The Last Pontiac GTO Rolls Off Assembly Line

[YSSMAN]

With little fanfare, the last Pontiac GTO was assembled at Holden's Monaro factory in Australia. Earlier this year, GM's Australian subsidiary built and auctioned its last Monaro coupe, but production of the continued in Pontiac guise until now. In February, GM announced it would end production of the GTO this year. Just weeks later, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said the Pontiac GTO could return in 2008, alongside the new Chevrolet Camaro. Unlike the now-discontinued GTO, the new model is expected to feature aggressive retro-inspired styling.

That really is too bad, but I'm excited for what will be comming next. The GTO proved that GM can still build and sell a mid-size RWD coupe in the US. The GTO's affordable pricing, combined with the power of the Corvette's LS1 and the later LS2 made it a high-performance rival to some of the best cars from not only America, but Europe and Japan as well.

...The GTO will be missed in the short time that it will be gone, but that said, we have little more than a year untill new GTOs could be roaming the streets.

 

[Swift]

The GTO in theory is good. But in practice was so weak. It looked like a grand prix. That was the biggest mistake. Forget if it was fast or could handle or any of that. It looks like a grocery getting sedan that lost two of its doors.

If it comes back retro...well that's a different story all together.

 

[Sting]

I don't like how they gave the Monaro a Pontiac grille and rebadge and then marketed it as a GTO. IMO the Pontiac grille made it look ugly compared to the Holden/Vauxhall counterparts with their standard grille.

 

[Jay]

that GM can still build and sell a mid-size RWD coupe in the US.

Mid sized coupe? I hear that from time to time, it weighs like 3700lb+, so if thats mid sized whats a large coupe? Continental GT?

 

[JCE]

I don't like how they gave the Monaro a Pontiac grille and rebadge and then marketed it as a GTO. IMO the Pontiac grille made it look ugly compared to the Holden/Vauxhall counterparts with their standard grille.

+1 The Monaro was extremely good looking. I can't say that I'm surprised that GM did this. Corporate face transplantation happends everywhere now. What ever happend to cars being unique, even within it's own company?

 

[Sting]

Thanks JCE, for agreeing with me. I had a thought people might be picky and say something like "but they are the same car!"

True, but styling and design of a car can be important and be the deciding factor on what car a person might buy. For comparision, here are pics of the Vauxhall and Holden versions, with the ram air scoop.

Now if I had the money to spend.... that Vauxhall version would be in my garage in no time whatsoever.
Pontiac shouldn't have rebadged the Monaro and called it a GTO, but should've come up with an original car. At least the next model GTO should be something new, while taking retro ques. I look forward to seeing it.

... however, that Vauxhall still looks best

 

[87chevy]

eh... Like it's been said, That was never a GTO to begin with. And the Pontiac styling was almost as BLAH as GM's new styling for their chevy cars.

The loss here is of the last RWD V8 car GM put out. (other than Vette).

However I believe it's been said that by '08 GM will be returning to RWD in more than one or two cars

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

I like the Pontiac front, it's very smooth. The Holden one is very good, too. However, the Vauxhall, while not terrible, reminds me of one of the ugly body kit pieces in NFSU.

 

[socomplayer2]

i dont care what you all say i think its a sick car... 400 hp stock,FR drive train nice look hell i love them... and i dont think its uglier than the monaro or vauhall plus it dont really atter because here in america we can by them anyway...thumbs up Pontiac

 

[harrytuttle]

It's a shame that it's leaving, but at least it won't be for too long. It's actually a car I considered against an STI, and the one in the images (6.0L, torrid red) is exactly how I would have had it. Fear of the unknown kept me from buying it. Never owned a rear-drive car, let alone anything like a muscle car, so I stuck with the tried & true. I'm now going on 7 straight years of Subaru ownership. Mr. Boring, that's me.

I think what made it fail was its looks. It wasn't the performance (best bargain on the market, and even beat the Charger SRT-8), nor was it the build quality (no known issues, from what I can tell). The problem was the fact that since the GTO name was absent for so long, the "last known face" was probably the GTO Judge. So here comes the 2002 GTO with a GrandAm-ish design. While it looked very Pontiac, it looked very un-GTO.

This was at a time when the Mustang went retro, the Ford GT was soon to be released, original muscle cars were soaring in price, and this was quickly followed by the Challenger & Camaro retro concepts. While I have no idea what the 2008/2009 GTO will look like, I feel confident that it's looks will not be based on the G6 but the '69 Judge. 👍

 

[Jay]

Those Vauxhall VXR versions like the Silver one Sting posted

are not Vauxhall specific body kits, they are just rebadged HSV body kits. The GTO got its own unique nose but Vauxhall and Chev got rebadged Monaro gear.

