400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

Still looks like a sunfire with a cheap makeover. G.M has spent a fortune trying to convince the public that the car is cool. I know it runs well but it looks like an eight year old car.

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

I agree, it needs some better styling. I do think 600Hp makes it look different. :eek:
http://www.motorsporttech.com/print/...rochure01.html

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

At SEMA, I ran into the marketing manager for the GTO. I told him I thought the car needed more GTO cues, without going overly retro. I could tell he had heard this over and over, and didn't take too kindly to my comments. He pointed to new hood scoops, dual exhausts, and rocker panel. It was clear, though, they GM was going to rely on the GTO logo to get the message across, because GTO was plastered all over the car. It still had that horrible Grand Am grille. It seems like GM was so intent of making sure the car didn't show its Holden Australian heritage, and make sure it looked like a Pontiac, that they forgot it was suppose to look like a GTO.

Then I asked him why the hood scoops only dumped air into the engine compartment (that produces front end lift), rather than into the engine. He didn't know. It is times like this, that I am glad I don't work for GM anymore. My career's not on the line when I speak my mind anymore.

Michael

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

I like any strong running machine. The GTO is certainly that.
But I've seen a few in the flesh and they do NOTHING for me visually.

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

Much better but still not there yet in My opinion. Any custom car shop could turn out something modern and yet still evoke the famous cues. I had two 69 Goats back in the day, great great cars.

I don't know a single person who is into muscle cars that would touch the new goat.

My 96 WS6 Ram Air Formula Firebird is also a great car (only 56 other cars like it) but then Pontiac uglied up the styling with awful flapper lights and then dropped the line completely.

Did you know my car destroyed BMW for five years in a row in the IMSA street stock road race challenge? No? Well no one else did either because Pontiac never trumpted this impressive achievement. Odd, odd, odd.

Lucky thing GM still makes great trucks and super Vettes!

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

I saw one get trashed by a Neon SRT-4 and a Modded G-35 Coupe at the same time. (the G-35 was modded by me) Pretty soon GMs fastest cars will be seeing the taillights of my newest Project Stratus. I wish I could use my powers for good.

A quick note. the GTO we trashed was not an 05 but I don't think it would have mattered.

Roby

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

Whoever does / approves the styling at Pontiac / Buick should be fired IMO, not only for this car but for most of their lines. They make some of the ugliest cars out there.

I haven't driven the new GTO yet (probably won't either) but I heard the suspension / handling on this car is crap. Put together with parts / leftover designs from the GM Austrialian plant. Basicallly a straight line shooter like their old muscle cars from 30 years ago. If I want that I would rather buy an old GTO / 442 from the 60's or early 70's.

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

They had such a great opportunity to make an impact on the competition and failed miserably...this is why a lot of enthusiasts have to turn to Europe for their cars.

Pulled up to one the other day...he looked at me, shook his head and waved me on. Got the impression he'd been smoked before !

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

I was watching a TV show once and it was all about GM new design engineers. They sent out the group of newbies to a car show to see what real old muscle cars looked like. I think that also is the problem. You have people working at GM that never raced a car or even went to a friday night drag race and seenwhat people really want.

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

400 Horses wow it'll be that much faster to lose your license, get outrageous fines and have your insurance rate go thru the roof.

Cars are not the place to have fun in anymore. Boats are the place to go for unrestrained fun. The only "Far West" left.

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

$hitbox ..

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

I think the drivetrain makes it a fantastic car to drive, but I can't get past the looks. It doesn't look like a Muscle car..........
I am not a Ford guy as I own 3 GTO's, but that new 2005 Mustang GT is awesome.
Ford gets it. Retro is in.

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

CAP071, pretty funny about sending the engineers to look at old muscle cars. I was driving my gorgeous 1967 Eldo with stock firemist blue (changed colour with the light) in Toronto when an excited driver yelled at me to pull over. "I am a GM engineer, what year is that car?" I was very tempted to tell him if his was any kind of automotive engineer, he should know that it was the first front wheel drive Cadillac based on the 1966 Toronado frame, also a ground breaker car. The eldo, sold when I moved to New York, just made a magazine list of top fifty coolest cars ever made.

