5.3 L V8 in '05 GTP???????

"One interesting bit of news from the sales manager was that the '05 Grand Prix GTP will have a 5.3L V8--still FWD." - bunky36 on Edmunds

Anyone else heard anything like this????

- Ray
Skeptical . . .

ive heard that the g.p. was suppose to get a v-8 just like the bonneville.

but i heard that it was to be rwd, but i cant see the rwd part if it is using the current plantform.

hey but if its true then i must have one so i can really put the hammer down especially when its spring.

The news I heard is that the GP will NOT get a V8. It is the GTO. The GTO lies on the old GP 2 door chassis. However the Trans Am is due back with the new All Aluminum 6.0L with AWD. The Bonneville got the Northstar because of GMs attempt to gain back some "car" market from Japan/Germany. So do not expect more than some more ponies out of the 3800 in the upcoming GPs.

i ll tell you what, i like the style of that bonneville.
i glad its got a v-8 though wish it had more ponies.
can u get some ponies out of northstar.
im i mistakin or is the bonneville rwd, i know it sits on a cadillac platform but i forgot which one.

in the mean time ill just keep the hammer down ,now that its spring.

Yes the Bonny is a FWD like the Caddies. THe V8 they put in the GXP is the Northstar V8 from the STS which is FWD. You can get some ponies out of them but Caddy sure has tweeked the PCM to death so.....

ill stick with my gtp then

keep it hammered

I highly doubt you will ever see that.

i think your right BryantGTP, itwould be too expensive and i thought gm decide to kill the ponycars because of sales and insurance cost.

I don't think they're coming back either,

Bob Lutz has been quoted saying that. He said that the Firebird is gone for good.

ive said it once and i`ll say it again.
i not a fan of bob putz i mean lutz... id take him out behind the g.m. corp building and wup his dam ass.

then id jump in my gtp and put the hammer down now that its spring.

You're right. The F-Body was shut down because of economic factors. The V8 sports car segment is really slowing down with the economy. They just weren't selling enough of them. Why is the Mustang still around? They were able to sell enough of those damn V6 models. Marketing pulled them through and even though the majority of Mustangs sold are V6's, it allows the whole product line to live on.

In regards to the Northstar's horsepower. Keep in mind, if you've ever driven a Northstar, you'll know that they're all torque and response; which makes them a fun engine, even in the heavier Caddy's. I think it'll do great in the new Bonneville. Yeah, I agree, that Bonneville is one sharp looking machine; maybe GM's most attractive design in years. I think it's clear that GM is really becoming the dominant one out of the big three, and can and will be a major player in the "world market".

ive never driven a northstar equipped vehicle but about 2 yrs ago i wanted to buy the aurora v8.

i understand that had northstar technology. but even though its a gutsy engine my real concern is the ability to extract more power out of it.

280 hp just does not cut it for that type of motor but the reliabity factor should be second to none.

its also a pricey bonneville but these days what vehicle with a v8 isnt.

The GTP will definitly get more horse power in the next 2-3 years. The new G6 is going to put out 200hp, and has more room than the Grand Prix.I see the Grand Prix GTP as a 4dr.GTO.Think about it Pontiac will cover all the bases.THAT WOULD BE THE BEST MOVE!

pmd did make a 4-door gto, it was back in the sixties and it was called lemans.
you could order one with some gto options if you wanted too.
boy that brings back memories,does anyone remember the straight 6 ohc that pmd made back then...
forever hammered

Read my message I said THE GRAND PRIX GTP will BECOME a 4dr sedan version of the GTO.Meaning the HP will move up. I had a 64 lemans straight6 no ohc!

thats why i like magazines with a lot of pics in them cause i cant read...
yeah.. pmd made a six a ohc,friend had one it had the badge on the front fenders, a checkered flag with red ohc over it. it was in a lemans.