 

[xXSilencerXx]

I think that Vauxhall is ugly. I personal prefer the GTO out of al of them and will miss this car.

 

[YSSMAN]

A few things about the GTO:

1) The GTO was not a failure. They sold decently well, as they never intended to sell vast numbers to begin with. Although the car was very slow to take off, sales were progressively stronger each year, and I belive that 2005 or 2006 will be it's strongest year here in the US market. Keep in mind that it isn't a volume car like the Mustang GT or Dodge Charger, so it is unfair to compare the GTO's sales figures to those two.

2) The styling of the GOAT was perfect. Just like the origional 1964 model, it was a true sleeper. BTW, we do realise that there was a plain-jane 1964 Tempest-GTO before there was the full-GTO, right?



That was as plain as it got in 1964, your Grandmother's coupe with a big-block out front. Faster than hell, it became a success, and in 1965, the Pontiac GTO became a standalone model.



The later GTOs were indeed mean and fast, and looked the part. Obviously, that isn't what this new GTO was meant to go for, and that is perfectly fine.

...The car was a good deal, it was quite fast, and it looked damn good. I don't care if it looked like a Grand Am or a Grand Prix, it was a GTO to me, and I wasn't about to confuse it with any of the other Pontiacs. Hate it all you want, but it was a sleeper just like it's predecessor.

As for the Monaros, they looked great, but they don't have a Pontiac emblum on the hood, thus they look the way they do. Granted, the Vauxhall is argueably the best looking of the bunch, but I prefer the Pontiac over the other two.

3) Motor Trend keeps saying that this will be the look of the next-gen GTO:

...I doubt it, as it looks like something I could have drawn after a couple cans of Fosters and a few shots of Wild Turkey.

I'd bet on vertical headlights like the iconic '65-'67, and the look will probably be more muscular like the Camaro as compared to other models such as the Grand Prix or Monte Carlo once they hit the Zeta/VW chassis.

 

[Jay]

I wonder how a convertible GTO would have sold in the US? There was ideas of a convertible model thrown about but that idea lead no where past a prototype.

BTW I think HSV's were the best looking Monaros, like the HSV Coupe 4 (4WD).

 

[YSSMAN]

A convertable GTO would have done a good job of bolstering US sales figures, but you can't be completely sure of it's success given the way the coupe version of the GTO has been selling.

Against something like a 330ci Convertable or a Mercedes CLK500, it would have been a good option for someone who isn't looking to spend $50K, but I doubt the idea would have flown in the US given that the Corvette is usually the convertable sportscar option.

...Although, looking twards the future, a convertable Zeta/VE GTO or Camaro doesn't seem out of the question.

 

[JCE]

Thanks JCE, for agreeing with me. I had a thought people might be picky and say something like "but they are the same car!"

True, but styling and design of a car can be important and be the deciding factor on what car a person might buy. For comparision, here are pics of the Vauxhall and Holden versions, with the ram air scoop.

Now if I had the money to spend.... that Vauxhall version would be in my garage in no time whatsoever.
Pontiac shouldn't have rebadged the Monaro and called it a GTO, but should've come up with an original car. At least the next model GTO should be something new, while taking retro ques. I look forward to seeing it.

... however, that Vauxhall still looks best

The thing is with the Vauxhall VXR is that it does indeed use the HSV GTO front fascia and body kit. Why oh why did GM have to F'ck up the front end for America...

Observe...

Vauxhall Monaro VXR:

HSV GTO:

Though the USA only had this car for 2004-2006 it's very special and should be great collector's items even though most people won't accept the "GTO" name...and to them I say F' YOU! I love my original GTO's...but going ape sh' for it not looking like the original is just complaining. These older people that owned originals don't have the right to complain. Just like in 40 years if Mitsubishi brings back the 3000GT as some doped up Chrysler I won't complain...I'll just buy the classic that I owned years ago. These people that complain about the GTO really get under my skin...

 

[1X83Z]

Mid sized coupe? I hear that from time to time, it weighs like 3700lb+, so if thats mid sized whats a large coupe? Continental GT?

Classic.

The term "midsize coupe" is totally wrong in describing the GTO. It's used in relativity to the term "midsize sedan" because if the GTO were a sedan, it'd be in the midsize class. The problem is, the coupe segment is quite different than the sedan segment. Gone are the days of the Lincoln Mark VII, Cadillac Eldorado, and Chevrolet Camaro - I think it would surprise most people to know that in 2006, there were only two consumer-market coupes longer than the GTO, and they were both within three inches of its length. If the GTO isn't a large coupe, God only knows what is. As you point out, weight's a factor too. The fat-ass pigly cow of a car called the BMW 6-series was less than 60 pounds heavier.

