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18/02/2026 11:35 am
was a Holden Monaro from Adelaide, Australia. For 2004, Pontiac ran the Holden through the government red tape for certification and then found that they'd have to go through the whole process again if they wanted to rework the hood to add the signature GTO hood scoops. So, that year, the GTO's plain Jane looks were quite a disappointment to consumers, whose vision of the resurrected name plate did not match with the rather homely Monaro. That first year GTO came with a 350 HP LS1 that offered reasonable performance. To get the Holden certified, GM had to move the fuel tank for below the trunk floor into the trunk itself, leaving just enough room to store 2 golf bags. What this car did offer was a blank slate for customizing and engine upgrades. Now that the Holden complied with US regulations, Pontiac could go to work and try to give the consumer what they desired... a real muscle car. Perhaps #1 was the addition of the signature hood scoops and dual exhausts with optional quad exhaust tips. 2005 also marked the debut of the C6 Corvette with its base 400 HP fuel injected 364 cis LS2 and and it would share the engine with the GTO. It also shared the C6's large front discs, beefier drive shaft, and 3.46:1 differential. There were some cosmetic changes to the interior also. Well, now the performance of this GTO were through the roof: 0-60 in 4.8 seconds; 1/4 mile in 13.3 sec @ 107 mph and 0-130 in 19.6 sec. The delays in this revamped 2005 led to a shortened model year so sales were a disappointing 11,069. But, to the car's credit, it outperformed all the vintage GTOs of the muscle car era.
18/02/2026 2:22 pm
Quite a remarkably detailed model of this hybrid-country Pontiac stormer. Who did this one in 1/18 and is it diecast or resin replica ?
Geno and Christopher Moroni reacted
18/02/2026 3:34 pm
This one looks excellent and GMP did a good job on this diecast. V-8 and RWD was great, although many of us were still waiting and hoping for a true all-American GTO from Pontiac.
18/02/2026 5:17 pm
GMP did an outstanding job on these GTOs - I had to have one. The 1:1s never caught on despite staggering performance because the cars did not look "American enough." They looked exactly like what they were - "badge-engineered-muscle." Really no better in style-execution than a 1974 "Nova-Apollo-Omega-GTO." 😬 😬 😬
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Topic starter
18/02/2026 7:32 pm
I had this 1973 GTO and it was on a Nova chassis. I thought the NACA ducts looked cool.
18/02/2026 7:46 pm
@chris - When I had my C5 Corvette, my wife and I took a road trip to Mammoth Mountain. Aside that it was the first time for both of us going to that utterly beautiful locale, we also passed historic Manzanar. On the return trip, I came across a Pontiac GTO of that most recent, 21st Century vintage. As I'm sure you know, Pontiac dropped the LS1 Corvette engine in it to give it its high-performance capability. At any rate, the GTO decided to give me a "run." The highway was literally deserted, so at least it was safe from other traffic and posed no risk to anyone but us. I did all I could to stay in front of the GOAT up to about 100 or 110 MPH. Needless to say, I was impressed.
18/02/2026 7:51 pm
@marty-johnson Yep, not surprised. As I noted, the cars had (have ) staggering performance, but they just didn't look American.
Topic starter
18/02/2026 7:53 pm
@marty-johnson How would you have faired vs the LS2 in the next years GTO? They were good for 130 mph.
Topic starter
18/02/2026 8:08 pm
@chris You're absolutely right. It was the '74 GTO that was a dressed up Nova. My brain is going. Anyway, my '73 just had the 400 so it wasn't burning up the highway, but the front discs had great stopping power and with 60s all around, it handled and cornered like it was glued to the ground. It could do "Bat Turns" without a squeal from the rubber. My wife grabbed it during the divorce leaving me with my venerable '68 390 Galaxy fastback. Actually, she grabbed everything she and her drunken buddies could haul out of the house and tried to destroy what they didn't take. Good times! LOL
19/02/2026 9:41 am
Thanks guys for all of the information on the Australian GTO. The opinions I heard at the time was that it looked like a jelly bean, not a GTO, but no one argued against its performance.
19/02/2026 4:16 pm
This is the original local, Australian, version. IMHO much smoother and aesthetically pleasing.
19/02/2026 6:32 pm
"The Australian version, IMHO, is much smoother and aesthetically pleasing."
Agreed!
The 1/18 Holden sedan models are nice too! 😎 😎
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Topic starter
19/02/2026 7:58 pm
@geoff-jowett That's why it was built for the Australian market.
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