I remember before this whole GTO thing started a lot of people wanted the Holden imported and made the new Camaro, does anyone still wish this happened instead of making the car a GTO??

one problem I have with this is that it won't be faster than a 03 Cobra, at 36000lbs it would need to be 440HP to beat the Cobras


I myself would like to see the 5th gen based on the CTS and be about 3100lbs with a V8.

 

Nah not at all. I agree with your previous statement. The car should be light. The GTO is not a Camaro.

 

The Cobra weighs about that much as well, ya know.

Curb Weight Manual 3665 lb

So the LS6 would make it a pretty decent Cobra fighter.

But I don't think the Monaro would be a good replacement for the Camaro, as we've seen here, people backlash to another design replacing an old favorite, and also, I don't think it has enough nifty doodads in the design to get the Camaro fans to like it.

I'm glad the car is over here though.

 

I'm also glad the GTO is coming.. Sounds like a great car.

I'm hoping if there is a 5th gen F-bod, they'll manage to keep the weight down to 3200 lbs or less, without shrinking the car too much..

 

They go back to a more moderately raked windshield and that's a couple hundred less pounds of dashboard right there.

And you'll be able to see the second half of the engine when the hoods up!

 

I thought that was one of the options of doing a 5th gen. I saw on of those CTS's in person and I have to say I like the proportions of it. I'm not sure about the desighn of the sheetmetal, but that should be easily changed to look more Camaroish. It's supposed to be a world class platform, which I think is what the 5th gen needs to be successful. Well, that and a entry level priced V8 version.

 

I was one of the biggest proponents of Monaro as Camaro, and even openly disagreed with redplanet on this. But after seeing & driving it, even though it's about the same size as a Mustang, it's in an entirely different league.

It's not so much the weight that throws things off (IRS isn't by nature lightweight, check Cobra's weight!), but Monaro is more of a true Grand Touring car than a sports car. It's very very fast, comfortable, roomy (as far as small 4 seat coupes go), and it's more swoopy & sleek than aggressivly styled.

Though there is nothing like it here in the US (unless BMW still made a 5 series coupe) there isn't too many GM cars it could be. It's too performance oriented to be a Grand Prix, too upscale to be a Monte Carlo, sure as hell wouldn't fall into the current Buick line up, but as a GTO, I think it's perfect. It matches everything the GTO actually and truly was in the 1960s before it's legend became inflated & idealized.

 

The term "Grand Touring" is perhaps the most misused name in the automotive business. I guess the idea started out as stretched, four passenger sports car, but it became applicable to just about any 2-door coupe.

Some of the most attrocious cars ever have been "Grand Touring" concepts, but invariably end up being overweight blighters. I would argue that the current front engined Ferraris are cast from this rather dubious mold, and suffer as a concequence. Let's face it, the Ferrari 456 and 550/575 are poor cars in comparison to the 360 - a garden variety BMW M3 is a better car at just one-sixth the price.

Passenger cars (i.e. sedans, coupes, etc.) are dying in the market under competition from SUVS and monospace vehicles. The last thing any carmaker needs is another ill defined "grand turisimo."
If anyone has noticed, true sports cars are resurgent, while "sporty" cars are disappearing. I guess hardcore performance still sells (sports cars), and so does extreme practicality (SUVs, vans).

The Monaro/GTO is an obvious compromise between the two extremes. You have to wonder if it can beat the market trends, expecially without a "prestige" nameplate.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, and by all means hit me in the head if I mentioned this previously, but wasn't the original Monaro based on a GM A-body as in Chevelle, LeMans, GTO?

In that case, Monaro = GTO = Chevelle SS... fine.

But Monaro = Camaro? No way!

 

I would have taken the Monaro as a Camaro if there wasn't going to be a GTO. (we can't have no 4 seat V8 RWD car)

but the Monaro is MUCH better as a GTO, can't wait to see the final version of the car.

 

The Commodore platform is originally based on the Opel Omega, but it has been widened and lengthened and whatever else they did to suit Australian driving conditions.


From that platform you get the long wheel base Statesman’s/Caprice, the El Camino style "Ute", standard four door Commodore and of course the Monaro Coupe.


Thats also why the car prices are cheap you have the one basic platform with a whole variety of cars of it.

 

Oh, Good Lord. Too bad I wasn't on the 5th gen board at the time to represent the people who resent the Monaro being sold as anything OTHER than the Monaro. Where is Scott Settlemire on this board lately?

 

Can't disagree with you on anything you said. All I can say is that to me GT translates to a very fast, respectable sized (not much bigger than Mustang in dimensions) car that handles extremely well & holds 4 in relative comfort. On one hand I view the old SC t-bird as a GT, but I have to admit, although it fit every catagory of a GT, at well over 200" in length (though it was only 72" wide...2 less than Camaro) it was rather large to be called one.

Anthony, I may be mistaken (and I'll take no offence whatsoever if you correct me) but the Holdens of the 60s & early 70s (before they were downsized) but I think they were US based, on whatever car. I think it became based on Opels when they were downsized & stuck with the inline 4 engines as standard in the begining of the 80s.

 

Downsized to Opel yes,

4 Bangers NO

80's Commodores were still predominately V6's with a V8 option.

Hmm as for the 60's-70's I aint to sure as I was only born in '77



Though I believe it was a mixture of US based designs and Aus designs. I'm not that good on my history .

 

1980 Commodore VC & VH had the 1.9L 4 cylinder engine (1980- 1984). The VLs switched to Nissan L6s. The VNs (1988-1991) used US sourced 3800 V6s.