford Mustang.

The GTO will be priced at the Cobra level (GM could price them at $25K and make money but NOOOO, they'll price them at $35K just like FMC and our MM's) and as such the car will never be a big seller. The trade rags will compare GTO vs Mustang numbers. In two years the GTO will be dead and Lutz will get a pat on the back for attempting the "Great Experiment".:p:p :p :p

[Geo]

grzellmer: It is possible that the GTO may flop due to price or whatever but I say the car is great except for the lack of dual exhausts straight to the back bumper (like I said, they are likely duals all the way to the axle and then branch to a single like the 97-02 Cateras) which I still wouldn't terribly mind as the aftermarket can more than take care of that problem (unlike the Camaros/Firebirds). The tail lights I think lack a bit of character. Other than that it's not too bad.

However, you could import a 2002 Chevy Caprice SS from Saudi Arabia or Australia (the source) and replace the interior and exterior cosmetics and call it the Pontiac Enforcer which is what Pontiac used to call it's police package sedans way back (eg. 1977 Pontiac LeMans Enforcer as seen on Smokey And The Bandit I).

GEO

[Geo]

Oh, and by the way, you have to give credit to Bob Lutz for this GTO exercise. He can test the public and potential sales with little risk as the V-body 2 door already exists in the form of the Holden Monaro and the Chevrolet Lumina SS coupe. This way, if the car is successful, GM can spin a new version in a few years off the Sigma platform and be built in the USA.

GEO

[SergntMac]

Just watched my first GTO commercial on TBS. Lots of action clips of Vin Diesel pushing a '67 goat through remarkable stunts in the film "XXX", while a husky voice over says that you can live this large in the new GTO. But, you never see the new GTO, just the web addy.

Advertising smoke and mirrors, all the General's gotta do, is show me a GTO beating a Sable in a 30-80 heads up, and I'm in...

[RCSignals]

"Advertising smoke and mirrors, all the General's gotta do, is show me a GTO beating a Sable in a 30-80 heads up, and I'm in..."

:D

Interesting approach, showing the vintage GTO, since they are stressing the new GTO is not a "nostalgia" vehicle

It's all typical GM