asobersiii

anyone check out the new gto? it looks like a bmw

redrims

It looks sweet as heaven.

JJB

not nearly as sweet as the new mustang... droooool....

TheMAN

its a holden

funkdaddysmack

Sweet looking none the less. I'd love to get my hands on one of those puppies. LS1 powered, right? That's one hot coupe, I do say.

PhotoPro5

It's boring.

I've seen urinals with better styling.

redrims

Yep, those Australian V8 supercars are SWEEEEEET. Can't wait till Ford bring theirs over., if they decide to.








This will be one of the BEST looking Pontiacs in a LOOOOOOOONNNGGG time. FINALLY.

hihoslva

My sentiments exactly! And being that I do construction mostly in commercial and public bathrooms, I've seen my share of fancy urinals. .

Boring is just right - and the US spec version looks a LOT less styled than those pictures; no body kit and such. C'mon people - it's a GTO!!!!!! Spice the thing up a little bit!

~HH

funkdaddysmack

Actually the '03 or '04 pontiac bonneville GXP looks hella sweet, it has the 32V northstar V8 in it, 285hp I think. Looks very sleek.

TheMAN

because foreigners (ahem, australians... like europeans, know how to design/style things tastefully) designed most of the cars, not americans...

leungwingkei

What's funny is that GM takes several years to rebadge and make minor adjustments to the Holden Monaro before releasing it as the Pontiac GTO stateside. What's more funny is that they are actually praised for it.

Kind of reminds me of a parent praising their kid learning how to add numbers.

funkdaddysmack

Don't forget, they had to kill off the firebird and camaro first. An LS1 powered coupe? Sounds like a firebird-similar car. Why sell two performance coupes at the same time, especially considering neither the camaro or firebird were selling well compared to the competition?

hihoslva

The problem with Camaro and Firebird was that they did nothing especially well.

They were too big to handle well, and too small and poorly designed to be practical as meaningful transportation. They couldn't have GM's top power output (because it would cut into Corvette sales). They became the "middle child" of GMs lineup. Plus, the styling just got sickening. I've always chosen a Camaro over a FireChicken, for the Camaro's more sedate, understated looks. The last generation Firebird was the ultimate cartoon in Pontiac's largely comic-book-looking line of cars; waaaaay over-the-top. But even the Camaro suffered in styling, and both are terrible handlers, with the cheapest interior materials available. And what is up with the catalytic converter "hump" in the passenger floor? I mean, c'mon - could they have designed a shittier, wannabe-sports car?

Both WERE sports cars, back when the Mustang was as close as America could come to an affordable driver's car (think 60s and early 70s). But without MAJOR investment in re-design, the fate of the F-body twins was carved in stone many years ago. America demands more from a car these days, and they just couldn't cut it - and sales figures proved that.

I'd take a '73 split-bumper Z-28 anyday - but since the last generation (was that in 93?), you couldn't pay me to drive one of them. My buddy has one (V6 no less - bah) and it's the most uncomfortable, non-ergonomic, shaky, cheaply-built car I've driven in a long time.

I'm sure the new GTO (Holden) will be a fine car. I just feel it needs more styling (unlike the last F-bodies) to compete. The way it looks now, it could be a Malibu, Camry, Bonneville, (especially the new one coming out) or any other plain, generic looking car. Some sweet wheels and a very modest body kit could do wonders for it in the looks department - I think the photos posted represent a better iteration of how the car should come to the states - but any magazine shots I've seen show a far more boring, uninspiring exterior.

~HH

PhotoPro5

I'll agree with the styling opinions you have about the 4th gen F-Bodies, but I'll have to disagree about the statements you made about their performance. I owned a 94 Pontiac TransAm with a 6-speed manual gearbox. Yeah, the interior was built by Playskool, and the outside didn't fit together very well, but that's not why you buy one of those cars.

It's all about the motor.

The motor was phenomenal and the gearbox was just as good. World class, by my standards. If you've never driven a big V8 engined sports car, you're missing something. Every car guy should own one. Period.

Handling wasn't that bad, it's just tricky. It required a lot of finesse to drive that car quickly. You can't just toss it into a corner and expect it to bail you out, like the Protege. It took skill, and it was very rewarding. I even auto-xed my old car. That was more fun than you should be allowed to have in a car.

Mine was basically stock, save a 3-inch cat-back exhaust system. I rarely hear anything that I like as much as the sound of that TransAm.

hihoslva

The F's were absolutely all about the motor (if you got one with the REAL motor - forget anything less than 8 cylinders, of course). But in essence, that's the problem they had.

Car buyers today demand more from a "performance" car - and rightfully so. Not eveyone thinks "tricky" handling is fun. And simply forget about the V8 'maros and 'birds in any kind of snow. Tricky doesn't begin to describe the handling then.....

I can understand how a car that requires finesse to toss around is a blast to drive - I've had a couple (both Camaros, '79 and '84 - and only the 305 motors. But my '79 was a four speed manual - awesome) - not the most powerful out there, but still plenty capable. I've also driven numerous Vettes of various years, as well as some hot 'Stangs, one would kick the **** out of any Vette. They were damn fun when I was younger, and who wouldn't want a nice brute LS1 (without the computerized "safety nets") for romping on. But as a daily driver or commuter car, these GMs really didn't treat their owners to anything other than horsepower, with LOTS of sacrifices to get it. I mean - where's yours now? Why don't you own one anymore? That's really my point.

Not to get into a huge debate about the topic, because I think we're mostly in agreement here; but the F-bodies outgrew themselves. They were no longer "cheap power", as a top-equipped model could easily push $30k - "kids" weren't buying them anymore as they became too expensive to own and insure. Older folks needed more practicality or looked for more "class". And the import scene was definitely a nail in the coffin of Camaro and 'Tweety Bird".

It was time for them to go - but I think GM needs to step up to the plate and create some viable replacements. I'd love to see a new platform - but a smaller car, one that can truly handle well. It's a real feat to get a 3500 lb car to really handle, thus the price tag of the Vette. Shave off 700 or 800 lbs and things can be a lot more fun at a reasonable price. And a powerful V6 is a fine trade off for the big V8s - you can get gobs of power in small car with a well-tuned 6. ****, Honda and Subaru get 240 and 227 HP respectively out of FOURS - and the Honda has NO forced induction (S2000)!!

I mean, besides a $50k Vette, what else does GM offer that can be considered a true sports car? Make a tight car that fits tight budgets, and they'll have a winner. IMHO, the "new" GTO just ain't the ticket.

~HH