Show GM How It's Done

2011 GTO CUSTOM BUILDER CHALLENGE

Posted September 29 2010 09:26 AM by Chris Phillip
Filed under: Pontiac News, Pontiac Gto, 1960 Pontiac Cars, Chris Phillip

High Performance Pontiac sends out a challenge to all custom-car builders!

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Take a new 2010 or 2011 Cadillac CTS-V and transform it into a 2011 GTO.

Make it look like the GTO GM should have built for Pontiac for 2010... and didn't, because it killed Pontiac before its successor to the 2004-2006 GTO was approved for production and offered to the public.

The styling choices are entirely yours—the box style 1964-1967 GTO, the round style 1968-1972 GTO, an entirely new futuristic design, or a combination of retro, modern, and/or futuristic styling.

If you think you can make one, send us an email. Though we can't fund your project, if you can make it, we want to write about it. Send your project ideas and details to HPP, via the link at this website. Don't let the Fifth Generation Trans Am be the only postmortem tribute to Pontiac's great performance cars from 1957-2010.

TO ALL THE RESPONSES WHO MISINTERPRETED THIS BLOG: HIGH PERFORMANCE PONTIAC MAGAZINE AND THE AUTHOR OF THIS BLOG REFER SPECIFIALLY TO THE 2010 GTO WHICH WAS IN PROCESS OF BEING APPROVED BY GM FOR PRODUCTION WHEN GM DISBANDED PONTIAC, NOT THE HOLDEN-BASED '04-'06.

Reader Comments:

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1. The polite version: I wish you the best of luck with this completely irrelevant and unnecessary project request, but I think it's unfortunate that you're so intent on alienating 2004-2006 GTO owners.

The less-restrained version: get your head out of your ass. While I would love to have a 1967, I wouldn't give up my REAL GTO - a supercharged LS2 2005 model - for any other year. For decades, Pontiac and its owners have been the laughing stock of the enthusiast community due to Poncho's penchant for garish styling and and overabundance of tacked-on plastic. Pontiac finally unleashes a wolf-in-sheep's clothing with a proper powertrain, instead of more-of-the-same badge-engineered econoboxes (LeMans? Hello?) and you aging hypocrites COMPLAIN?

For six years, I've been tickled pink as a GTO owner. I could not be happier with the overall package that the Holden-sourced GTO provides. You should try one - if you think you can handle it.

Signed,

The owner of a REAL GTO.

Doric - Posted September 30 2010 10:44 AM

2. Furthermore, the 2011 CTS-V is an amazing vehicle in its own right with perhaps polarizing (but, IMO, visually stunning) styling and a world-beating powertrain that no ear-to-ear grin can resist.

Why RUIN such a beast trying to foist a retro, old-is-the-new-new design? Hello and welcome to last decade's trend - just let it go. You'll be doing a disservice to both the memory of the classic GTOs AND the status of the new CTS-V.

Doric - Posted September 30 2010 10:51 AM

3. Good job slapping every owner of a 2004-2006 GTO in the face. Why don't you kick my dog while you're at it.

Sabraxas - Posted September 30 2010 11:06 AM

4. How to tell you’re getting old?

1) You misplace your dentures when you’re in a rush to watch 60 Minutes.
2) You think Polka’s, Showtunes, and Jan & Dean are great musical influences.
3) You sing along with elevator music.
4) People call you at 9pm and ask if they woke you.
5) You eat dinner at 4pm.
6) You can live without sex, but not without glasses.
7) You enjoy hearing about other people’ operations.
8) You get into heated arguments about pension plans.
9) Your eyes won’t get much worse.
10) Your joints are more accurate at predicting weather than the National Weather Service.

But most importantly, you feel the need to kick every owner of an ‘04 – ’06 Holden sourced Pontiac in the nuts because their cars don’t meet your high standards of what makes a “REAL” GTO, a “REAL” GTO.

Thankfully I dropped my subscription to this rag years back. I see nothing has changed with regards to the attitude against the modern day GTO since. Good way to push the “youth” of the hobby who are actually interested in good old fashioned pushrod V8’s, rear wheel drive, performance oriented coupe’s, away! Kudo’s to you! All because it’s not a “REAL” Pontiac!

What is ultimately sad is that, I as a “youth” grew up appreciating Pontiac’s. We always had Trans Am’s, Formula’s, and my very first car (that I have to this day that I am in the beginning stages of a complete frame off resto), is a 1966 Pontiac Catalina that has been in the family since it was bought new in 1967.