I'm not understanding all the Bob Lutz bashing on here. If he was responsible for the '04 GP's, then I'm not seeing a problem yet. Mr. Lutz actually wants to make Pontiac the REAL performance division, like actually offering cars with manual transmissions and rear wheel drive, like nature intended. And as for the "F" Bodies; they were merely dropped basically because they couldn't sell them. That's what it comes down to. That and their quality/reliability track record was a little questionable, which is what people are starting to pay attention to again these days. But, as someone else stated, the days of RWD V8's are limited; but I think that will start to change in the next few years.

slow your roll adam..i agree with a lot of his commitments to make a good manufacturer even better i still beleive that he is submitting to the "bean counters" when he is making statments that he is gonna turn g.m. around ,watch what we come out with yada..yada..yada..

now if were gonna play armchair exec here, here is my ideas,

first lets put some real commercials on the mass market. we have some dull playing non informative just aint hittin with the current trend comms

i dont care which one of the big three you look at, these comms have no appeal ,then billboards, mags i think you get my point .

market the cars right like they do their trucks and we might have a chance to show not only the U.S.A. but the world that we do build a quality long lasting product. yes i do know about g.m.s foreign subsidarys, remember the opel??

oh yeah i forgot to say these two words.....



LEE IACCOCA

oh yeah i forgot to say these words

a great man that turned a dying auto comp around

I depends on what you consider "turning around" He was responsible for the K-Car and the Caravan. Qualitywise, these were some of the worst pieces of shit ever built. Yes, the minivan sold well, which is really all that matters to them, but Chrysler's whole lineup under his power was absolute garbage (yes, worse than GM and Ford, by far). I do think that GM is turning around, moreso than the other two. They currently are selling the most. The new Corvette is another world-class performing car, unlike 96-prior. Buick is almost on top for initial quality and reliabiltiy; the whole GM lineup is rated highest out of the big three, and is starting to creep into the German and Japanese status areas for quality. Yes, any "leader" of a company is going to say things to get everyone excited; that's just how it is. But with GM, it's obvious that something is obviously changing, mostly for the better.

GM has been under fire lately because they have had a bunch of recalls. The Corvettes were recalled for steering problems and a whole lot of trucks were recalled because the tailgate cables were snapping and allowing the tailgate to fall off completely.

Yes, I've heard of these recalls. But, they are fairly minute compared to the other current and past bulletins and recalls from the other automakers, especially Ford and Chrysler. Chrysler head gaskets causing engine fires, Ford's ever lasting front end problems, Ford cylinder head problems, not to mention the notorious rolling TSB vehicles; the Focus and Escape. The lists could go on for pages, and it isn't always necessarily accurate to judge a company only on its recalls. The fact is that GM has made much more improvement in their vehicles than the other two; and there's plenty of documentation out there showing the same. There will always be characteristic problems and recalls with any make, even the foreign ones.

the reason i bring up lee ioccoca was even though mopar at that time could only two ways,up or out.
he took a chance and made the company have some focus and vision.
mopar needed his drive and commitment and attitude to bring it back.
its funny you bring up the caravan, the most copied and loved and original idea to come from a american auto maker.
i remember when i used to live in l.a. and i aint talking about lower alabama, i was sent an invite to preview and give an opinion on a new type of vehicle.
it definitly was different and something i never saw before. it was a small van with lot of windows could seat up to seven but it had all the comforts of a car inside. they told none us who made it or even if it was gonna be manufactured.
we filled out a opinion form and they sent us on our way.
two years later it was introduced to the public as the dodge caravan.
so i guess what im trying to say is that g.m. should make a bold move and give us the consumer what we need instead of trying to force feed us something we dont want.