At least Dave Hill is a REAL car guy who runs the Vette program at GM. Doing a great job too!

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

It was funnythe one young kid was like " WoW the whole car is steel and metal no plastic on them" I was sitting there saying " WoW this guy wants to build a muscle car yet has no idea what a Yenko Camaro is .One woman I should say Kid was amazed at the Superbird. I said sh*t so am I :D But honey if youhave no idea what a muscle car buyer wants maybe you should sell avaon instead :D

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

If your going to try to capitalize on a brand name do it like this (I would buy this car):

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

Not like this (better than stock but still no GTO look):

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

I just cant figure out why it took manufacturers so long to figure it out..People love the old muscle.. Ford showed that you can produce a modern vehicle with that old muscle car era look .. Chrysler needs to slap the hemi in a cuda look alike..

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

who wants a cavalier that gets 15 mpg? I don't care how much horsepower you put in it! (i can't believe i just typed that.... )

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

Yep, the new mustang is a winner all around. If I did not need a truck, I'd buy the new Stang in a minute.

Pretty sick that the new GTO failed to have hood scoops like ALL OTHER GTOS ever made, and goofy rear tail lights. Why not the cat wisker rear lights of 1967 or ANYTHING better than the dumb new lights. Looks like a %&$# Neon!!! Whoever styled the new GTO should have been fired on the spot.

I dimly remember Pontiac showed a done up Gran AM to look like a GTO many, mnay years ago, recall it looked great. Better yet, have SLP engineering design the car for GM, those dudes actually like cars and have produced some fine stuff for Pontiacs in the past.

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

The 04's, still waiting to see one that is semi decent.

Those SRT-4's can have some ass eh? Watched one destroy a few 4th Gen F-Bodies 0-100 last friday, had the stage 1 kit on it.

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

I hear ya guys .... I've gota real nice 65 convert. and was really looking forward to getting an'05 to match .... until they came out !!! :( Not gonna do it !

But maybe a Mustang to go with the truck ???? :D

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

BTW .... whats that silver F350 behind the Mustang ... Looks pretty trick !

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

I agree, they look like cavaliers, and only do 0-60 in 5.4..... a subaru does it quicker with 125 less hp for 22,000 instead of 33,000... The new GTO is a joke.. :rolleyes:

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

I finally saw a new GTO on the road yesterday. It was about as exciting looking as the Taurus on the other side of me at the light. I actually looked at it a couple times before I even noticed what it was. Come to think of it, if it wasn't such an electric blue color, I probably wouldn't have noticed it all.
Just one more swing and a miss by GM....not a surprise whatsoever. They get by on blind loyalty alone. People who will only buy a Chevy, Pontiac, Buick, whatever...regardless of how much of a POS their last one was. These same people are so accustomed to a complete lack of quality that their definition of a "Good car" is way out of whack.
Sure the C6 Corvettes are cool, but even with Vettes, it seems that an awful lot of buyers are just Corvette loyalists. Everyone I know that owns a Vette has had at least three, and doesn't even really consider other sports cars when it's time for a replacement.

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

Before you go and fire the designers you better first look at what they have to work with? I mean it seems GM sent a bunch of Grand Prix's over there and told them to make a RWD performance car out of them. "Do it and do it cheap, We will let the dealerships work out the bugs". Ford on the other hand removed all restraints from their design team and basically gave them a blank check. Although I have never been a big Ford fan they did a fantastic job on the new Mustang and the GT. At least when the competition lit a firecracker under Ford's azz they jumped up and fought back. GM is walking around in the clouds looking for the competition that left it behind a long time ago. Chrysler? They are on the cutting edge and have been for awhile now.

