gm officially dumps the GTO

[KBeezy]

GTO, money says, will return on the Zeta platform.

[vanbibber]

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/02/21/g...e-pontiac-gto/

hmmm... could the bird be coming back then to fill the void?

[silverV6firebird]

That doesn't surprise me that GM would drop the GTO. I've seen the Camaro concept in all the mags maybe the bird isn't far behind!??!

[JusFlyinBy]

See GM... You shoulda just called it the G8 and you probably never would have had this problem... [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Not only that, Ford went retro and F'ed them over in the styling department.

[StrtRacer98]

I would much rather be a GTO owner.

[1DangerousV6]

wow..that didnt take long..yes hopefully the Camaro and Firebird will fill the void!

[Mighty Thor]

I had a feeling that GM would soon dump the GTO. I mean I hardly see any of them in the Streets.

This is definately going to be a collectors item.

[vanbibber]

Originally posted by Mighty Thor:
I had a feeling that GM would soon dump the GTO. I mean I hardly see any of them in the Streets.

This is definately going to be a collectors item.

agreed.i wonder if they will hold their value anything like the lt1 impalas.

[3.4 slow to go]

guess I'll have to look forward to the lsX solstice now for my mid life crissis car.

[vanbibber]

no you'll still be swapping motors in the bird nate [img]tongue.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/stickpoke.gif[/img]

[StrtRacer98]

That solstice isnt a bad looking car, sorta reminds me alot of the 427 cobra maybe, maybe not.
Saw one driving down the road and it looked really good.

[HokieBird]

About a year ago didn't GM hint at them droping the GTO and bringing it back on the new platform and body in 09?

I don't see a bird coming back, but if the camaro does really well then maybe they will think about the bird.

[3.4 slow to go]

Originally posted by vanbibber:
no you'll still be swapping motors in the bird nate [img]tongue.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/stickpoke.gif[/img]

I'm not gonna kick yor a$$ when I get back, I'm just gonna send your car back to those mechanics & say it still isn't fixed, keep it until it really is this time [img]graemlins/naughty.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/rofl.gif[/img]

[JusFlyinBy]

Check it out guys, after further research, heres the official letter that went to the dealerships:

Sent to dealers on 2/20/06...

Due to changes in US regulatory standards, the current generation of the GTO will cease production at the end of the 2006 model year. The end of the current generation GTO will occur much sooner than we at Pontiac would like, however the necessary redesign to meet U.S regulatory standards would be cost prohibitive.

Since its re-introduction in 2003, the GTO has helped Pontiac solidify its performance reputation by dominating both on and off the track and has brought many new customers into your dealerships, with up to 50% of its buyers coming from outside GM. This current generation of GTO – as the most powerful GTO ever made and priced at only $31,990 - is simply the best performance value in the market today. While no announcement will be made at this time regarding a replacement product, we are strongly committed to performance and feel that there will always be a special need at Pontiac for an expressive, V-8 powered, rear wheel drive vehicle and we are continuing to explore those options for the future. As a statement of our continued commitment to performance, we are very excited to be introducing the 260 HP Solstice GXP turbo later this year to match up with the current 300 HP Grand Prix GXP V-8, and have more GXP variants in the works.

Please be advised that the last consensus period for the 2006 GTO will be the March cycle. The final dealer order submission is currently planned for April 6, 2006. Final build-out production will occur sometime in June.

As consumers become aware that this current generation of the legendary GTO will no longer be available, we expect increased demand. To that end, please review your inventory needs through the balance of the calendar year as there will be no 2007 model. Pontiac will continue to support GTO through the entire 2006 calendar year with marketing efforts and incentive tactics. And our very successful racing programs are set to continue, where Pontiac performance has continued to surprise – and beat – our import competitors.

Although we are closing this current chapter on the legendary GTO, Pontiac keeps getting healthier overall. As you know, Pontiac is realizing solid sales growth as a result of our new products and marketing efforts, with double-digit retail sales increases in recent months as our new products have begun to take hold. As we further introduce the G6 Convertible this spring and the recently announced G5 Coupe later this fall, we fully expect continued growth in a very competitive market. I know you share my great enthusiasm for Pontiac's potential.

Thanks for your continued support and great selling!

John Larson
Pontiac/Buick/GMC
General Manager


It better become a collectors item ;) . Then again, im just short of having the total money to get the Lingenfelter 366CID package installed, which I think is an investment that will help the cars value. :D

[3.4 slow to go]

As a statement of our continued commitment to performance, we are very excited to be introducing the 260 HP Solstice GXP turbo later this year to match up with the current 300 HP Grand Prix GXP V-8, and have more GXP variants in the works.

interesting