Those are all great points. But, there are other ways to become a successful automaker, besided an innovative design or vehicle. If you look at the world's top manufacturers, they don't necessarily need to come out with something new and different to keep them going. I don't care for foreign cars, but look at it this way. Benz, BMW, Honda, etc. don't necessarily try to always release new and funky models, just to be different and noticed. They keep the same basic lineup for years and years, but just build them attractively, solid, and mostly reliable, with very few gimmicks, and constant improvement for the most part. They don't radically change models, or try and bring back old names and slap them on a current body. Foreign cars don't sell because they're flashy, have questionable over-styling or gimmicks. They tweak their models every few years, and improve a little here and there. I would like to see GM and the others start to do the same some day, instead of drastically changing its models and lineup every few years. But, with all this in mind, remember that GM is selling the most out of everyone right now, and that's all that matters to them.

you got that right .. because i buy g.m. i beleive in g.m. g.m. will be around a long time because of their innovation and the pursuit to build cars for the masses that are affordable

Ok what is being said here makes no sense at all, one person says the TransAm is gone for good because of economic reasons? GTO ITS JUST AS FAST! And as well cost me the same to insure as if i would have bought a comp g? whats the economics of that. and its not sitting on the old 2 door GP platform its an australian car the Monaro from GM's company Holden. They killed it soly becuase of sales regardless of what they say. if teh v8 sprt segment was done we wouldnt have a 380 HP ls6 powered family car from the fine folks at GM. the reason it was killed was becuase everyone else was changing and gm wasnt. A sitting duck is a dead duck and thats what the Transam was. Maybe im just crazy or soemthing i dunno

That is what I was trying to say....

Who wants a RWD vehicle -- ok states with little rain and no snow... so how many states did we just rule out?

The V8 segment is not gone just changing. More efficient and more powerful motors. Like the 5.7L replacement -- the all aluminum 6L - more powerful and more efficient. Plus they use it across more vehicles like the truck/van family. So like I said -- look for a AWD Trans AM in the near future sporting the 6L V8.

Now that is a vehicle that can go in the rain and limited snow.

Yes a little elf told me.

Being the big grand prix fanatic that I am, and when I seen on here that someone had heard that they were going to put a V8 in a grand prix, I had to do a little research and I found this on motortrend.com
http://www.motortrend.com/future/spied/112_2005fvf/index5.html

are those "forecasts" based on any real data? Or just what MT think GM should do?

look at how many times MT or C&D or any of the "big" magazines say "this is what is going to happen"..... but remeber this weater it is forcasts or reality, people like us hoping are what makes it happen (believe it ro not). The MFGs really do pay attention to what we want.

Jizz,
an Elf Told ME!

Just an FYI: GTO is NOT based on a Grand Prix coupe. It is based on a Holden Monaro (Australia only model).

While the Grand Prix might get a V8 - I would guess only a detuned Northstar like the Bonnevilles. Unless they decide to bring over a variant of the Holden Commodore (which is a sedan) and I believe had the LS series v8.

Only the Corvette (Chevy flagship) or the GTO (looking to become the Pontiac flagship) will get the LS1 or LS6 motors in the USA for exclusivity purposes.

HEY I BROUGHT THE THING UP ABOUT THE MONARO CHEW!!!! Just playing, I don't care any v8 with 250 plus horsey's in a gp would be so freakin cool. Multi-valve or pushrod who cares.

That's right, whip his candy ass!

GTP Jack

I sort of think the rear drive thing is going to come back in the next few years. REAL performance cars have always been and will always be rear drive. Corvette, BMW, Mercedes, Ferrari, etc. Turn up front, power in the back. It's the way God intended.

As for what GM's going to do in the next few years? I've heard from numerous places that one of their goals is to start the rear drive, V8 thing again, and actually start offering MANUAL transmissions again. Again, a manual trans is another must for a real performance car. Hopefully it all works out...

Chew, who said that the GTO is based on a Grand Prix coupe? It should have been! Then it would look like a GTO

Cadillac is starting it. They are attempting to get younger people to drive Caddy's. The '05 STS will have RWD and a possible manual tranny (maybe not '05, but down the road).

