Is There Room for a New Firebird and GTO in Pontiac's Lineup?
"We wanted to go out with a bang while it was still on top. It was a question of us choosing the timing. Champions retire on top." With these words, spoken by Jason Laird, spokesperson for Holden, GM's Australian arm, the official death knell has sounded for the Monaro. While cars of all makes and models - particularly those not sold in North America - often fall subject to the wielding axe, the mighty Monaro directly affects those who live in the United States, as it is sold there as the Pontiac GTO.
The original Pontiac GTO is about as American as apple pie, laying the foundations for the muscle car era. Packing a small block V8 into a plain-looking, affordable, rear-wheel driven chassis, it took the street and the strip by storm in the '60s.
Much the same can be said about the original Holden Monaro, a brutish muscle car which staved off its Ford Falcon nemesis. This 'Battle Royale' is the down-under version of the never-ending feud between Ford's Mustang and Chevy's Camaro.
All things considered, the modern day GTO and Monaro are authentic to the ground rules prescribed in the muscle car code. They're basic, rear-wheel driven monsters with gigantic V8s that swill petrol. The only difference here being, while the originals sold like wildfire their modern day equivalents have hit a sales plateau.
Since the GTO's introduction in 2003, just over 40,000 units have been shipped, a mere blip on the chart as far as sales go for the General. While it's to be expected that a niche market sports coupe built in Australia with rather generic styling would draw only a select crowd, many were surprised at how quickly sales went flat.
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| All things considered, the modern day GTO and Monaro are authentic tothe ground rules prescribed in the muscle car code. (Photo: General Motors of Canada) |
The original Pontiac GTO is about as American as apple pie, laying the foundations for the muscle car era. Packing a small block V8 into a plain-looking, affordable, rear-wheel driven chassis, it took the street and the strip by storm in the '60s.
Much the same can be said about the original Holden Monaro, a brutish muscle car which staved off its Ford Falcon nemesis. This 'Battle Royale' is the down-under version of the never-ending feud between Ford's Mustang and Chevy's Camaro.
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| This GTO is derived from Australia's Holden Monara, also sold in the U.K. under the Vauxhall brand. (Photo: Holden) |
Since the GTO's introduction in 2003, just over 40,000 units have been shipped, a mere blip on the chart as far as sales go for the General. While it's to be expected that a niche market sports coupe built in Australia with rather generic styling would draw only a select crowd, many were surprised at how quickly sales went flat.