Pontiac GTO Sucks

This has been bothering me for a while. I thought I might buy a GTO when they came out, but I was very dissapointed.

Power and performance aside, the thing looks like an overgrown Sunfire! I think the designers at Pontiac are phoning it in. In the time of the Mini, Mustang GT(2005), T-Bird, SSR, Ford GT50, Crossfire, hell..even the PT Cruiser!...you'd think they would have come up with something resembling a real GTO!

Car manufacturers have realized we love nostalgia, that is why I was so excited for the GTO. I had been drooling over the Holden for years wishing they would bring it in some fashion to the US.

My ultimate dream is for Buick to use the platform for a new Skylark GS. Maybe they can pull their heads out of their asses and create something that Pontiac can learn from.

I dunno, maybe the need to compete with the imports overroad any original thought? It kinda looks like a bigger 3rd Gen Intergra.

All I am asking is, are you with me? I saw one on the road and it looked allright, but it didn't make me want to buy one.

—Skylark64

I think the GTO is a nice car (at least, as new cars go), but calling it a Goat was a bad move. It's more of an executive express than a real muscle car. It's more a matter of semantics, they set people's expectations for the car to something it just isn't.

Do I think the GTO is a nice car? Yes. Does it deserve the GTO name? No.

[QUOTE=jcp123]I think the GTO is a nice car (at least, as new cars go), but calling it a Goat was a bad move. It's more of an executive express than a real muscle car. It's more a matter of semantics, they set people's expectations for the car to something it just isn't.

Do I think the GTO is a nice car? Yes. Does it deserve the GTO name? No.[/QUOTE]
Totally agree with that. Awesome car, but doesnt really deserve the GTO name.

[QUOTE=Slicks]Totally agree with that. Awesome car, but doesnt really deserve the GTO name.[/QUOTE]

I don't agree, performance wise it's very worthy of the name. As far as looks go, not all cars have to be retro guys. Example: the new C6 Corvette looks nothing like the original back in 1953 and we have no trouble calling it a Vette. I would agree if the GTO had poor HP and performance.

[QUOTE]Do I think the GTO is a nice car? Yes. Does it deserve the GTO name? No.[/QUOTE]

The original GTO was named after the Ferrari GTO. GTO stands for Gran Turismo Omolagato or a homologation: a road worthy version of a race car. So really even the original GTO didn't deserve its name.

As for it being a nice car...definitely. For '05 it gets the 400hp engine. Looks wise, its a matter of opinion and I like it. Its a sleeper, better understated than.... Maybe a little more aggression would have been nice but it's not a clean slate design, it's a Monaro. I guess the tradition lives on for the Pontiac GTO, it still doesn't deserve its name but it's a great car.

I think when Bob Lutz first drove the Monaro and first decided to import it as a GTO, it was more of a quick fix solution than anything else, to try and reestablish Pontiac as a performance brand. The styling is probably nowhere near what a GTO should be, but when the Monaro was re-released here in 2001, people were saying it didnt live up to the Monaro name either.....Wait till 2007 for the ALL new model and you might be satisfied

[QUOTE=PerfAdv]The original GTO was named after the Ferrari GTO. GTO stands for Gran Turismo Omolagato or a homologation: a road worthy version of a race car.[/QUOTE]

Good to see you know your Ferrari history :)

LOL!!

I think the GTO looks pretty good but nothing like what it should look like, i think it would be better if it had some retro features

The bonnet vents on the Monaro really look out of place without the dual nose grille, the Monaro's been lsing sales enough without Denny Mooney "americanising" it to cut costs

[QUOTE=Colty]LOL!!

I think the GTO looks pretty good but nothing like what it should look like, i think it would be better if it had some retro features[/QUOTE]

>Buy new GTO>Take it to Ligenfelter>Have them drop in a 600+ HP 427 big block in it!!>That's the kinda retro Taz likes!!!:D :D :cool: :cool:

Nah, take it to CAPA so they can fit one of their 560kw 383ci supercharged engines

[QUOTE=PerfAdv]The original GTO was named after the Ferrari GTO. GTO stands for Gran Turismo Omolagato or a homologation: a road worthy version of a race car. So really even the original GTO didn't deserve its name.

