[Alvin]

Originally Posted by Jeff Hamlin

I've never seen this before. This is sort what I exspected/hoped for from Pontiac in 04.
Not sure if this is an older or new design exercise.

Either way I kind of like it.

Made me throw up a little bit...
Woke up from the nightmare and went out to the garage and had reality check with our Pontiacs...thank goodness it was just a nigthmare!

[lrosen]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

In case anyone cares here's a few pics of mine...........


Last pic shows the handmade grille prototypes that I planned on marketing, that somewhat changes the looks of the front end of the car.

Looks like you were going for the SAP grill look. I like the SAP package as a whole, but in any other form, it's components never did much for me. SAP grill makes it a little too Grand Am'ish but that's MHO.

My '05 is 100% stock and I'll probably keep it that way (except for the ripshifter and headlight film).
Working on it is much simpler than most new cars too! I can change plugs in less than 20 minutes (try that with a 4th gen f-body ;-0).

What's not to love about 400HP/400ft-lbs and 6 gears in a very comfortable package?

[Sirrotica]

I don't care for the SAP look myself, that is the reason I made my own design. That picture doesn't show them well at all because of the glare. Below is a pic of stock next to mine.

[Singleton]

Originally Posted by Old Goat Racer

Mr. Singleton, why 2 different kind of wheels?
Nice color.

The Weld Draglites were the first setup that I had, I went with the Billet Specialties a few months ago. The color is Impulse Blue Metallic.

I never imagined that I would own a car that would run a 10 sec 1/4. Much less one that would do it with Dot tires with no power adders. Still has all the accessories, and A/C and gets 18 mpg. Still on factory short lock, motor has never been out of the car.

[F ROCK]

the monaro, to me, looks like it was a nova not an 'A' body.
the monaro also dissappeared for twenty years reappearing on an opel omega "B" chassis, also not an "A' body.
so i dont believe that its the "natural evoloution of the "A" body". they just brought back the name "monaro" and then "GTO" and stuck them on cars. this is only what i have read.
anyway...i'm glad they did.
i wasnt crazy about the new GTO's but i still point out every one i see.
young people who wouldnt have known what a GTO was, now know, and give our old cars more respect.
and it makes a good showing. most powerful/fastest ever.
back to the topic tho...
i thought it was neat that someone was drawing up GTO's. someone was trying. someone was imagining a pontiac and not a chevy or a mustang, thats all.
the more i look at it, i see what you dont like.

[Jeff Hamlin]

It was never said the FMC rendering was perfect I just like some of the styling from the originals that was brought into the design.
But as stated before, bringing back the GTO name was just another big GM blunder.
Over the years they have thrown out teasers to test the waters, but they just couldn't leave well enough alone.
They seem to have made alot of design choices without listening to the people who might buy them, look where that got them.

1985


1986-87



1999


2002



Then the "Big News" in 2003, Yippie...



For me If I wanted to not stand out and wanted a car that just dissapeared when parked amoung all the other bean shaped cars
then the new "GTO" would have been a consideration.
To me it truly has NO personality.
Besides I always thought true Pontiacers hated anything Chevy Powered?

[goatwgn]

I have that issue as well with HPPs idea of how to make a 1986 GTO based on the Grand Prix. That car actually has a lot of potential appeal, and it's what an '86 GTO would likely have looked like if they had continued production. It would have had to somehow had a Pontiac V8 with some power to it. The 455 was 10 years out of production by then, but as I had posted before, if they would have continued to develop the 301 Turbo engine, by 1986 it could have had port injection and maybe an intercooler. Just look at how the 231 V6 turbo Buick engine had progressed by that time, and you could have safely bet Pontiac's 301 would have been up to that technologically by then as well. It would likely have even had a heavy duty block casting by then. GM eventually pulled the plug on all the "G" bodies however, so by 1988 it wouldn't have had a "proper" platform to ride on. Would have been nice to have had a Pontiac "B" body in the 1990's as well. They could have built a 2+2 in a similar way the Chevy did the Impala SS.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by F ROCK

the monaro, to me, looks like it was a nova not an 'A' body.

