Not ALL us Yanks are thankless *******!!

[RA7 GTO]

Check out MY GTO, for which I will be ever grateful to the stalwart musclecar faithful Downunder: 535hp and 543lbs-ft at the rear wheels. All Motor Baby!
http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=176313

[Mongy]

Check out MY GTO, for which I will be ever grateful to the stalwart musclecar faithful Downunder: 535hp and 543lbs-ft at the rear wheels. All Motor Baby!
http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=176313

Nice, not "over the top". We might even make you an honorary Aussie! :lol: The funny thing is we put shit on yanks, it's in our genes from birth I think, but a lot of us love to have cars with good old "American muscle" under the bonnet (hood to you, because you guy's talk funny).

[V82xist]

Congratulations on building your awesome GTO and very glad to hear you like it. I only hope our countries can keep sharing great products as we are very fond of the LS1 and are looking forward to getting the LS2.
:cheers:

[SSbaby]

No problem!

If you could just pass on the message to those Canucks to get the LS2 right this time...much appreciated.

[MyCat-cc]

455 cid ! :eek:

I want one of those kits :drool: :drool: :drool:

[the mooch]

Would you mind spreading the word on the GTO? Seems some people over there wouldn't know a good thing if it ran them over! On a serious note, I think everyone on this forum would love to hear some feedback on the GTO from an owner who just happens to have a ZO6. How similar are the cars in stock form performance, handling, everyday life-wise? You might dispel (or inflame!) some pre-conceived thoughts about the car. How about it?
The Mooch
PS. thats one sik motor! :bow:

[VY sv8 CLUBBY]

Now that looks :cool: Would love to see a vid of it. Congrats on a great build.

:girl:
Sandra

[Animal]

that car should have an ' O what a feeling ' add all to itself.

That is one wicked motor Jayson.

[RA7 GTO]

Would you mind spreading the word on the GTO? Seems some people over there wouldn't know a good thing if it ran them over! On a serious note, I think everyone on this forum would love to hear some feedback on the GTO from an owner who just happens to have a ZO6. How similar are the cars in stock form performance, handling, everyday life-wise? You might dispel (or inflame!) some pre-conceived thoughts about the car. How about it?
The Mooch
PS. thats one sik motor! :bow:

Thanks Mooch. You are right about some of the supposed "faithful" over here and their negative or luke-warm reception of this excellent car. The ultimate response to them is "drive one first, then open your mouth, not the other way around". Most of these guys have never even SEEN a GTO yet! Besides mine, I've only seen one other on the road! Ironically, these same critics of the "plain" GTO spend the rest of their attention ragging on the Ricers for their wings, scoops, body kits, and "dual" exhausts!

As far as the GTO/Z06 comparison, they really are two different cars with different misssions which is why I will keep them both. The Z is a track car, lightweight, tightly sprung, lightly insulated. Its loud, rough, low-slung, and quick. It's light weight and low center of gravity make it instantly responsive to any change in speed or direction. It probably seems somewhat "punishing" to the driver who fails to frequently press the Pedal of Redemption located near his right foot. This is a young man's car.
The GTO is and feels heavier with a higher center of gravity and a great deal of sound insulation. Pontiac installed softer suspension in our GTOs unfortunately and it shows: alot of body roll in turns, but alot of satisfying squat off the line. The GTO seats are far better than the Vette's and the interior is unmatched in any GM vehicle. Wheel hop (or axle tramp to you) was a problem when stock, but I have not noticed it with the new motor. Stock, the GTO felt like my stock 1999 Camaro SS (rated 320hp) off the line, but handles way better. The GTO initial quality is at least as good as the Z, if not better. In my opinion, the only downsides of the new GTO are the ugly narrow wheels, the narrow non-Z rated tire, lack of LS6 power, small trunk (Z06 holds way more!) and the POS spoiler. Although, I have to admit, with the 295/35/18s filling up the rear, the spoiler almost looks right. As far as an everyday car, the GTO feels downright luxurious compared to the Z.
Any Yank who is looking at BMW 3 or 5 series, MB, Audi 4 or 6 and fails to consider the quality/performance of GTO deserves what they overpay for.

[F6 Hoon]

Would you mind spreading the word on the GTO? Seems some people over there wouldn't know a good thing if it ran them over! On a serious note, I think everyone on this forum would love to hear some feedback on the GTO from an owner who just happens to have a ZO6. How similar are the cars in stock form performance, handling, everyday life-wise? You might dispel (or inflame!) some pre-conceived thoughts about the car. How about it?
The Mooch
PS. thats one sik motor! :bow:

I'd take the ZO6 over the GTO any day!

RA7 GTO - It's really good to read some feedback of the GTO vs. the ZO6. Looks like they are 2 different types of vehicles in many aspects.

BTW, gotta LOVE the other cars in the background of the GTO pics.

[monario]

Sweet car, what is that intake manifold?

