Vehicle Description
America got the best of both worlds with this GTO. In 1931, GM
bought Holden, an Australian car company. They stayed pretty
independent from GM, enjoying the synergies, but developing their
own cars. Bob Lutz, chairman of GM, drove a V8 powered Holden
Monaro on a trip there in 2000 and was quite impressed. Car and
Driver said it was one of the best cars GM built at the time and an
Australian magazine said it would eat Mustangs and spit out
Nissans. So, GM decided to bring it to the U.S. as a Pontiac GTO.
Check it out.
We admit that there is nothing like the original GTO. But times and
technology have changed, and this GTO is a serious muscle car as
well as a worthy successor to the name. In true hot-rod tradition,
this one has a few upgrades that add to the flavor. One that even
GM added to later year models is a hood with scoops that recall the
ones on the originals. The front end is now very aerodynamic, but
retains the signature split Pontiac grill proudly sporting a GTO
badge while also incorporating some serious lighting. The color is
called Yellow Jacket and the factory used a basecoat/clearcoat
system to really bring out the shine. The wheels have been blacked
out along with the mirrors in another custom touch and you may
notice that is sits a bit lower than usual. Aero continues to be
the theme with a roofline that slopes smoothly down to a rear
spoiler and side skirts that keep air from under the car at
speed.
Open the door and you will find a Black leather interior that has
been praised by the automotive press and owners alike. The door
panel is sculpted with a long, stitched armrest as well as a heat
and A/C vent ducted into it for comfortable cruising. The bucket
seats are both comfortable and supportive with GTO embroidered into
them near the top. A four-spoke leather wrapped steering wheel with
yellow stitching sits in front of a compact dash panel with gold
faced gauges with white lettering. A flick of the wrist to the
right is the shifter for the manual transmission that is begging to
be stirred around with a set of non-slip pedals for the clutch,
brake and gas to assist in the process. Ventilation controls are in
the center panel just over the Blaupunkt premium sound system for
your listening pleasure. The back-seat passengers get their own set
of bucket seats if they choose to jump in for the ride too.
Pop the hood and you will find an LS1 V8 motor nestled down in a
neat and clean engine bay. A dress up kit includes yellow covers
with GTO embossed on them as well as SLP lettering indicating the
Street Legal Performance upgrade to the exhaust system. A strut
brace improves chassis rigidity and assures good handling and the
Anti-lock brake pump is plain to see which operates 4-wheel discs
and provides a measure of safety as well as added confidence while
out doing some spirited driving. Power flows through the 6-speed
manual gearbox to the rear wheels which put the power on the ground
through an independent rear suspension. The front is a MacPherson
strut setup with power rack and pinion steering and a beefy sway
bar for precise control. Performance oriented springs both front
and rear provide even better handling and make the car look better
by lowering it as well.
A worthy successor to the original GTO and a serious contender in
the modern sports car wars. Come on down and check it out.