Early 70's vintage Monaro:

Early 70's Nova:

I think the monaro looks closer to your car, if you ask me.

Late 60's vintage Monaro:

Late 60's Nova:

You are right about the Monaro disappearing for a period of time - but not even close to 20 years. It went out of production in '77 and came back on a new V8 RWD platform in 2001.

[goatwgn]

Don't forget, the '74 GTO was on a "X" body. No telling what "evolution" would have taken it to. Thankfully, there was not a 1980 GTO based on the FWD Phoenix. (A la Citation X11.

[GOAT WHORE]

Jeff,
If I see a chevy in a Pontiac I just walk away. Don't care how nice the car is. My #1 pet pev.

[goatwgn]

Originally Posted by GOAT WHORE

Jeff,
If I see a chevy in a Pontiac I just walk away. Don't care how nice the car is. My #1 pet pev.

X2. The Pontiac character of the car is gone. The exhaust sound, the smooth power delivery at low rpm's, the "look" when you open the hood.

[pont3]

Originally Posted by goatwgn

X2. The Pontiac character of the car is gone. The exhaust sound, the smooth power delivery at low rpm's, the "look" when you open the hood.

I drive a 455 equipped '71 Lemans Sport EVERYDAY, and I can tell you the 400hp '06 GTO has VERY smooth low rpm power delivery, much more so than the 455.


Heck, this whole post is like 2003 all over again. I love my old Goats AND my new Goats.

[pont3]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

That's one of the faults of the internet, no one yourself included can hear any inflection of my voice and you incorrectly assume you do.

I only try to please myself, I really don't care what someone else thinks about what I drive, what I do, or how I act, if I did I would drive something everyone drives, like a ruststang, or a crapmaro yanno every woman wants one....LMAO Pontiac owners don't usually follow the demographics and buy what every middle age woman drives with a v6, because they're cute.

When the Carousel red GTO Judge premiered in 1969 I was 16 years old and guess what, there were plenty of people that thought it was ugly and made fun of it, do you think any of them would like to buy a new one today if they had the chance, I'm betting they would even if just for an investment.

I just thought the post by the other gentleman was very relevant to the subject, he made a really good comparison about how times change and tastes change. I've noticed on this board how many of the older members are buying the 21st gen GTOs and really aren't listening to the detractors because it's a fine car that does everything all the predecessors did plus more.

My 05 is the only new car I have ever bought and since Pontiac is gone the only one I'll ever buy. I was never lucky enough to be able to afford a GTO during the 60s or 70s so I was at a time in my life I could afford a brand new GTO and I bought mine, and 2 days after my purchase they announced that there would be no more GTOs produced, for once I had perfect timing. I could have bought something else for less money, however I agonized for days about buying the car and I have never regretted my decision.

If your really lucky maybe someone will snap that white car up and start producing it and you can be truly happy owning one, one can only hope............. At least I proudly drive a GTO daily, except during snow, I don't drive jap crap as a daily driver as so many of the self appointed critics on here do. Other than my trucks there is nothing in my driveway that doesn't have a red arrowhead and a Pontiac emblem on it.

I'm done, have fun.

Excellent post, don't change a thing. Some folks will never get it.

[F ROCK]

to me these look similar.
but regardless, it's neat to see different GM models in different countries. the arcadia (?) for instance, looks like an old nova w/gto grilles. and the delmont (?), looks like a chevelle w/pontiacish grilles. it was fun reading about the monaro and the gto. i love reading little bits of history; wish more automotive history was on tv.
interesting history read on the banshee thread in the lobby.

[GOAT WHORE]

Pont3,
That 2003 ain't no GOAT! It may be a great car with great power and great looks etc.... But it ain't no GOAT!

[goatwgn]

Originally Posted by pont3

I drive a 455 equipped '71 Lemans Sport EVERYDAY, and I can tell you the 400hp '06 GTO has VERY smooth low rpm power delivery, much more so than the 455.


