We need a US contender Dammit!!!!! I want this car!

That car just screams badass. I want.

Oh, and HSV has some of the nicest factory upgrade wheel options. Those are super.

*whimpers* I want one!

am i the only one who thought this looks a lot like the EVO X?

sign me up, bitchin'

When the Vauxhall Monaro (nee Holden Monaro, aka Pontiac GTO) was dying on it's ass, a dealer started bolting a supercharger atop the GenIV engine for a half shaft bending 500bhp run out model.

Still no one bought them. Proof that even a dead cat (goat?) doesn't always bounce.

@nirad: The side profile does because of the spoiler (the only thing I don't like acutally)

@duster_uk: The main problem with the GTO, which I'm in the process of buying actually, is the fact that yes the design was so-so (I love it) but that there was no V-6 model available. Look at all the mustangs on the road. 75-80% of them are V6s and not V8s. Insurance, speed, and gas mileage scares people away.

That is a brutally ugly car.

Oh no, not GTO hating again.

Everyone keeps saying it was a sales dud. In reality, it did what it was supposed to do. Believe it or not, most of the examples that languished were the exotic colored AUTOMATIC models. Black, silver, and dark blue manuals were usually spoken for before they hit the dealer's tarmac.

If you look at the used car values for 2004-2006 for these demand examples, they run about $4-5k MORE than others for the most part.

Too many automatics were produced. As we all know, GM adjusted for this 1/2-way thru the 2005 model year.

Go to any track and you will see that there is much respect for the GTO. Go fill up at any gas station and you WILL get fans. Go to any car show and they attract traffic. Pick up any muscle car magazine and there are always articles on it. There are reasons it didn't sell like hotcakes and NONE validate it was a P.O.S. Blame marketing, allocation, and pricing.

The single BIGGEST mistake GM made when the car came in 2004 was the announcement of the +50hp Gen IV 400hp 6.0. Nobody stepped up once that came out.

Yeah, but what kind of fuel economy will this get? Will it use a tire compound that's less harmful to the enviroment when you're burning out? Globaly concious hoonage, people, it's the way of the future.

@nirad:

Actually the Evo X looks like this HSV/VXR which was designed almost exactly as you see it now in the late 90's.

That said, this is most likely through paralell evolution of both series of vehicles, not one copying the other. Why do you think there are some many cars with the same body shape as the Saleen S7? It's not because they saw the S7, were impressed and decided to rip them off, but a result of paralell evolution. There's only ONE set of physics, and ONE set of aerodynamic forces that ALL car's have best to try and exploit and defeat, and then there's styling which sets them apart - or if the vehicle is targeting your average Joe the styling will play a large part. As far as visual styling goes the HSV/VXR and Evolution X (as well as a number of other cars) target the same group.

@Mike Spinelli's article, well I'm impressed that the pom's would do such a thing, and they sure gain a bit more respect from me for this. It had better be the feature car on an upcoming TopGear episode no matter HOW many disc's Clarkson will slip this time, since it's just such a badass car and unique for the UK.
Unfortunately the insurance groups in the UK will be absolutely RAPING buyers.

@Kamshaaft: Insurance on little sub-2-liter 4-bangers is outrageous. I can't imagine what they'll bend people over for for driving this car.

@SRekauqh: There WAS a V6 Monaro down under, but no one wanted it. Of course, it costs $44,000 USD, so it wasn't in the same market that the V6 'Stang is in.

I recall when the Mustang crowd was saying that the GTO looks like a rental car. The GTO crowd's rebuttal? "Your car IS a rental car!"

@Maymar: IT GIVES ONE TREE TO THE MILE.

@TRAMS_AM: TOO BLOODY RIGHT MATE. MUSTANGS ARE RENTAL CARS.
EVEN THE OLD SIXTIES MUSTANGS SHIT ME, BECAUSE THERE'S TOO MANY YUPPIES IN SYDNEY BUYING THEM AND DRIVE AROUND EXPECTING INSTANT RESPECT FROM REVHEADS, EVEN THE POORER YUPPIES WHO CAN ONLY AFFORD LEFT HAND DRIVE EXAMPLES ARE REALLY ONLY IN IT FOR POSING. -WANKERS