I'm not so sure about that. No one even thinks twice about a 4 door Grand Prix anymore. Any day now, the last few protesters will accept the Charger as well. We are surrounded by four door performance cars - many of them plenty serious. Who could have believed that, just 10-15 years ago?
The essence of the original GTO wasn't in it's two doors. It was in lots of other things. I'd bet fewer people would squawk over a well done quad coupe GTO...than did over the lack of hoodscoops on the Monaro.

I agree 100%.

 

The idea of a 4 door GTO is pretty cool. It just needs to be a real 4 door sedan, and not have some strange half doors in the rear. I love the new Charger, the GTO could do the same thing just as well.

 

Actually the GTO should be slightly longer than the Camaro, with it's own unique retro design.

But It Will Not Be 4 Door Design.

The problem most Camaro purists have is they think that a 2 door retro designed GTO, will steal sales from the new Camaro. When it won't.

The Camaro is being designed to target the Mustang.

The New GTO will only have the LS2 motor, target the Challenger, with a base price around 30K. Also the GTO will be a low volume car with sales around 15-20,000 per year.

Also of this is basically from the mouth of Bob Lutz.

 

Just my impressions Josh, feel free to jump in...

Sure some of these programs have been shuffled around. But those that are, are done in an orderly manner. Programs from here are prepared, so that they can be transferred to Holden for certain work. They're not just suddenly shut down here, without a trace and then mysteriously and secretly pop up in Australia - with no link to any previous work. What the hell kind of system would that be? It's an orderly process with a clear trail. Like on the Camaro, for example.

And unlike the GTO, where (in Lutz's words), everyone was told to "put their pencils down".

 

Source?

I think it WILL.

 

Agreed. Pontiac needs to stand the performance car world on its ear with something 'outside the box', like the Rageous concept car:

 

I don't know if the Grand Prix becoming a 4 door is a good example, since Grand Prix doesn't stir the emotional response that GTO does. GTO, Corvette, Camaro, Mustang... These words are emotional gold to the American car buyer

Let's just say you have more faith in the automotive buying world than I do. I can't see that people would accept it, let alone give it a chance, knowing its a Quad Coupe. At least no more people than those that gave the Monaro based GTO a chance. If people are going to cry because they thought the 2004 GTO didn't have true duals, I promise they will cry to the heavens if it has four doors.

 

Folks whined about the new Charger having four doors and the weird front grille... yet I must admit it is a hit. I'd wager it is a hit in no small part because despite some aesthetic problems, it's USEFUL with the 4 doors. In contrast, the GTO doesn't currently have great functionality to fall back on as an attribute. I love my GTO and it does have a more roomy back seat than the Formula I had... but if my kids were teens it would be a challenge for them to get in the back.

 

You're so right Big. If I bought the current GTO, it would end up being nothing more than a commuter car for me. IOW, not very useable for all my needs as a daily driver.

Right now, I'm considering buying a TB SS or a Charger R/T or SRT-8....but only halfheartedly. If there were a hot looking, hot performing (manual trans please), "4 door coupe" GTO, with GTO heritage cues.... I wouldn't even look sideways at the other two. I'd be writing the check for the GTO today.

 

GTOs do NOT have 4 doors.
If GM wants to build a quad coupe, then call it something else.
If GTO enthusiasts believed GM messed up the current GTO, just wait till GM puts 4 doors on a car called GTO.

BTW. Change your poll.

 

HuJ, I purposely limited the poll to these choices. Adding a larger than Camaro coupe is the easy choice. You don't even need a poll for that.

This one is the tougher choice....and frankly I'm pretty surprised at how it's going. I thought for sure, ON THIS BOARD, people would feel a restyled Camaro would have a better chance at being a successful GTO, rather than the 4 door which was described from last year's preview. Honestly, I thought I'd be the only one who'd vote for such a 4 door, over the Camaro clone.

 

The GTO will not be a 4 door.

This is based partly on Bob Lutz statement in the the Cleveland newspaper.

He stated the new GTO will be built in North America, along with the Camaro. The GTO would be low volume(15-20,000 per yr), and be a true GTO in every sense.

The statement just screams High Performance Sports Coupe.

But here's a few more reasons.

Pontiac will also be getting a Zeta-based high volume performance sedan(in the Grand Prix replacement) to be a Charger Fighter. So there's no need for a RWD Performance 4 door.

What Pontiac very much needs is a High Performance Coupe.

Also Lutz is a huge fan of the GTO. And he is much for interested in keeping it as a true GTO, in every way. This means a 2 door, RWD high performance sport coupe that just screams, "I am a Muscle Car".

Anyone who believe the New GTO will be a 4 door, just doesn't understand what the GTO truely is.

Having a 4 door GTO is exactly like have a 4 seat 'Vette or a 4 door Camaro -- it's simply an outrage - and completely against the car's original design.

 

How do you know Bob Lutz doesn't think a true GTO is an option package on an intermediate sized Pontiac (which happens to be what a "true" GTO was).

 

That could also describe an AMC Rambler.

GTO is much more than that. And the essence of what GTO is, is not restricted or encompassed by the number of doors it has.

 

How do I know the GTO was never done with?

Was the Camaro ever done with?

I can tell you matter of fact that the Camaro was worked on by GMNA (packiging, etc) before it was sent to Holden, same as the GTO some....year to year and a half ago. Both went overseas at the same time.

Why do you think Settlemire introduced the Holden team at the Heritage Center (I've got it on tape.)