Roby

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

The GTO doesn't do much for me, but this does--
http://www.popularhotrodding.com/fea...409phr_camaro/

If GM puts this on the market, the GM fans will have something to race the new mustangs with. Too bad its going to be in 2007 :rolleyes:

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

I recently attended a GM Autoshow in motion here in Houston in which you could drive around a path made in the parking lot. You could drive GMs latest cars and also drive the competition. One of the things I immediately noticed that Chrysler was not invited to the party. I also noticed that the competition was not the best representative of it's make. In the hours I spent there I drove the GTO Automatic, some Saab version of the Subaru. Corvette 6-speed. a supercharged Grand Prix, I even attempted to drive the new Malibu but it was such a POS I got out of it when I saw the line of cars waiting to start. the non-GM cars I drove were the Honda Accord LX, Lexus ES330.

To sum it all up the GTO felt like a large Z28 and the Corvette drove nice but severely lacked upper RPM pull that I enjoyed in the 9400 RPM Turbo Supra. The brakes on the Vette were awesome but that technology didn't carry over to the GTO where the ABS would activate even when the wheels were not locked up sending me into one cone.

I was not impressed. If you can afford a GTO you can afford the Corvette. This is why the GTO will fail in my opinion.

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

Yep, at the SEMA show several suppliers have updated versions of the 1960s option packages. Think it was auto week showing all kinds of cool packages available for the Stang!

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

Here's a modded 2004 GTO that GM Performance Division put together for the Woodward Dream Cruise. Apparently it was done by employees, after hours - maybe they should let these guys do this for their day job, as this thing is 1000% nicer than the Cavalier, oops, I mean stock GTO.

If Pontiac had this in the showroom, I'd be damn close to breaking my "never again" rule on Pontiacs...

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

Ooops, can't post pics - got a huge string of errors. Let's try this:

http://www.tuningnews.net/news/04110...am-air6-01.jpg
http://www.tuningnews.net/news/04110...am-air6-02.jpg

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

Another:

http://ultimategto.com/2004/04_00052_1.jpg

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

Two weekends ago Sandy drove the CT-V Caddy, it was ok, a little rough in a few areas, not any quicker than her BMW 545I 6 speed, but a great value for what it was. This weekend she drove a Black GTO 6 speed, she liked it better, could toss it around more, felt more comfortable, but still not as quick as she would like. So we ordered the 400hp version. It's not nearly as retro like the Mustang, but the Mustang has only 300 hp, I guess we'll have to trade it in next year when the Stang gets it's 400 plus hp. My take on it, for 35k you get alot of car, the interior was excellent, and the car felt ok when driving it, all I know is I saved 18k over the caddy with the same motor, so now I can spend it on modifications. :cool: Jeff

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

I don't think the GTO is a bad car at all. Just don't call a Cavalier/Grand Am/ whatever a GTO!!!

I have pretty much hated nearly every FORD product built since I was a youngin, but Ford just SEVERELY kicked GM's ass with the Mustang.
That thing is BAD A$$!!!! It's got a retro look with modern lines. I can't wiat until they put some serious power in them. One of those (preferably a convert) and a new GT-40 and I will be set.
Screw GM, let them go play with their Grand Ams. :mad: :mad:

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

Here's a pic of the what GM is working on for the 2007 Camaro


http://popularhotrodding.com/feature...amaro_13_z.jpg

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

Gee, where did GM EVER get the idea of introducing a retro style hot rod? :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :eek:

Gotta admit, it's cool! :drink:

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

gm will ruin that concept just like they do every other good concept somebody comes up with... how do you think they got to where there are now? It's amazing the vette keeps dodging the butchering that most cars get at GM. How could GM lose the sales race with the mustang with a car that nearly handed the mustang its a$$ in every single performance category, yet the mustang outsold it 3 to 1? I am not some mustang lover either, but they are doing it right.

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

Right you are.. What do you wanna bet they put a pushrod V8 in it?

Roby

Re: 400 Hp 2005 Gto
 

Could`nt have said it better myself.