Welcome to NewAgeGTO.com - a website dedicated to all things Pontiac GTO. We have many features on this website to make your experience here more enjoyable. The first step would be to REGISTER for free so you can take advantage of all the features we have to offer.
Pontiac GTO Forum - Our GTO Forums with thousands of discussion topics.
General Motors' Australian Holden brand remains the choice of hooligans down under, as police in the Australian state of Victoria announced that 46% of cars impounded under their "hoon" laws. Ford is the second most popular with 16.7% of the impound share, while Nissan is third with 7.8%.
Holden's Commodore has been Australia's best-selling vehicle for decades, and the rear-drive chassis and plentiful supply of turbo six-cylinder or General Motors V8s means that cheap, powerful Holdens are easily affordable for young Australian enthusiasts.
Australian police have taken to crushing vehicles confiscated in cases of reckless driving if they are deemed "unsafe". One police officer cited a vehicle without "ABS brakes and airbags" stating "I cannot, in good conscience, send that vehicle back into the community." Many older Commodores (such as the VL series pictured above) did not come with these features, but remain immensely popular with young gearheads.
Despite their old-school muscle car flavor, North Americans stayed away from the two Holden models sold in North America, the 2003-2006 Pontiac GTO (based off the Holden Monaro) and the 2008-2009 Pontiac G8 (a rebadged Commodore SS).
We recently reported on rumors that Chevrolet is planning to bring back the Caprice full-sized sedan, based on the RWD Holden Statesman. This, however, is being denied by the folks at Holden, with Emily Perry, the Australian automaker's communications director, commenting that "We have no plans to export that vehicle as a civilian car at this stage."
GM had already announced a police interceptor based on the Statesman and sold as a Caprice to police agencies in North America, and recently even added the Caprice PPV (Police Patrol Vehicle) Detective Package to the list.
Interestingly, Perry wasn't as unequivocal when it came to the question of the Commodore returning to the U.S. (sold in North America as the Pontiac G8 from 2008-09). Former Holden marketing director Mark Reuss had commented in the past that the company was looking for ways to salvage something from the G8 program and it has been suggested that GM may be looking to build a small prestige brand of RWD cars within the larger Chevy brand, much like what Hyundai has done with the Genesis.
The entire return of the G8/Commodore seems extremely unlikely however, with an all new platform due out in 2012, meaning that GM would have to act soon in bringing a rear-drive Holden back to the U.S., before the architecture becomes obsolete.
Here's a great David vs Goliath story that's sure to get you all fired up at "the man" on a Monday morning. G8Board.com member "jackalope" was recently ticketed for having what a police officer deemed to be illegal tail lights. Knowing that the lights are factory equipment on his Pontiac G8 GT, and are certified by the DOT, he took the ticket to court, considering the whole thing to be some kind of mistake. Knowing he was in the right and had the law on his side, Jackalope was shocked when the judge found him guilty and upheld the ticket, meaning he had to pay the $85. Worse still, he was told by the judge (this time "the man" was actually a woman) that she would continue to fine him if he refused to pay. And to add insult to injury, the judge even went so far as to advise the defendant that he should consider selling his car as its not legal in Maryland.
The issue surrounding the tail lights on Jackalope's Pontiac G8 GT, involves the fact that the clear lenses on the G8 GT's lights means GM had to use reflectors on the bumper in order to meet regulations. The state law requires the reflectors to reflect the color red, which the officer who issued the ticket obvious felt he couldn't see.
According to Jackalope, the judge wasn't interested in what the manufacturer or the DOT said, commenting that the opinion of the officer superseeded that of any other authorities on the matter and that as a judge she would uphold the officer's decision to issue the ticket.
Jakalope has since contacted Pontiac and has an appointment to speak with them regarding the issue.
But the story doesn't stop there, with some folks alleging that Jakalope wasn't sporting factory lights, but rather modified taillights on his car. Jakalope has since both stated that he did have the factory lights on the car when the ticket was issued (although he does have other "show" lights). He also claims that even the modified taillights, which can be seen on his Cardomain page, should be legal as well, as they continue to reflect the color red.
As General Motors' sole brand in Australia, Holden's lineup gets most of GM's better products, like the Cruze, Captiva (a re-badged Saturn Vue) and 6 varieties of the Holden Commodore, formerly known as the Pontiac G8. While GM claims that Cadillac is ready to go head to head with the Germans, in truth, the G8 was the closest GM has come to making a car as good as a BMW.
Our G8 was essentially a Holden Commodore SS, a fairly standard model in its home market, despite having a 6.0L, 361 horsepower V8, but in Australia, customers can opt for a Commodore that's been breathed on by Holden Special Vehicles, a division similar to Mercedes-Benz's AMG outfit, or BMW's M division. The "base" model HSV Clubsport, has been selected for a special edition to commemorate the groups 20th anniversary. Only 100 cars will be produced, featuring a unique leather interior, sport suspension package, 20" wheels and special decals echoing the original Clubsport's graphics package.
Power remains the same, but that's ok – with a 425 horsepower 6.2L LS3 V8 engine, straight line acceleration will be so rapid that bystanders won't be able to tell that your car is any different from a standard car.
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
Pontiac GTO Forums: Pontiac GTO Forum
