Holden Monaro revives American GTO

There's been plenty of speculation of late - in the press, on discussion boards, and even in loungerooms, concerning Holden's impressive Monaro.

At first, the idea was that Bob Lutz, the General Motors USA head-honcho, loved the car after driving it in December and wanted to import a small amount into the US.

This idea was then scrapped in favour of something even more promising - to bring the Monaro to the US, but restyle it and rebadge it as a Pontiac GTO. And now it's been confirmed. Officially.

The Pontiac GTO, or Grand Turismo Omologato (grand touring coupes built for racing) first entered production in the States in 1964, with the last model rolling of the production line in 1974. In retrospect, The GTO's history is similar to Monaro's, starting life in 60's, coming to a halt, and now spearheading a new 'muscle-car' era in modern motoring.

The GTO was also known as the Great One, or Goat to enthusiasts, and was first introduced with a thumping 242kW V8, measuring 389 cubic-inches, or 6.4-litres.

It came with Carter AFB four-barrel carbs, hydraulic camshaft, a manual three-speed transmission with a Hurst shifter, a heavy-duty clutch, heavy-duty suspension, dual exhaust, US Royal red-line tires, a 3.23:1 rear axle ratio, twin bonnet scoops, was rear-wheel drive, and had an assortment of GTO emblems.

Up until 1974, Pontiac sold nearly 700,000 GTO. With this in mind, it's understandable to see why the Americans are going stir crazy over its reincarnation.

As you tell from the artist's sketch of the new GTO, it will retain much of the Monaro's profile, while subtle changes will separate the two. For instance, the grill will be slightly modified, and the tail lights are expected to be resculpted too. The headlight cluster looks to be unchanged and in general, the new GTO is fine looking motor.

The green light has been given for Holden to export some 18,000 GTO's annually to the States in 2003, which will be a coup for not only Pontiac, to bring back a muscle car legend, but also for Holden, to begin exporting into the world's most lucrative auto market. As can be expected, both GM and Holden are very chuffed.

Bob Lutz, chairman of GM's North American Operations, said: "I love driving this car. It shares that V8 heritage and a brawny, muscular stance with the classic GTO, and it will make a fine flagship for Pontiac."

Furthermore, Lynn Myers, Pontiac-GMC general manager stated: "We want to focus on creating vehicles with a clean, fresh expression of Pontiac styling and provide our customers with a 'total performance' package that delivers both impressive power and superior handling."

It says a lot about the new Monaro and Holden's ability to build an impressive car on a limited budget too. The deal also has historical ramifications: Holden cars will be sent to the USA for the first time in large numbers since General Motors-Holden was established in Australia back in 1931.

The new GTO will feature the same engine found in the current Monaro CV8 - the US-built 5.7-litre Gen III V8, which is worth 225kW of power @ 5200rpm and an even more impressive 460Nm of torque @ 4400rpm.

Other specs are as yet unannounced, such as if the GTO will weight the same as the Monaro at 1640kg. The GTO will, however, offer a four-speed auto and a six-speed manual. For a better idea of what the new Pontiac will look like, a show car model of the GTO will be on display at the International Auto Show in Detroit, January 2003.

While production of the GTO will commence at the Holden plant in Elizabeth, South Australia, in September of 2003, both the Holden and Pontiac PR types are quick to suggest that modifications to the existing CV8 are required in order for the new car to at least meet, if not exceed, US legal requirements.

Holden big-wig, Peter Hanenberger, was in Detroit when the final decision was sign and sealed, and it would be fair to say Pete is one very happy exec: "The rebirth of Monaro was a case of ‘we must build this car’ then developing the business case to do it. Meeting US export requirements will be exactly the same," he said.

"Holden has been handed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with this contract and we will use it as a platform for further growth. This decision represents an enormous amount of work by Holden and General Motors to bring this unbelieveable dream to reality."

What will this spell for Holden and, perhaps more importantly, the Monaro? Maybe a 10-year lifespan - who knows? Possibly even a model revamp every three years. Hanenberger continued: "The new GTO will be part of Pontiac's continuing evolution and deliver a high-performance sports coupe to re-introduce a new generation to the legendary GTO name.

"This will be an ideal marriage between Australian design, engineering and development, and the all-American 5.7-litre Gen III engine and transmission. Holden will achieve its production targets while increasing quality and customer satisfaction levels. Possible shift changes and the required number of new positions will be determined by a working party reporting to the Holden Board later this year."

It sounds as thought Holden will be increasing staff levels to cover the new export, so if you ever wanted to build a muscle car, chances are that Holden will be after new staff in the coming months.

Can Holden do no wrong? The Commodore is outselling everything, Mark Skaife in his hotted up V8 SuperCar has barely lost a race this year when driving for Holden, and now the USA wants the iconic Aussie muscle car to boot. It'll be a tough slog for Ford and the new Barra when it arrives in September, and with the new VY Commodore due out a few months after, the latter half of 2002 is likely to be all out war.

From the Press Release:

2004 Pontiac GTO
The 2004 Pontiac GTO will share much of the sculpted and clean styling of the current 2002 Holden Monaro CV8 coupe, with unique Pontiac brand character including a dual-port grille and powered by a specially tuned version of the 5.7-liter LS1 V8 (shared with some models of the Chevrolet Corvette) mated to a choice of either a six-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. The rear-wheel drive coupe will feature 17-inch alloy wheels, 2+2 bucket seating and a premium sound system with an integrated six-disc CD changer. Additional performance and feature details are still being finalised and will be released closer to the public unveiling of the GTO at the Los Angeles and North American International Auto Shows.