The 21st Century GTO GM SHOULD Have Built

            Remember when GM threw some Pontiac badges on an Australian Holden Monaro and tried to foist it on Pontiac enthusiasts? It was a disaster; no one who remembered the original GTO fondly would go near it, with its chubby, boiled-sweet potato styling.

One of those dissatisfied enthusiasts, Steve Disch, decided to put his money, and his car-building prowess, where his mouth was. He started with a wrecked, salvaged '06 GTO and stripped it down to the chassis. Then, he fitted a '64 GTO convertible body to it, which necessitated, among other things, welding stiffening crossbraces to the bottom of the chassis to compensate for the lack of a roof and moving the wheelwells, since the wheelbase on the '06 was 5" shorter than that of the '64.

He ended up with what GM should have done in the first place: a GTO that has classic styling but is modern in every other way -- the suspension, 4-wheel disc brakes, wheels and tires, and drivetrain are all '06. For those worried about "safety", he fitted the complete '06 interior, airbags, power options and all, into the '64 interior tub! (Yes, there's room in the back for little Megan and Elijah's child-safety seats. Next question.)  According to Disch, the door panels, took a fair amount of custom fabrication, though not as much as you might think. And he only needed two handmade extension panels to fit the contour of the dashboard to the contour of the inner windshield.

GM should be embarrassed by this car. If one man, working in his garage, could do this, why couldn't GM, who can afford to fart thee-quarters of a million dollars on one crash-test prototype?

It's too late for Pontiac, but this car shows what can be done with energy and passion. GM, the gauntlet has been thrown down. There's no reason this concept couldn't work with a Chevelle SS  or a Buick GS. Show us what YOU can do.

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Taken in: United States / Illinois / West Chicago / Cornerstone Lakes (show map)

Taken on: July 21, 2012

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Sets appears in: • The 21st Century GTO Pontiac Should Have Built! • Pontiac Oakland Show, St. Charles, IL, July 21, 2012

Camera: Nikon D40X, f/5.6, 1/125 sec, 23mm (=34mm), ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D40X
Aperture:	f/5.6
Exposure Time:	0.008 sec (1/125)
Focal Length:	23mm (35mm equivalent: 34mm)
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Not Defined
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Ver.1.00
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