Heck, this whole post is like 2003 all over again. I love my old Goats AND my new Goats.

Was not "cutting down" the new GTO's.
I was referring to "transplanted" 350/305 small block Chevy engines into cars originally equipped with Pontiac engines. I have driven my car with the 455, and I have driven the newer GTO's and G8s with the LS type engines. I do mechanical work on all types of late model cars. They do have a lot of torque at lower rpms, as well as in the upper ranges. A pretty impressive engine. If you ever seen them with the intake off, and the clear shot down the ports, you could understand why they make the power they do. These are GM powertrain engines, however, not "Small Block" Chevies, as even marketing at GM tries to show sometimes. The only thing they "share" with a SBC is the roller lifters, the rod bearings, and the basic layout of the Bellhousing pattern. This engine actually "behaves" more like a Pontiac, Tall Deck Olds, or BB Buick in its power delivery at low rpms, then "acts" like a small displacement OHC engine in it's ability to "Rev up". The newer GTO's are quite impressive for a high performance daily driver. Older Pontiacs with a 350 SBC (especially ones with the entire Summit Catalog thrown at it)are just plain boring to me, a "cop out" way to power up old GM cars.

[F ROCK]

You are right about the Monaro disappearing for a period of time - but not even close to 20 years. It went out of production in '77 and came back on a new V8 RWD platform in 2001.[/QUOTE]

thats 24 years dude.

[71GP76TA]

When I first got my '05 I removed the mufflers.... that was all the character it needed.

My '05 GTO is about the same size as my '69 A-body... and they weigh about the same too.... they're even the same color..... I need to take a pic of them side by side...

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by pont3

Excellent post, don't change a thing. Some folks will never get it.

TY Pont3, I try to know the subject I'm talking about and make a concise, relevant post when I post. I think you know who just lets the keys fly without even knowing anything about the subject they're posting about. I'll just let them make fools of themselves, much better than trying to be reasonable with someone that's unreasonable, you can't argue with a fool, nuff said............

[pont3]

Originally Posted by goatwgn

Was not "cutting down" the new GTO's.
I was referring to "transplanted" 350/305 small block Chevy engines into cars originally equipped with Pontiac engines. I have driven my car with the 455, and I have driven the newer GTO's and G8s with the LS type engines. I do mechanical work on all types of late model cars. They do have a lot of torque at lower rpms, as well as in the upper ranges. A pretty impressive engine. If you ever seen them with the intake off, and the clear shot down the ports, you could understand why they make the power they do. These are GM powertrain engines, however, not "Small Block" Chevies, as even marketing at GM tries to show sometimes. The only thing they "share" with a SBC is the roller lifters, the rod bearings, and the basic layout of the Bellhousing pattern. This engine actually "behaves" more like a Pontiac, Tall Deck Olds, or BB Buick in its power delivery at low rpms, then "acts" like a small displacement OHC engine in it's ability to "Rev up". The newer GTO's are quite impressive for a high performance daily driver. Older Pontiacs with a 350 SBC (especially ones with the entire Summit Catalog thrown at it)are just plain boring to me, a "cop out" way to power up old GM cars.

Well I'm happy to hear this because as we speak, the 400 in my '72 is being replaced with an lsx engine and I'll never have to worry about a rich carb or oil stains on my driveway again. These LS engines don't get the credit they deserve and my '72 is not numbers-matching anyway. Sorry if anybody out there doesn't like it.

You all can bitch all you want about the '04-'06 Goats, but they are GREAT cars all around and if you let the styling bitter your buds, then you really don't understand the original concept of the GTO. What's more is that most of the bitching public have NEVER bought a new Pontiac, or haven't bought one in recent memory. At least I can say that I supported Pontiac to the very end. And when they re-emerge, I'll be right here waiting. I'll buy the first RWD V8 two-door coupe they offer while the rest of you continue to bitch.