The 05 STS preview I saw said RWD in the V6 and AWD in the V8. It also said that the V8 version will do 0-60 in under 6 seconds. And will start around 47K for the V8.

I GOTTA GET ONE!!!

'05 STS "AWD in the V8"
AWD will be an option.
$47.5K is the base list MSRP for the V8 RWD.
Link to ordering guide:

http://eogld.ecomm.gm.com/NASApp/domesti...&page=4&butID=3

GP content - I would LOVE to see a GP based on the Caddy CTS / STS / Sigma platform.
- Ray
Impressed . . .

AWD would be a sweet combo with a Northstar and a 6spd. Although I like the styling on the previous generation better.

Give it time Ray... don't most "options" start with Caddy?
I can list a few, but I would venture I would get flamed like usual. Look at the history...no NOT JUST THE PRODUCTION VEHICLES! See what Caddy brought to GM.
GM is becoming very innovative in thinking lately...a totaly re-sedigned GP.
Chevy has how many new vehicle launches in the past/next few months....To list just a few.. Avalanche, MalibuMaxx, SSR, A NEW MEAN @$$ Vette with 400 ponies standard and better gas milage than the 5.7 Z06.. all unique...
Caddilac with a 6speed 13 second-flat CTS, Totally redesigned STS AWD less than 6second 0-60 luxury sport sedan.
Pontiac with the G6 and the 4 wheel steer Truck (yes out for a bit now but innovative none the less)

HOLY CRAP YOU GUYS CAN BE CYNICAL!!! WE ARE ALL IN THIS FOR THE GP >>> I HAVE NEVER+++ON ANOTHER FORUM SEEN SUCH PESSIMISM!!!!

Flame me as you wish but look at the posts... you all have the glass 1/2 empty.... The 04 COMP G rocks! Tap shift..WITHOUT SHIFTING AUTOMATICALLY AT REDLINE! 3.29 Gears, Better tuned suspension, StabiliTrak Sport, Magnasteer II, lightweight aluminum machine-finished wheels, Red-painted brake calipers (futile but damn cool from a USA factory!) - SHEESH should I join a BMW or Nissan forum... they talk better about GM than some here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey, settle down, we are not cynical, just not all there, and that my friend is why we continue to put the down.

The reason some of us seem to be a little more cynical than other is because we've been promised one thing by GM and then been given something entirely different on more than a couple occassions. I'm speaking from personal experience. But that's another story for a different day.

Besides... I don't care if the glass is half full or half empty. I just want a bigger glass!!!

Marc

Sensible Marc, as always.

"I just want a bigger glass!!!"
Or stronger brew . . .
- Ray
Bigger and stronger = better?

You read my mind Ray!

Depends on what is in the glass?

The GTO is NOT based on the old Grand Prix 2 door chassis. It is a derivative of the holden monaro which is based on the GM Europe opel omega platform which is very similar to the caddy Catera. It is nothing like the old GP chassis.

Lutz said the TA is dead a few times.

The Grand Prix GXP is supposed to have a V8 and be FWD. Prob a detuned Northstar with more power than the G6 GTP(240hp) but less than the Bonnie GXP. Who knows if that will happen.

Maybe they will go 240 in the G6, 280 in the GP GXP, and then 300 in the bonnie GXP, with 350 LS1 and 405hp LS2 in the GTO Judge (once the C6 Z06 gets the 427 cid LS-7.

Ive read that the corporate GM RWD V8 chassis comes out in 06/07. Then the "holden" GTO is supposed to go away (only a 3 year run anyway) with the new GTO, GP, bonnie, Impala and Monte carlo moving to RWD V8.

However, we may not see any of it if gas prices keep rising and people start buying hybrids and tin cans again.

V8's in all these cars, ........................................................wow sorry i started dreaming. There is nothing like driving a v8 rwd vehicle. Maybe if they do this i will not move to a new chrysler 300c in a few years.......