As for it being a nice car...definitely. For '05 it gets the 400hp engine. Looks wise, its a matter of opinion and I like it. Its a sleeper, better understated than.... Maybe a little more aggression would have been nice but it's not a clean slate design, it's a Monaro. I guess the tradition lives on for the Pontiac GTO, it still doesn't deserve its name but it's a great car.[/QUOTE]

hmm good point, i guess if you wanted to get down to the nitty gritty, youre completely correct. but you know what i'm talking about. :D

[QUOTE=fpv_gtho]Nah, take it to CAPA so they can fit one of their 560kw 383ci supercharged engines[/QUOTE]

Ligenfelter will put twin turbos or a supercharger on the 427 if your wallet is deep enough:)

what figures are those engines pushing? a company here called APS just released a twin turbo kit on the LS1 that can pump out from 400kw to 700kw

Straight from the Poncho website:

5.7L V8 SFI aluminum (350 HP [260.7 kW] @ 5200 rpm, 365 lb-ft [492.7 N-m] @4000 rpm)

[QUOTE=fpv_gtho]what figures are those engines pushing? a company here called APS just released a twin turbo kit on the LS1 that can pump out from 400kw to 700kw[/QUOTE]

The twin turbo and supercharged 427 are 800+ HP dude, I'm not sure how that translates to kw though, sorry:(

that'd be getting about 600kw i think

Well I reckon the GTO looks much, much too bulky and tame to deserve a fast name like GTO. It needs to slim down a bit, bigger, chrome rims and get some bonnet vents and racing stripes ( :p ) and then it will look great.

Performance, and build wise the GTO is a great car; however, I don't quite understand why people thought the old GTO was "radical in design", for all it was (design wise) was a 2-door version of a popular Pontiac family sedan back then (can't recale the name).

Anyhow, 2008/2009 you will see a whole new design, and a whole new RWD architecture :).

its gunna be earlier than then, considering the VE commodore is a year and a half way

[QUOTE=taz_rocks_miami]The twin turbo and supercharged 427 are 800+ HP dude, I'm not sure how that translates to kw though, sorry:([/QUOTE]

twin turbo 427 800+hp!! What a WEAPON!!!! :D

[QUOTE=distress]Performance, and build wise the GTO is a great car; however, I don't quite understand why people thought the old GTO was "radical in design", for all it was (design wise) was a 2-door version of a popular Pontiac family sedan back then (can't recale the name).

Anyhow, 2008/2009 you will see a whole new design, and a whole new RWD architecture :).[/QUOTE]

It was the Tempest. Pontiac also made a "baby" GTO called the LeMans, my friend owned a 65, pretty cool car. People just expected better perfomance, the GTO back in the day was an absolute monster that kids could afford.

You guys are right the monaro shouldn't be called GTO it's a insult to the monaro's name.
As FPV_GTHO said back when monaro came out it looked nothing like the old First Monaro's, People were mad and still are, But the car still had the tag from many Motoring mags, the best looking car on the road in Australia, Now car are changing and it's finally got a face lift but the first feelings it had back in 2002 arn't there anymore, You see people back in 2002 almost smashing to see it, Or people j-walking just to grab a view of it, Old men just retireing and spending there retirment money on buying one, Or like some i know buy 2 of them and pay what you can afford then sell them and pay what you can back just so you can say i had one, Now that's desperate, It's a car that still turns heads but it's expensive so not many will ever get to own one:(

Also i read that capa was building a 700kw+ supercharger for the LS1:D

Well theyve been playing around with a Crewman at Mallala so ive heard, so they seem to be doing more development ontop of their 560kw kit

[QUOTE=fpv_gtho]Well theyve been playing around with a Crewman at Mallala so ive heard, so they seem to be doing more development ontop of their 560kw kit[/QUOTE]
But everywhere i look i cant find it now, But i know i seen it it's shitting me :mad:.

I think the new GTO looks nice. It's a four door sedan, not a sportscar. I like the idea of a sleeper car.

Its a 2 door coupe......badge engineered from ANOTHER coupe, BASED on a 4 door sedan...

The GTO has the potential to look much better then what it does.