Quote:
Originally Posted by 1QWIKBIRD
Well you can spin it that way, both V8 cars were failures then. If the GTO was a success, they would have continued the line. Nobody just stops making a car that is in demand, that doesn't make sense. The F-body was cancelled because it wasn't making GM money. I would guess the same held true for the GTO.
|
The decision to make a coupe on the new platform was put on hold because GM NA decided it would move to a sedan, and not a coupe for the next generation.
While the GTO didnt go on, the G8 is its replacement. Pontiac saw that people wanted a more functional vehicle, something that offerd varied powertrains, and sure enough the G8 came here and did well.
Fbody made money. Problem is that it's sales were dropping off and the capacity of the plant was getting way too low. The choice to kill the Camaro came in 1996, when instead of investing money into a 5th gen platform after 2002, the move was made to upgrade the car, and let it die. The former head of product development also decided that RWD would be left for Corvette and Caddy. Everything else would be turned to FWD.
Combine all that, and you have the end of teh 4th gen.
http://www.allgentransams.com/produc...s/pn_home.html
http://www.camaro-registry.com/production.htm
Quote:
|
The f-body platform (specifically pontiac's side) appears to have nosedived in the 1990 model year and never really regained the sales after that point. But in any given year the combined platforms would completely outpace the GTO by at least 5 to 1. I still maintain the GTO was a failure, good idea poorly executed. I think GM tried to cash in on a name, looked around found the holden car slapped some badges on it and the US motoring public said no thanks....not the GTO we were thinking of.
|
The combined cars, both Camaro and Firebird, selling in a broad range from around 20 to over 30k, complete with V6, V8, hard top, ttop, and convertable, in cloth and leather trims, outsold the GTO with one major option? Crazy.
US motoring public enjoyed it. Even the press. The styling wasnt polarizing like the Mustang, but it was a decent looking coupe. Only die-hard enthusiasts went crazy when it didnt look like a (insert favorate year GTO here).
Camaro is doing very well now, and its mostly due to its design and features, along with its historic power. Camaro gets an overhaul in 18 months, along with a convertable and high performance model.
We shall see what the Z28 brings us.