SC Replacement is in fact a GTO

1BADSC

Registered User
That stupid thing weighs as much as a SC. 3850 lbs. It has tires that are too small and runs a 14.0 @102 through the 1/4 and 5.8 0-60. The seats are nice with big side bolsters, and the gauge package looks good too. Car and Driver took the car cross country to Las Vegas and said it was one of the most comfortable crusiers they have driven. The car also has a true dual exhaust.

However, the styling is bland, the tires are too small, and it is overpriced at 33,000. Which means it is a true SC replacement.
 
Hmmm....Sounds like someone is upset that C&D badmouthed the F-body in the GTO review. Don't worry about the styling, I am sure JC Whitney is tooling up enough prothsetics to ugly up the GTO to Trans Am specs.....;)


Seriously though, I think there are bigger tires on the way for the production cars.
 
IF....

If Pontiac was to have a more "basic" version of the car with the Grand Prix GTP Comp-G 260hp 3.8L V-6 available under the hood, I'm sure 1/4 miles times would be around a high 14second and the price would be more reasonable, under 30grand for sure.
 
Not at all Andy. i just hate how Gm ruins every classic name plate that they have with no regard for tradition or respect. Everything they make is a joke. The GTO is just another example of poor business. It is much like the SC in that it is too slow, too heavy, and cost too much. I would like to see GM do a retro Camaro SS. Use an S-10 Frame, with an Ls1 and a 6-speed, leave the interior sparce and price it cheap with no power options, and all basic equipment.

I also never have any bad feelings towards Car and Driver, they always call it like it is from my experience. The GTO deserves to be bashed for its styling and performance. They did give it props for comfort though. But that is not good enough for me. The new GTO is just one more reason to go out and buy a Vette or a Cobra. For 33,000 a Cobra would look much better in the Driveway. GTO will probably only be good for about a 13.8-13.7 with bigger tires and that is not good enough.
 
To each his own. I've spent time in both and I would take (am planning on) the GTO over any 'Vette, any day. The Cobra would also be nice, but to me all it has over the GTO is the powerplant. Styling is an opinion, and maybe I'm in the minority, but I like the looks of the GTO better than the Cobra. It's less "cartoonish" less "Look-at-me!" Creature comforts are leaps and bounds ahead, so is utility as opposed to the Cobra.

The silver in the C&D is a poor color, probably a lot of the reason it looks so bland. Mine will be Impulse blue, or maybe Cosmos Purple. It's all about enjoyment behind the wheel, and the GTO delivers the most of that to me.

AS you know there is plenty of aftermarket for the LS1, you can make the GTO as quick as you want.
 
It is much like the SC in that it is too slow

How is that true? Yes, by today's standards the SuperCoupe is no longer blazen fast. But back in 1989, you couldn't buy a Neon that ran mid to low 14's. There were no factory supercharged Mustang's running 12's. And the F-bodies were running low 15's if they were lucky! Now look at the stylish, comfortable and decently quick SC and I don't think you can exactly call them slow. Think the GTO will get the Motor Trend car of the year? Maybe, but while the SC was a matter of tenths away from the quickest "Pony car" of their era, the GTO is down a few seconds.
 
'cept for the GN ... I just got mine today... have to agree with you on GM having no resdpect for tradition, on the bright side, at least it is a decent V8 as opposed to the Monte Carlo SS with the V6 ... I'd like to see them do a comparison between a '95 Tbird SC and a new Monte Carlo SS ... or maybe wait a year, find someone who has put a lot of miles on one... then find a '95 Tbird SC with roughly equivalent miles that has been well maintained ... granting the SC is much older, but I'd be surprised if they considered the SS to be much better... I'd certainly never buy one.

Paul
 
14.0 @ 102 is slow?? Damn. Better tires would net much better times. Get a real driver in there.
 
Not a problem with the driver, just that the tires are too small, like I said, the car should be running between 13.6-13.8. The point is that they are undersized.
 
I don't see a problem with the styling. I liked the Monero better, but the GTO has come around alot from some of the origonal sketches. It looks alot better than anything else Pontiac has to offer. I am having a hard time seeing how 14.0 is that slow. Even though I think Motortrend tested it at 13.8 or so. Stock that is respectble, and they are just leaving room for the Judge, which is suppose to be faster, handle better, have bigger rims and tires, and look cooler. It's deffinetly a suitable SC replacement.

-Steve
 
13.6-13.8 is a respectable number. Maybe GM is trying to keep the cost down with the smaller tires. :D
 
At least due to time contraints they were forced NOT to adopt the new Cadillac type styling. CD calls it "snooze styling" and "so what?" Well, at least its not barf your cookies styling. If it had looked like the the new Gran Prix I would have just laughed. The syling might be the only thing that saves this car.

But then again this is GM so it will most likely be screwed up pretty quick. ;)
 
I hear ya there Dave. And the bad thing is that GM looks at Pontiac as its experimental devision. So they get the shaft when it comes to a lot of these poor designs. Oh well, they are only going to make the car for 3 years or so and then it is buy buy "Gran Turismo Omologato" (GTO) Maybe then they will come back with a Retro F-Body
 
GM first off will not make a GTO that will compete with a Vette..Or a Camaro if they ever make one again..Just like Ford will not make a Tbird that will outperform a Stang...Its just the way it is
 
Who said they would? I know what your saying though, and it sucks. Both Ford and GM need to get over that stupis idea.
 
Well fortunately for GM, the performance of the Vette is high enough that it is not possible for a larger car to compete with it. I do recall a track test done by one of the magazines with the Aussie watchamacallit against the M5, Audi, and whoever else in the sedan class and the soon-to-be GTO did very well against cars double its price. I think the car will be fun to mod even if it is kinda weird being a 2-door. I can see it attracting a real following.

Perhaps one of the biggest bonuses of this car is that you can actually work on the motor from under the hood! Can't say that for either the SC or an F-body.

I think also perhaps GM can see the value of keeping the LS1 motor alive during the non-F-body years. The Corvette does not represent enough of a market to keep the aftermarket alive which is important both to GM and the rest of us.

Too bad I can't afford one.
 
Of course what I'd really rather do is put an LS1 w/6spd in my SWB Tbird. Now THERE is an idea.
 
From looking at pictures the GTo looks just as hard if not harder to work on than the F-bodys.
 
Pitures don't show much, I was going off of the fact that the whole motor sits in front of the cowl instead of half under it.
 
I am not worried about the Cowl, it never poses a problem for me, what really sucks is the sides of the motor. There is less room than an SC.
 
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