I know the GTO is the 'spiritual' successor to the old 'Goats' there, but do you yanks know what our original Monaro heritage is here in Aus? (no offence intended, just curious) :D

[RA7 GTO]

Sweet car, what is that intake manifold?

I know the GTO is the 'spiritual' successor to the old 'Goats' there, but do you yanks know what our original Monaro heritage is here in Aus? (no offence intended, just curious) :D

That intake is a F.A.S.T LSX with the logo removed and repainted in a gun-metal grey. This is the latest in LS1/6 engine intake manifold tech.
I have heard what that Monaro heritage is, but it escapes me now. I think it has some American bloodline WAY back. No offense if I'm wrong about that. I am curious to know for sure.

I thought of one other Z06/GTO comparison point: Heel-toe downshifting is very easy in the Z, but I find the pedals too far apart in the GTO for the same technique. In the Z06 I can keep my foot upright and simply roll it to the right to blip the throttle. In the GTO I have had to turn my foot clockwise*, to blip the throttle, which is still a little weird.

* I know your toilets flush the wrong way down there and your seasons are backwards, but do your clocks go around the right way at least? (J/K!)

[the mooch]

I thought of one other Z06/GTO comparison point: Heel-toe downshifting is very easy in the Z, but I find the pedals too far apart in the GTO for the same technique. In the Z06 I can keep my foot upright and simply roll it to the right to blip the throttle. In the GTO I have had to turn my foot clockwise*, to blip the throttle, which is still a little weird.

Thanks for that feedback. Hopefully some prospective buyers are reading your posts and might get them to test drive the car. Good to hear lots of positves, too. :)
With the heel/toe query, I'll have to find out if the pedal layout in the GTO is identical to the monaro's/SS (pedal spacings, before anyone corrects me!) as I have no probs in the SS. With the windows down on a quiet Sunday morning, nothing matches the sound of gettin' your downshifts right. YeeHa!

[RAWCUS]

the only US heritage in the Monaro was that it originally came with a bloody chev 327 in it..........(and a munci box) peices of shit (and in some models a 350 chev)

After that they got it right and built an Aussie V8 which although didnt offer as much initial peformance as the chev being a smaller motor, had more power per cubic inch than any equivelant motor in the world.....The Aussie V8 has been an icon and an inspiration to all until they pulled it in favour of the LS1 due to huge costs to modernise the design.

Ironically we waited almost 30 years to get the Monaro back and it comes with a bloody chev motor in it as it did when it was first released....bittersweet (does this mean they are secretly building an all new Aussie V8) hmmmm woulldnt that be nice.

[Rick76]

the only US heritage in the Monaro was that it originally came with a bloody chev 327 in it..........(and a munci box) peices of shit (and in some models a 350 chev)

and the Chev 307 as well...

Although it was a little more US flavoured than that.... Monaro History. (http://www.holden.com.au/www-holden/jsp/chooseavehicle/popups/monarohistory/hk.jsp) The original designs were based on the Oldsmobile Tornado. If you look at other GM cars from the late 60s and early 70s there are heaps of other styling areas that are similar/borrowed.

Quoted from the above link re. HQ Coupe... "The separate recessed grille reflected Euro trends while the bulging muscle lines above each wheel arch, the rounded tail and bumper-mounted rear lights were straight Pontiac GTO muscle car."

The HQ-HZ 5 spoke wheels and those ugly LE Coupe Honeycombe wheels were both borrowed US GM designs. Not to mention names such as 'Sebring Orange' and 'Daytona Bronze' (both famous names in US Motorsport).

AFAIK the Chev 350 engined Monaros are still the most admired/desired of the HK-HZs.

[seldo]

URL] The original designs were based on the Oldsmobile Tornado.

QUOTE]
Thank goodness it was only some body styling hints! The Toronado was a huge awful sloppy slug of a thing thing with a chain drive link to the front wheel drive and about a metre of front overhang. Thank God no-one, not even the Yanks liked it and it died a fairly quick death. It coined the term of terminal understeer. Blerk!! :spew:

[Mongy]

Any Yank who is looking at BMW 3 or 5 series, MB, Audi 4 or 6 and fails to consider the quality/performance of GTO deserves what they overpay for.

We have the same problem over here. All the "yuppies" go for the BMW etc but the good old Holden Monaro, HSV or even the humble SS is in most models a far superior car as far as handling, power, comfort etc. and half the price, the only thing it lacks is the fancy European name badge and then we also have the "ricer brigade" as well. Good grief - we have more in common with you yanks than I thought!

[V-Car]

Carpoint have just done a comparison of car prices in the US, UK and Australia.
BMW 330Ci is (in Australian Dollars) $53,300 in the US and $96,800 here.
Did someone say we are being ripped off here? ;)

Have a read of it HERE (http://carpoint.ninemsn.com.au/news/blankpopup.asp?ID=6171)