The GTO - another GM flub. They just can’t seem to figure it out. Ford redesigns a sharp looking Mustang and it sells - GM drops a potent V8 into a vanilla design with old school technology and wonders why it doesn’t sell. Unless GM’s thinking changes, the concept Camaro will never see production.

THEY SHOULD DRUG TEST FOR STEROIDS ON THAT CAVALIER

Now that the half-assed™ GTO experiment is over (thanks GM for killing another car that could have been great), I wonder how they’re going to fill the gaping hole in their performance division? Right now their top performer is a yet-to-be released turbocharged four banger that nobody over 6′ tall can drive! Yeah real American muscle wooo hooooo! My guess is that GM will replace the GTO another pontiac badged minivan/suv crossover. Revive the Aztek!!!!!!

another botched re-introduction. thunderbird, gto, you will all be silly stories for years to come. thanks gm & ford!

That’s one fast Grand Am.

2 things that failed this car… The Name and the Front Bumper. They could have just named it anything other than GTO, and I believe it could have had more success… You can’t take a legend like the GTO, then rebadge another car and revive it in 2004 with a Grand Prix front end on it… And about the front end, they could have saved money and kept the Holden Monaro front end or even the Vauxhall version and it would have looked better…It’s one thing to rebadge a car and do it right, but they obviously didn’t spend any time on this one…

I heard not too long ago that they are bringing the GTO back in 2008, is that still happening, or is it gone for good?

I love my new GTO, best new car I’ve bought in the last 20 years.

they look kinda lame but they are fast as heck

i got owned in my mustang gt

This just goes to prove AGAIN, that GM dosen’t know what the hell there doing when building vehicles.

http://www.holden.com.au/www-holden/action/gallery?navid=5&catid=1004

I thought the Holden Monaro was handsome.
The Pontaic GTO was a featureless ball of Chevrolet Cavalier clone.

I agree the Pontiac fascia ruined the looks of the car.
Pontiac just slapped their face on the Monaro without bothering to integrate it with the look of the car.

All it proves is that style sells.

The public wants something flashy to say “I’m here”. Or an image car like BMW. I’m convinced that first time Bimmer buyers are just chasing image. That is why they appeared in the showroom. Only later would the bimmer owner truly appreciate the driving dynamics and become a loyal owner.
I guess the GTO lacked a lure to get people into the showroom in the first place. A lower price point would have worked. But, I guess GM could not afford that option.

Sad because this car is great! I like that it’s not a flashy car. It’s all about the driving experience. I thought it would be a sales winner, I was wrong.
If I did not have kids in college, this car would be in my garage waiting for me everytime I return from overseas.

To all of you haters… you ever drive one? Didn’t think so. This vehicle is, IMHO, the best car GM currently sells in the North American market (at least, under $50k). Build quality, interior, and performance that are just outstanding. I took one for a test drive and had to buy the car. Owner satisfaction with this car is among the highest of GM cars. You know the old saying about not judging a book by its cover? The same goes for vehicles… drive one, and you’ll see that it DOES live up to the GTO name.

The point of the car is that it is a sleeper (looking like other Pontiacs of its day), but with the performance to back it up, JUST LIKE THE ‘64 GTO WAS. RWD and a coupe, true to the origin of the GTO (unlike, say, the Charger). It’s not just carbon copy of a ‘67, either (unlike, say, the Mustang). The GTO lives outside the market for the Mustang, seeing how it’s a true 2+2 coupe (unlike the joke of the backseats that Pony cars, including the Camarobird, have).

The fact that this car is being discontinued is NOT a surprise… the contract with Holden to produce them was only for 3 years. The next-generation car was to be built here (OK, in Canada - would you haters be happy with that?). Sadly, it was behind schedule for MY2007 and then axed early last year (when the original RWD Zeta chassis was cancelled for NA manufacture). Pontiac has both coupe (including quad coupe) and sedan RWD proposals (on the new Zeta platform) in front of the GM product board… decisions to be made by summertime, with cars to appear in the 2008-2009 model years.

The sun has not set on a next-generation GTO. Ignore what you’ve read in magazines…

good riddance! aint gonna miss it.

Haters, haters, haters. Apparently all of us that appreciate car design are haters.

If you can’t appreciate the clean design of the GTO, then yes, you are a hater. Would you prefer Pontiac went back to tons of scoops and grilles and vents and cladding?

Besides, there is more to a car than good exterior design. Build quality, interior design, powertrain, ride, handling… but to some people, it’s better to look good than to feel good…

No more new GTO? What a surprise! GM just didn’t get it. I’m not a Ford lover but they really hit the mark with the new Mustang. Regardless of the excellent mechanicals the new GTO has, the CAR is not a GTO, just like there is no such thing as a 4 door CHARGER! Car companies have marketing people that get paid big money the come up with images and advertising campaigns for new cars, let them use some imagination and come up with something new instead of recycling the classic names of the past and slapping them on there latest offerings. Lets hope Chrysler gets the message and keeps the new Challenger true to the concept car and the original.(So long as I can pull off those ugly new style wheels and slap on some Cragar SSs without a problem)

“Would you prefer Pontiac went back to tons of scoops and grilles and vents and cladding?”

See above photo.

