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#153409 - 06/02/02 08:50 PM GTO Info Thread
Chew Offline
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Loc: Washington, DC
From Motor Trend magazine.

General Motors may tap its Australian division Holden to provide a high-performance, rear-drive coupe for Pontiac, filling the portfolio gap to be left by the Firebird when it retires at the end of the 2002 model year. Originally, the Commodore sedan was slated to arrive here as the new Chevy Impala SS, but now GM is looking at the Monaro coupe to be imported as a Pontiac.
When we caught wind of the Aussie connection months ago, talk was that the Monaro was under consideration for a Camaro replacement, though that stood in conflict with other insider reports. The name "GTO" had been flung around for some time, but now we have a product on which to affix the respected badge.

In fact, it is already wearing a GTO badge. The high-performance HSV group produces two hot Monaro models, the GTO 255 and the GTS 300, each using an enhanced Gen III 5.7-liter aluminum V-8. The top GTS model even boasts an engine warmed over by tuner Callaway for a prodigious 400-horsepower output. The photo illustration presented here is our best guess at how the styling would be adapted to Pontiac, building off the more subtle Monaro. We're told by insiders that the current view is that the face would carry essential Pontiac cues, but the rear would remain untouched.

More conservative in appearance than the current 'Bird, the name change would be a historic nod to the super sleeper, original GTO that helped put "muscle car" into the vernacular. The modern Monaro could address many of the aging Firebird's packaging issues while retaining its high-horsepower, high-value equation. And it would keep excitement burning white hot at Pontiac for years to come.
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Chew

2007 Sly Silver Pontiac Solstice GXP
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#153410 - 06/02/02 08:53 PM Re: GTO Info Thread
Chew Offline
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Registered: 05/01/02
Posts: 311
Loc: Washington, DC
From Motor Trend

Holden has taken the covers off the new Monaro sports coupe, a rear-drive coupe that resurrects a classic Australian moniker and embodies the Camaro spirit. The two-door kin to the Commodore sedan has us scratching our chins, asking, "What if?"
When we researched the future vehicle report on the next-generation Camaro for the September 2001 magazine, and followed up with our own online Camaro prescription, we had a couple insiders tell us to keep an eye on Holden. Now we know why.

Much of our muscle wish list is largely addressed in the new production model, aside from a 1967-1969 Camaro three-box shape dripping in romantic heritage cues. Here is a true rear-drive coupe offered with choice of supercharged 3.8-liter/229-hp V-6 or Gen III 5.7-liter/302-hp V-8, matched to a four-speed automatic or six-speed manual gearbox.

The suspension employs McPherson struts up front and an independent rear with trailing arms -- no Salisbury rear axle here! The CV8 model wears massive 18x8-inch aluminum wheels shod in 235/40R18 Bridgestone tires, enhancing handling from the sport-tuned suspension. Power transfer and control are aided by traction control, four-channel ABS, and limited-slip differential.

This tempting hardware is packaged in a car that measures 5 inches shorter, 1.6 inches narrower, and 3.8 inches taller than the current Camaro. The tidier Monaro coupe rides on a longer wheelbase, stretching 8.7 inches beyond the Camaro for minimal overhang and maximum road holding.

Inside, the CV6 features basic power amenities, cruise control, 80-watt stereo, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, side airbags, trip computer, and power seats with slide function for rear access. The CV8 steps things up with more leather accents, dual-zone climate control system, three-driver memory settings, and 260-watt stereo with 10 disc changer.

The price converts to $24,000 for the CV6 and $28,500 for the CV8, both coming standard with an automatic transmission. Will this Monaro come to the U.S. as a Camaro? Despite hints from a couple internal sources, it doesn't look likely. Will Chevrolet keep an eye on the Monaro as it works through its future product plans? You bet. The fourth-generation Camaro may be in its final year without a public commitment to an imminent replacement, but General Motors has proved on the global market that it can still produce exciting muscle cars.
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Chew

2007 Sly Silver Pontiac Solstice GXP
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#153411 - 06/17/02 10:26 AM Re: GTO Info Thread
Chew Offline
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Posts: 311
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Pontiac GTO faces guzzler tax
To revive muscle car image, GM wants high horsepower

By Rick Kranz
Automotive News / June 17, 2002

The 2004 Pontiac GTO

Likely engine: 5.7-liter V-8
Expected horsepower: 350
MPG: Under 22.5

General Motors is so eager to give tire-squealing power to the revived Pontiac GTO that it will change its long-standing practice and subject the car to the federal gasoline guzzler tax.

