http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content...._code=05812991

 

Not surprising to me...
times have changed - and the fuel prices have probably driven some away from that car as well as some of our trucks :-(

When I first saw it, it gave me the same impression I got from the supercharged Buick... nice engine, but the package is just too "nothing"....

 

Why would anyone want a car that Gets Towed Often!

 

I still think it looks like an overfed Cavalier..... Great engine, but lousy packaging.

 

No suprise.

I love the old GTO's but certainly wouldn't spend over $33K for a car that looks like a bloated Cavalier. GM made the same mistake with the Firebird and Camaro...turning them into over-priced, bloated examples of what they once were. They weren't selling, so they got the ax.
The GTO concept was an agressive-looking, affordable, fast, no-frills car. They blew it again. Why they don't have some old ex-street racers like some of us as product consultants...I'll never know. The styling on the GTO is so bland, that I might have seen one one the street...but I don't remember if I did or not. If there was ever a case for some retro-styling...this is the one.
C'mon GM...Take a good look at a '67 Goat and let it inspire you. Look at what Jay Mays did with the '05 Mustang, and use that as a lesson.

MR

 

I think it is probably a great driver, but they may as well called it a Grand Prix. They needed something that stood out from the rest of it's lineup, not blends in.

 

At the very least they should have added the hood scoops, hood tach, hide away headlights and the body emblems & markers from the 68 GTO. Those minor cosmetic improvements would have made this car a seller, I would have bought one even with the crappy handling and garbage front end parts. I watched car & driver magazine on spike this weekend, they reviewed the car and gave it a resounding two thumbs down. I have owned so many pontiacs (early firebirds and goats) that I was drooling when I heard they were going to reintroduce this car... now, I think pontiac will follow oldsmobiles lead and be the next division shut down, this just sickens me. The guys in the local pontiac club look embarrassed and hush hush whenever anyone mentions this abomnination of automotive history. But, on the flipside, I cant wait to see an 05 Mustang cobra, at least ford is staying true to thier faithful.

 

the thing with the new gto is that it does hold true to its roots very well contrary to what you all may believe. when the gto first came out all it was was a tempest with a big motor. nothing stood out about it. the car was a total sleeper straight from the factory. this is where the new gto gets you. everyone thinks its just some run of the mill crap box that isn't going to do squat. had pontiac put all the high-performance visual cues on this car, it wouldn't have held true to the original. it was meant to look like something that is run of the mill and it still is. think of it as paying homage to the original wolf in sheeps clothing, not the car that came to be in the late 60s that you knew it just to look at it. in my opinion it would be great to have a judge version that was tuned to the max with a vortech blower or something. that would be sweet

 

if they would have stayed true to the muscle car era and had some sort of resemblence to the old ones then it probably would have taken off. Look at the T-Bird, Mustang, New Bettle, and even the PT Cruiser. They are all throwbacks to the ones that stole our hearts years ago. I am with the rest of you guys, I will not pay for a bloated sunfire with a V8.

 

Styling problem, pure and simple. GM knows this, it was just a little late to implement any changes. They deserve to take it on the chin for not doing more market research.

 

highboy1975 is right. The original GTO was the new (in 1964) midsize Tempest in Le Mans trim with a fullsize Bonneville power train, a parts bin car. At close to $4000, optioned up, it was not cheap for its day either. My dad's 1964 Lincoln Continental was only about $6000. It was later that the hood scoops, bright orange paint and such came along. The problem with those old cars is that they couldnt stop or handle worth a darn. They were street drag racers on skinny tires.

The new car does not appeal to me emotionally because of modern instead of retro stying, but I guarantee you that it is a better car than the original.

Jim

 

One thing about the early GTO's was that the LeMans body was good looking, and visually different from the Catalinas and Bonnevilles, as well as the Chevelle, Skylark and Cutlass...That's not the case with the new GTO. With the early Goats you could get the car optioned-up or down...Not with the new one.
"True to it's roots"?...That's kind of a stretch. Which combination, or lack of options would allow today's buyer to duplicate a '64 or '65 2 door post strippo? These new versions come loaded...Not something every young street-racer wants or can afford.

 

The new GTO has plenty of power, it just looks like trash. Looks like a family ride to me.

 

Gee, it's a Pontiac. Maybe they could attach the Aztec nose to dress it up?

I said it from the day GM announced that Holden was going to build it: anyone that buys a new GTO will live to regret it. Holden couldn't build a reliable car if their life depended on it. This car's gonna be a nightmare for its owners.

 

I would seriously like to have one, but I think what is really killing it is the $$$$$. I think it is too expensive. I like the styling also, one of the few current model GM's that I do like. At least they didn't quiter ruin the GTO name as bad as they did the monte carlo SS.