Well, we soon will have one less muscle car to beat with our L's. Pontiac is killing off the GTO. No more L's and no more Goats. Here's the story from today's Orlando Sentinel:

SO LONG GTO

General Motors will stop making the Pontiac GTO in June, citing the prohibitive expense required to meet 2007 changes in air-bag standards.

The automaker may replace the GTO with another rear-wheel-drive car powered by a V-8 engine, that may have a different name, spokesman Jim Hopson told Bloomberg News. Detroit-based GM revived the GTO in December 2003 after a 30-year absence, using a model built in Australia.

The GTO, with its 6.0-liter V-8 offered excellent performance that contrasted with its lackluster styling, said John Wolkonowicz, an analyst at forecaster Global Insight Inc. in Lexington, Mass. The GTO, based on the Holden Monaro sold in Australia, accounted for 11,590 U.S. sales last year, a drop of 15 percent from the previous year.

"They're throwing it away because they made the wrong choice on the design, which was based on the 1999 Holden Monaro, so it was five years old when it was introduced," Wolkonowicz said. "But it's a huge mistake to retire the nameplate. It's of great value to General Motors and to Pontiac."

"If you want to be the performance-enthusiast brand, you need to have a performance car," said Jim Hossack, an analyst at AutoPacific, a Tustin, Calif., consulting firm. "The Grand Am is a front-wheel drive. They need to have another GTO. I'm showing they'll get a replacement for the 2010 model year. It'd better be good."

 

not surprised

I thought that body was more boring than a senior citizen soap-opera in spanish.

 

between 2007 standards and the gas prices they are killing all the good stuff and F'n up the future of Hotrods.

Damn.. Just when it was getting good all this bad **** has to come out lately.

VINNIE

 

Your right. SVT, GTO, the GT what's next? Seems like all the muscle cars/trucks are limited production or being cut off all together. I root it to the problems the American car companies are having. They are in deep $h!t and the hotrod enthusiast will suffer for it. Hold on to your L's guys, chances are there may never be another. At least not by SVT

 

Chrysler is building them...I would not be surpraised if they stuff a hemi in a Neon...Unless GM builds a rwd car or turns thier trucks into hot rods, it's a lost cause for Gm...Ford, The mustang still lives, but the GT40 is only eye Candy...

 

Well, GM still has the vett... Hopefully they produce the Blue Devil and stir up the German sportscar makers.

Guess eventally everyone will own a stang, vett, or something with a hemi (eight thousand to choose from).

 

They quit making GTO's in 1972

 

They sure did

 

ROFLMAO....The first time I saw one of the new GTOs, I swore it was a Cavalier with some ricer style tail lights until the guy hit the gas and you could tell it had a V8. It was cool to see GM come out with another rwd V8 car, but the styling of the GTO doomed it from the beginning....that and the price tag.

 

the GTO lived in a nova clone to 1975, than in a Lamans clone in 1976...both the 75/76 versions had the transam style hood scope..basicly GTO was a decal package and not symbolic of the real car..

 

G.T.O.

Get Tools Out

...zap!

 

LOL

 

I had 2 66 GTO's which I loved. One a 4 barrel the other 3 deuces. You wanna GTO that sells. Build one around the 1965 style and add todays hi horse engine and sport suspension. And don't go any higher than a 4-spd tranny.

Wait until that new Dodge Challenger hits the dealers.

 

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They won't stay there too long. They'll move quicker then the Magnum
wagon did. I'm thinking of getting one myself, I've been psyched about them
ever since I saw the pics of the concept at the auto show.

 

I like the new gto, especially because it's AMERICAN MUSCLE! why must they kill all these great american cars!