The 2004 GTO, expected to go on sale in fall 2003, will be based on the Holden Monaro, which is assembled by GM subsidiary Holden Ltd. in Australia.

"For a car to be credible, accepted as a rebirth of the rear-drive American muscle car, it has got to have that rocket-sled acceleration off the line," said Robert Lutz, vice chairman for product development, at a media event in Munich, Germany.

He said the Monaro's 5.7-liter V-8 will be modified to give the GTO more horsepower and higher torque at low speeds for quick accelerations.

GM has not released the GTO's horsepower. But asked if the target is 350 hp, Lutz said, "You're in the right neighborhood." The Monaro's V-8 produces 302 hp and 339 pounds-feet of torque.

Lutz said that with the engine modifications, the GTO will be subject to the gas guzzler tax. "We'll offer American style off-the-line performance of squealing tires," he said.

The tax, collected by the Internal Revenue Service, applies to cars - not light trucks - that have combined city and highway fuel economy of less than 22.5 mpg. The tax amount increases as fuel economy falls. The Dodge Viper is the only American-built vehicle subject to the gas guzzler tax. Its tariff is $3,000. Not even Chevrolet Corvette buyers pay the tax. GM engineered the Corvette's powertrain to include a skip-shift feature on cars with manual transmissions. The skip shift locks out second and third gears under moderate acceleration, boosting the car's combined fuel economy above 22.5 mpg.

The Cadillac Allante, which GM dropped in 1994, was the last GM car subject to the tax.
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Chew

2007 Sly Silver Pontiac Solstice GXP
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#153412 - 06/20/02 09:53 AM Re: GTO Info Thread
Chew Offline
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From: http://www.pontiac.com/pontiacjsp/passion/news/main.jsp

It was the first true American muscle car. When the Pontiac® GTO® appeared on the scene in late 1963, heads turned and the auto world raved. The name GTO came from the Italian Grand Tourismo Omulogato racing series. But passionate enthusiasts from around the world came to praise it as "The Great One", "The GOAT", or simply as "The Legend." It was this powerful V8, rear-wheel-drive coupe that came to symbolize Pontiac performance at its best.

Today, the auto world is talking once more. The Pontiac GTO coupe is coming back.

The soul of the legendary GTO was easy to find — you had only to raise the hood. So it's fitting that under the hood of every new GTO will be an LS1 aluminum block 5.7-liter V8 engine. Add in the rear-wheel-drive chassis-an essential part of the GTO identity. Plus, add an available 6-speed manual transmission, and what do you have? A true driver's car, unleashing over 300 hp on command.

Soon, a new generation of driving enthusiasts will be introduced to the GTO. This uncompromising machine will share both the V8 heritage and brawny, muscular stance of its ancestry. And so much more. A fusion of heritage power and modern technology, the new GTO will combine legendary acceleration with precision handling and driver amenities not dreamed possible in decades past. The new GTO will truly be the modern incarnation of the classic.

Pontiac is headed in a new direction with dynamic, 21st-century designs — clean, contemporary looks with power and handling that create a total performance package. Pontiac is changing the game and leading the way with a new driving experience that can only be described in three letters: GTO.

Get ready, starting late 2003, the GTO is back.
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Chew

2007 Sly Silver Pontiac Solstice GXP
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#153413 - 06/20/02 09:13 PM Re: GTO Info Thread
Chew Offline
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Registered: 05/01/02
Posts: 311
Loc: Washington, DC
From Automotive News (autonews.com)

Pontiac says new GTO shows division's future

DETROIT - General Motors is counting on a modern version of the Pontiac GTO sports car to help reverse a decline in sales of its Pontiac nameplate, whose luster has faded since the GTO's "muscle car" heyday in 1960s.

GM on Thursday released a sketch and more details about the Australian-built GTO, which is to go on sale in the fall of 2003. The GTO, powered by a version of the Chevrolet Corvette's V-8 engine churning out more than 300 horsepower, will carry a price tag between $30,000 and $35,000, said GTO marketing manager Bob Kraut.

GM aims to sell about 18,000 GTOs a year, a negligible number compared with the two million cars the company sells in the United States every year. But Kraut said Pontiac would use the GTO to get customers interested in the brand again, and that the GTO offers a preview of how future Pontiac models would look and drive.

"A lot of manufacturers put out 'halo' vehicles that are supposed to spread goodness and light to other vehicles in the showroom," Kraut said. "But there's nothing like them to buy.

"The GTO will represent what every Pontiac can be and will be in the future."

