Sorry if repost...or if BS, just boucing it around

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer...

New GTO coming around the bend,Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Joshua Dowling, Special to The Plain Dealer

Geneva, Switzerland- The Pontiac GTO isn't dead after all, says a top General Motors Corp. executive, who also hinted there might be a new ultra-fast Corvette coming. The current GTO will be phased out at the end of this year, but an all-new model is expected to return at the end of 2008 as a 2009 model, said Bob Lutz, who heads GM's global vehicle development.

In an interview at the international auto show in Geneva, Switzerland, Lutz also suggested an even more powerful version of the Corvette might be on the way. Industry insiders have talked about a "Blue Devil" Corvette that would be more powerful than the 505-horsepower Z06 that is currently the fastest Corvette. Lutz stopped short of confirming that, saying: "There will be something special for the Corvette soon." When "Blue Devil" was mentioned, he simply smiled.

The GTO, however, is definitely on the way. Last year, it appeared that GM had canceled any future GTOs as part of its efforts to reduce costs. And a Pontiac spokesman confirmed this year that the last GTOs would be sold this summer because the model wouldn't meet a new airbag standard taking effect in the fall. The spokesman said that the automaker would like to have another GTO but that there was nothing to announce.

But in the interview Tuesday, Lutz said the GTO plans were just off the shelf for a few months and he always wanted a new version. The new GTO might be built in North America, particularly if the Chevrolet Camaro concept gets the go-ahead for production, he said. Both the Pontiac GTO and Camaro could be based on GM's Zeta mechanical underpinnings, which are being developed by the company's Australian outpost, Holden, Lutz said.

With the current strength of the Australian dollar and the recent free-trade agreement between Australia and the United States, it would be more feasible to build the GTO in North America and export a version called the Holden Monaro to Australia, he said. The GTO, which is based on the Monaro, has been built in Australia and shipped to America.
Dowling is motoring editor of the Sydney Morning Herald.

 

Hmmm......

 

Interesting.

 

Screams NO FIREBIRD! And that is a GOOD THING!

 

Cool, buy a GTO, rip off the emblems and attach a "Trans Am" emblems and bam! The new TA is out!

What I'm trying to say is... if the GTO and Camaro share a lot of DNA isn't it really a Firebird by another name?

 

Seems like it, it will be interesting to see if they change the IROC cars before then.

 

there are a lot of implications with the firebird trans am name... so... pontiac getting a GTO based camaro is as close you get to a bird... just look at it this way.. change the bird for the goat... they should have an option of a screaming goat sticker in the hood. LOL

 

A rose by any other name...

 

Both the Pontiac GTO and Camaro could be based on GM's Zeta mechanical underpinningswell

So the GTO will be an F-body? wonderful, If pontiac is gonna have a Car on zeta it should be a Firebird.

 

Nah, we will just have to make a Firebird off of the Corvette platform.

 

Sounds good to me. Considering that was Pontiac's intent in the first place, let Firebird come back based on the 'Vette chassis.

 

I'd be on the waiting list.

 

It would be stupid to change the GTO formula now that its actually got a halfway decent following. The big roomy GTO we've got now is actually quite nice, you just have to hold a gun to peoples head to get them to get in it. A GTO that was essentially a firebird would **** off firebird and new/old GTO enthusiast. A throughly bad idea and I don't think GM would do it.

Lets not forget that this mythical zeta platform is supposed to be from everything from the Camaro to Impala and Velite. So just because the GTO would be on it too does not mean it has to be a carbon copy

 

I have no problem with a new GTO based off the Camaro concept.

All Pontiac would have to do is change the interior, and body panels.

Pontiac's design for the new GTO should also be retro styled, either based off the '99 Concept(itself based off the '68/'69 model) or a new design based off the '65-'67 model.

Just keep the new design 2 door -- NO QUAD COUPE !!!!

 

This has already been posted twice, so it is old news by now.

A Firebird interpretation of the Corvette would be interesting, and it would be inline with the original planes for the car 40 years ago. Still, I really doubt that would fly with GM, and especially Team Corvette. I seem to recall reading a bunch of them not being to excited when they were told the XLR was going to be built off of the same platform. Could the Corvette line even keep up with the increased volume of another spin off of it.