If it was sold as a Chevy, it's not a Manaro, then, right? Argh! Argh! Humor...
SHPuker,
You should be at Norwalk for the TriPower Nationals. I missed this year, but in '08 there were no less than 50 "new" GTOs. The slowest was a 14.0 with a 300 lb. man driving it. The quickest was 7.19 @ 198 MPH (turbo/alcohol LS-1). They (modern GTO) sound GREAT with good exhaust or open headers. They have every bit as much pnash and "go" as any older muscle car. The part I like the best is the same thing that "hooked" GTO guys back in the day. GTO people don't really care NEAR as much about what other people see when they look at it, as they care about what THEY see. What GTO guys LIKE is the view THEY get, the dash, the instruments, the view over the hood, etc. GTO isn't a "Hey! Look at me!" car, it's a "Hey! Like my tail lights?" kinda car.
On this site in '04 when first introduced, a Mustang guy said the car had the ugliest tail lights and exhaust tips he'd ever seen. I said "Nice to know after 35 years, some things never change. Like the view Mustang owners get of GTO!" He never came back...(:-
It's all in fun, guys. I DO like GTO over any other muscle car, but I have good reasons aside from "brand loyalty". My GTO (in the early '70s) beat nearly every car I ever raced. Only a handful of BBC-powered Chevelles got me, and only one of them was a 396 (375 HP with "goodies"). No 383-Dodge ANYTHING or 6-Pack ANYTHING ever beat it. A 440 Magnum in a '69 GTX embarrassed the hell out of me one night... No 428 Ford ANYTHING ever beat it, either. A good friend had a '70 Cyclone GT, 429SCJ, 4-speed, 3.50 gear. I could beat him through 1/4 of a mile plus about 10 feet. He would hit 4th and was GONE! Took money from so many small block powered cars, word got around fairly quickly not to "mess with that yellow Judge!" Not too much later, I got a '65 w/TriPower. A little "warming up" of that one and I was driving an honest 12 second car. In those days, a 12 second car was like a 10 second car today. San Bernardino HATED my Pontiacs... (:-
Jim