The above photo was a Woodward “concept” GTO, which purportedly hinted at styling of the cancelled original Zeta-based GTO. The only exterior part of that vehicle which was not modified from the ‘04 GTO was the roof…

“Would you prefer Pontiac went back to tons of scoops and grilles and vents and cladding?”

what? why dont you goto pontiac.com and look at the GTO….lets see it has 2 air dams on the bottom, 2 nostrils in the middle, and 2 hood scoops on top!

build quality? well sure if you compare it to the chevy aveo then the GTO is GM’s gift to the automotive world…ill keep my lexus thanks.

interior design? with monochromatic lcd screens taken straight off of a 1980’s casio watch…well if youve never seen an lcd screen before i guess…

I have an ‘04 GTO and compared to mustangs and other performance cars of today, style really doesnt matter, I love my car for the subtle styling, people feel safe and confident, and then i get to take it away, 1/4 mile at a time. There are so many people with so many different tastes that marketing is where stuff sells, I’ve been told at traffic lights that people have never seen a GTO before, this is March 2006, they’ve been out for 3 years. I’ve seen maybe 2-3 GTO commercials since i bought mine is 8-04. MP3 players are referred to as iPod’s because apple crammed the marketing down our throat. Mustangs have many more commercials the any other car, guess what, they’re also the highest selling. If GM wants to sell cars, then they should advertise cars.

If you know cars then you know that this is only a plus for the lucky ones who own a gto. One of the best cars ever made, Mustangs have developed a reputation over the past 15 years and thats the only thing that keeps them selling. I cannot see someone who is a muscle car enthusiast picking a pony over the GTO. THERE IS NOTHING LIKE MY 2005 GTO and I guess if those mustang owners could see something more than my tail-lights they would understand.

stop calling us haters…. its discontinued because the design blows…. buy a mustang

Pontiac is making a big mistake in killing the “GTO”
I owned 3 Gto’s in the past- 1967, and 2 1971’s. Although it is true the new ones don’t look like GTO’s of the past they sure do live up to the performance image of this great American muscle car. Pontiac is killing it’s image by destroying the icons of it’s name, i.e. Bonneville, Firebird and now the GTO. G6, Torent and Solstice doesn’t get it for GM’s performance division. I just hope the Grand Prix GXP stays around and hopefully is revamped into a rear wheel drive “performance” machine that I know Pontiac is capable of building. Bring in new management and make Pontiac the great auto division it used to be!

Mike
Marietta, GA

Well I have been test driving the new 5.7L Hemi Dodge Charger Daytona edition and it sure looks great and feels good. The 2006 Torrid Red GTO is the other choice and I want to buy one of these soon. So hard to choose. The charger has a ton more bells and whistles i.e., more space, 4 doors, sunroof, navigation, hands free blue tooth phone, radio controls on the steering wheel, seperate climate controls, etc.etc. The GTO is faster but not as stable and no frills in comparison. If I knew for sure that a better model will be coming within 2-3 years, I would hold off and buy later. I could always restore my 67 goat instead. I guess I’m looking for the inside track. Pontiac won’t fess up with anything.Maybe I’ll just by a waverunner or something or go to Bora Bora

The front end of this GTO looks like the front end of the old Grand Prix…..not bad by any means at all but not right for this particular car.

Sorry but it looks too much like my dads Vauxhall Astra for my likeing, bring back the Firebird…

I’m a big fan of GM but the Pontiac GTO just out right “S%&KS” They should have never built it. Waste of time and money, in which GM does not have.

People who really despise the GTO should try going out and driving one. I had a 2001 Mustang GT then a 2003 Mustang Cobra and still went with the GTO. It’s is a blast to drive and is far more comfortable than the Cobra. Although new to the US, the GTO is a car (obviously as the Monaro) that’s been around for a while and it shows. It’s a refined car. Does it get noticed? Nope. Not by the ricers, morons looking for a race and most importantly, the cops. My Cobra was a mark and my tickets in ti showed. With the GTO it all go, little show and that’s the way I like it. You want flash? Buy a clunky, loosely built new Mustang GT, you want power and refinement? Pick up one of the last remaining 2006 GTO’s.

I knew when I first saw this thing is was going to be a dismal failure, and everyone I talked to was disappointed too. It’s not about that the car isn’t a supreme performer, it is. It’s about it’s heritage and classic retro is what people want. I was so excited to hear they we’re bringing the GTO back, and after seeing the new Mustang which I knew would be a huge hit. I’d heard the gossip’s of people telling GM reps they want a retro classic styled GTO and hearing that the stupid GM exec’s just state “We don’t want to go backwards” then seeing the car for the first time I about died, it looks just like a Grand Prix?? I knew it, why are these idiots so intent on burying GM that they are so stubborn to not give the public what they want? The GTO’s sit while Mustang’s fly off the shelves,
I knew it. Stupid is as stupid does.

While Dynacorn and other aftermarket companies are giving people what they want and growing their companies with classic design’s again, and remake’s again, or kit cars which are greatly improved from the old days “70’s -80’s”, they are real quality now, I see so many Cobra’s, 41′ Willy’s etc. People feel just they way I do, real sick and tired of 25+ years of cars all looking the same plastic junk that all look too much alike. When is GM going to snap out of it, the Camaro had out performed the Mustang pretty much every year of manufacture, yet the Stang outsold the Camaro consistantly. If the GTO would have looked like a classic 68′ with flip open headlights, I don’t think they could have made them fast enough.

The new concept camaro and possible TransAm, I still think look a bit too modern, but maybe they’ll get lucky and it’ll be a hit, but I think in a few years we’ll be seeing a discontinuance of it as well as another flub. Ya see guys, the Mustang actually looks extremely close to the 68′ fastback, and that’s why it’s so popular. I was a mobile tool distributor and talked with the public all the time and heard opinion’s all the time, why can’t GM get off it’s brass ass and do what people want, is it that important to go bankrupt?? I’ll keep my Muscle Cars and 2, 86′ Gran National’s, 1987 was about the last year GM did anything right anyway. Buick, now there’s a big disappointment for 20 years running now, 2007 and still nothing exciting unless your sucking Geritol everyday, which even when I retire I’ll want something exciting, ;0