Good job folks! Oh, and I hope some guy who just dumped ~$65k into a killer new CTS-V wouldn’t even fathom destroying such an incredible car to make it into a “REAL” GTO as you’d have liked to see.

CMNT - Posted September 30 2010 11:33 AM

5. So let me get this straight...Pontiac brought out a car that embodies everything the "original" GTO was, a truly awesome car, and because they did not attempt to make it look like a retro piece of crap ala PT Cruiser, it is not a "real" GTO? Are you saying that the 04-06 GTO is not really a high performance Pontiac? Well here's another guy that will never consider your magazine again, since it's not a "real" magazine.

IBM04GTOinNA - Posted September 30 2010 11:40 AM

6. Instead of catering to the well known speed shops, car builders, or the people who seem to have the deepest pockets around, maybe you could focus on the people who not only turn their own wrenches, but actually drive that same "unreal" GTO everyday and everywhere they go. You want someone to rip apart a $65k car and build it, but you don't want to take part in it, only a few pictures?? Maybe some of those special shops you cater to can lend you one of their specialty tools and you idiots can use it to remove your heads from your asses.

hatred - Posted September 30 2010 11:46 AM

7. P.S. Oddly enough, I just bought the latest edition of this magazine today. Think I'll go take a dump and put it to good use. Save my "real" buttwiping paper for a later date.

hatred - Posted September 30 2010 11:47 AM

8. I'd just like to say that as an owner of a "Fake GTO" I have finally gotten completely fed up with trying to find anything redeeming about your magazine.

Every time I peruse the magazines at our local Barnes and Noble I pick up High Performance Pontiac with the hope that it will have any article at all even mentioning a 2004-2006 GTO. Unfortunately, every time I am dissappointed. You seem to be very passionate in your desire to exile the newest GTO to the Island of Misfit Cars. As such, I will not even bother expending the energy it takes to lift your publication from behind the 16 or so different Chevy performance magazines and give it a quick look through.

Quite obviously every single writer over there is quite bitter that GM did not bother to field a predictable retro GTO model akin to what Ford did to the Mustang and now Chevrolet is doing to the Camaro. I for one do not find anything tasteful at all in either of those. If I wanted the same car as an older GTO or Mustang I'd have purchased one. I was quite sure that all of this crying and wishing for what could have been would be long gone at this point. Instead of being so quick to treat it as the bastard stepchild that Pontiac shouldn't have even dared sell here, you should try embracing it. There is quite a following out there for the new GTO's and you might wind up with a lot more subscribers.

P.S. You're lucky I don't have your home address or you would most likely be receiving a large box of gorilla feces, courtesy of poopsenders.com

NinjaBum - Posted September 30 2010 11:49 AM

9. Do you always insult a car your magazine is supposed to support? How *** dumb are you? Enjoy the *** storm.

this_magazine_sucks - Posted September 30 2010 11:56 AM

10. Come on over ***

http://www.ls1gto.com/forums/showthread.php?t=385022

VeritasGT - Posted September 30 2010 12:18 PM

11. On the plus side of things, Chris, this is probably the most hits any of your online blog articles have ever had considering the majority of your reader base is scared to use/doesn't know how to access this new internet contraption.

Probably a good plan alienating the youthful Americans who drive Pontiacs.... By the way, what's the average attrition rate of your subscribers due to natural causes, heart attacks, and Alzheimer's annually?

NinjaBum - Posted September 30 2010 12:19 PM

12. Nice move there, alienate thousands of subscribers because the car doesn't look trendy enough for a 16 year old girl to squeal over. I never used to judge a magazine by its cover, but in light of your judging the new GTO by its cover, I just might make an exception and skip your drivel in the stands from now on.

Habanero6 - Posted September 30 2010 12:58 PM

13. I see that by posting this idea, you don't think your cunning plans all the way through.

It-Burns-When-I-Pee - Posted September 30 2010 01:01 PM

14. you made jalopnik

http://jalopnik.com/5652422/high-performance-pontiac-magazine-hates-high-performance-pontiac-owners

you are welcome

this_magazine_sucks - Posted September 30 2010 01:03 PM

15. I joined just to say as a proud 2006 GTO owner - you suck.

I even USE to buy your rag - piss off!!!

dirt10 - Posted September 30 2010 01:12 PM

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