The new GTO will be the latest in series of cars that draw on famous names from the past to stand out in a crowded market. Ford Motor Co. brought back the Thunderbird last year. BMW AG began selling a redesigned Mini this year in the United States and Japan, and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. will start selling a new 350Z sports car later this year.

Pontiac car sales fell 16 percent last year, as the division's aging lineup competed for buyers' attention against several new models from import automakers. Through May, Pontiac's sales are down 4 percent, with only the mid-size Grand Prix outselling its prior-year results.

In addition to the GTO, Pontiac will get a reworked Grand Prix in the first quarter of 2004, followed by a revamped version of the smaller Grand Am a year later. Kraut said performance would be a strong selling point for the new cars, and that the GTO's sleek styling would be reflected in the new models.

GM will build the engines for the GTO in North America and then ship them to Australia, where the cars will be assembled. GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz chose the unusual arrangement because he wanted to revive the GTO as a rear-wheel-drive sports car, and GM's Australian division was already offering such a vehicle, the Holden Monaro.

Dave Himmelberg, the GTO's program engineering manager, said the changes required to make the Monaro into the GTO -- including bringing the car into compliance with U.S. safety standards -- were challenging, mostly for the 18-month deadline set by the company. That is about half the time such a project would usually take.

Himmelberg and Kraut said the exact output of the GTO's V-8 had not been determined, and that it was not clear whether the car would face a federal "gas guzzler" tax for cars that fall below fuel economy targets.
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Chew

2007 Sly Silver Pontiac Solstice GXP
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#153414 - 07/31/02 11:55 AM Re: GTO Info Thread
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Registered: 05/02/02
Posts: 136
Loc: Sterling Heights, MI
GM's GTO In "XXX" Driver's Seat
Reuters/Variety
July 31, 2002
By Marc Graser

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - General Motors' Pontiac division has inked a deal to promote the upcoming Vin Diesel spy thriller "XXX" and is negotiating to make its new redesigned GTO a co-star in the sequel.

A 1967 edition of the original supercharged muscle car receives considerable screen time in "XXX" as Diesel's primary mode of transportation. No deal with GM had been arranged when the picture was written or produced. The Revolution Studios-produced picture opens Aug. 9 via Sony.

After seeing trailers for the film, Pontiac execs quickly approached Revolution to build a campaign around the picture as a way to make the new GTO appealing to younger buyers when it hits dealerships in late 2003 as a 2004 model. Pontiac sold the original GTOs from 1964-74.

"The reason that the Pontiac GTO works so well in 'XXX' is that the creative process guided the relationship between the two companies as opposed to the relationship guiding the creative process," said Revolution partner Tom Sherak.

The choice of the car was based around Diesel's character, an extreme sports star who is recruited to become a secret agent.

Pontiac and Revolution already have launched a print and online sweepstakes that offers consumers a chance to win a trip to meet Diesel at NASCAR 's Daytona 500 race in 2003. Diesel will drive the new GTO as the pace car at the Daytona 500.

But Pontiac is betting heavily on a major presence in the "XXX" sequel, which is being prepped for summer 2004 release and reteams Diesel with helmer Rob Cohen ("The Fast and the Furious"). The inclusion of the car would make Pontiac an even bigger promotional partner, contributing millions to Revolution's marketing coffers for the picture.

Where it has been a given that a fast-food chain will help sell a film, Hollywood is increasingly relying on automakers to not only provide production resources such as vehicles, but also millions in additional marketing dollars to help promote tentpole pictures.

"Cars are one of the easiest product integrations that exist," said entertainment media consultant Michael Kassan, who helped broker the Pontiac deal. "People need cars and productions utilize cars. It's not a reach. It's not like a character holding a Coke can. It's a way for a car to resonate with a character and convey a message."

This summer alone has seen Mercedes appear front and center in Columbia's "Men in Black II," BMW's new Mini Cooper make a cameo in New Line's "Austin Powers in Goldmember" and a futuristic Lexus appears in Fox's "Minority Report."

General Motors is the largest ad buyer in the country and is expected to help expand the reach of the $30 million Columbia has earmarked to promote "XXX" with its own dollars.

Considering the attention that the previous cars have received in MGM's James Bond pics, Ford-owned Aston Martin spent tens of millions to outbid BMW last year to return to upcoming pictures in the franchise -- providing not only cars for productions, but also additional funds to offset shooting budgets and buy its way into becoming a promotional partner. Its new $228,000 Vanquish sports coupe will appear, complete with gadgets, in November's "Die Another Day."

Revolution isn't done looking at cars. The studio is auditioning wheels to appear as the talking Kit in its upcoming "Knight Rider" picture.
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