Then again, at Burger King, the only sizes they have are medium, large, and King Size, with no regards for small - the same as the US truck market, where we're now referring to pickups as "midsize" and "large", with the same seeming disregard for "small." Perhaps the opposite is true of the coupe class - we know what a large coupe is, we just haven't got any anymore, so "large coupe" is an unused term.

Hate it all you want, but it was a sleeper just like it's predecessor.

I agree with you whole-heartedly, YSSMAN, but you and me are the only ones who respect sleepers anymore. Everyone else wants their car not only to go fast, but to look fast. I consider myself a full-fledged automotive expert, yet I have to look at the badge to know whether an E28 BMW 5-series is an M5 or a hotted-up 535is or 528. That was the draw back then, as it is for you and me today. These days, I barely even have to glance at the new M5 to know that it's the performance model. People want to look like they have the hottest model - and there's nothing wrong with that - I just want back a time where sleepers existed and people enjoyed them.

The seminal, original M5 - take notes, please

 

[Danny]

That's a shame.

I just love a shameless rebadging.

 

[3-Wheel Drive]

I liked the car, as I like the Holden Monaro, but the styling wasn't enough to set it apart from the rest of Pontiac line, it still looks a lot like a hum-drum Grand Prix with that Pontiac Grill. They should have just kept it the same style as Monaro, and sold it as one, bringing that car to the US.

The GTO was a legendary car, it was the quintessential muscle car, and the new GTO did not live up to the name it was given in any way. It was a god idea, but poorly executed.

 

[YSSMAN]

A few things...

1) The whole size issue: Maybe midsize coupe was an odd term, but I thought it fit. I was thinking along the lines of it having four doors and being a midsize sedan, thusly a mid-size coupe, but I guess I was wrong. Someone needs to sit down and figure out the size clasification and style (GT, sports car, etc.) ratings.

2) I don't see how this GTO didn't live up to it's predecessors... It was fast, it was cheap, it could carry a reasonable ammount of people and their stuff, and most of all it didn't look fast... What more do you want? Purple paint with a big spoiler on the back and stickers all-over it that says "The Judge"?

This GTO, as I noted, matched the '64 and to some extent the '65-'67 models. Granted, it isn't as outrageous as the '68-'73 models that were concerned only with going in a straight line.

...Maybe this GTO would have been better suited to being a Chevelle or Grand National if it didn't fit the GTO name. But, GM has plenty of time to "make up for it" with their next-gen Zeta/VE models.

 

[Casio]

BTW I think HSV's were the best looking Monaros, like the HSV Coupe 4 (4WD).

The best Monaro, in my opinion, has to be the HRT 427 version.

7.0L, 425kw, 3.7 0-100km/h. I can't believe they only built a couple....


Anyway. The new Motor mag says that there is going to be a new Zeta based Monaro, by 2009.

On a side note, I still think Holden was stupid not to make this.

(Holden SSX, V8, 4WD Hatchback)

 

[Jay]

The best Monaro, in my opinion, has to be the HRT 427 version.

I said best looking Monaro, that prototype doesnt look all that good IMO, plus it was never put into production.

 

[fangorn_forest]

The loss here is of the last RWD V8 car GM put out. (other than Vette)

Ummm, Cadillac CTS, STS and XLR anyone? Lol.

 

[xXSilencerXx]

Ummm..... last time I checked the CTS and STS are front wheel drive.

 

[Jay]

Ummm..... last time I checked the CTS and STS are front wheel drive.

CTS and STS is rear wheel drive, STS had AWD option.

 

[YSSMAN]

The STS can still be ordered with an AWD option, with either the 3.6L Alloytec V6 or 4.6L Northstar V8. I think most people go with RWD in most circumstances, as I've only seen one AWD STS, and that was a V8 model.

 

[slowman]

I love sleepers, and I thought I was the only one... I personally like the very understated looks of the E39 540i and the E34 M5 (especially tasty).

But I'm a BMW fanboy so i dont count... Although i think the E60 M5 is ridiculous looking... no denying its fast.

 

[GT4_Rule]

The GTO/Monaro was a great looking car in my opinion. Where is this last GTO heading to, a museum or private owner?

 

[Poverty]

Damn that SSX holden is nice. Is it built around the vectra chassis?

 

[Jay]

Damn that SSX holden is nice. Is it built around the vectra chassis?

Nope, Omega platform like all the others.