Reproduction of Firebird/Trans Am

[94TramsAmGT]

I have heard many rumors that production of the sh*tty GTO is being stopped in 06 and that GM might bring back the Camaro to compensate for the loss. Has anyone else heard of this, also I was told that the Firebirds name has been retired permenantly but the Camaro was not. That is total BS if it's true. I still can't get over the fact that they stopped making the F-body's for that damn GTO!!! I'm not getting my hopes up but I wish GM would get their head out of their ass and bring back the F-body's. They are so concerned about the Vette that they are pushing all GM lovers (mainly camaro/firebird) towards the mustangs. Not a mustang fan, but come on who can afford a vette these days? They were doing so good with the Trans Am, and in my opinion that is what killed it. They got it looking as good if not better than the vette, and becoming increasingly better in performance that they decided to stop production. The GTO's do nothing for me except taking the powerhouse away from the Trans Am's, and i don't care for the Mustang's, simply put. Everytime I look over my shoulder there is a Mustang driving by and it really pisses me off. I'm sure some of you are tired of talking/reading about this but i just wanted to see if there was any truth to some of these rumors. Let me know if you have heard anything and give me your opinions on the whole reasoning of stopping production of the F-body's.

[blindeyed]

Originally Posted by 94TramsAmGT

I have heard many rumors that production of the sh*tty GTO is being stopped in 06 and that GM might bring back the Camaro to compensate for the loss. Has anyone else heard of this

Yes, the GTO's platform (the Zeta Body) has been discontinued. Thus the GTO is no longer going to be made. There have been rumors that the Camaro will be reintroduced in 2007, it's 40th anniversary.

Originally Posted by 94TramsAmGT

also I was told that the Firebirds name has been retired permenantly but the Camaro was not. That is total BS if it's true. I still can't get over the fact that they stopped making the F-body's for that damn GTO!!!

Yes, the Firebird has been permanetly retired. It will not come back. Again, the Camaro may or may not come back. And I'm not meaning to correct you, but GM did not stop making F-Body's for the GTO. They stopped making them bacause their profits from the vehicles steadily decreased over the years to the point of where they weren't making enough money to where they should still produce the cars. I mean, think about it. Why keep producing a car if only, lets say, 2 out of 10 are being sold. It's just not worth it.

The main reason why Pontiac did introduce the GTO is to make up for it's loss. It had a nice powerful sports car, and that was stripped from their line-up. So, that had to compensate and introduce another vehicle to fill in the gap as best as it could. But personally, I love the GTO. I think it's an awesome car, especially the new restyled one. I really can't see how anyone could possibly hate that 6.0L and 6 speed transmission. I'd get one in a heart beat if I could afford it.

[MrPbody]

Well, as usual, I go against the grain. There's nothing "sh**ty" about GTO. It's a fine car, with only the whining band-wagoneers complaining about the use of the name. The car is exactly what it's purported to be, nothing more, nothing less. And it will blow the doors off ANY factory F-body of any era. Add some of the LSx goodies, and it will run with anything out there. And just in case some of the snipers are reading this, it's NOT a Chevy engine... (:-

There are "new" rumors out just this morning, about tooling for the '08 GTO AND F-bodies (plural). It looks like GM WILL bring back both Firebird and Camaro, and introduce an American-made GTO with "styling" (God, I PRAY it isn't "retro"). We shall see...

[tuske427]

I agree with both Blindxeyed and Mr Pbody.

GM is in the business to make a profit, and the F-body's weren't selling. The Mustang of the day was outselling the Camaro, Firebird and Trans Am combined. While, in our opinions, the F-bodys are better cars, the fact remined that they didn't sell the numbers needed to maintain production. I understand that GM even breached the contract to the factory in Canada that was producing them. (one could argue as to why they weren't selling, but it's a moot point)

I have several designer friends over at GM and they are in fact working on a Camaro replacement. I have no inside news on a Pontiac counterpart, however. It is highly unlikely the "trans am" name will ever come back due to the fact that GM had to pay a royalty on the name on every car sold with it.

I've also heard rumors about a new generation GTO and possibly a Chevy version. According to Hot Rod magazine, Chevy has re-trademarked the name "Chevelle". So maybe we'll see a new version of this??

Maybe, instead of being upset about the loss of the F-body, enjoy the fact that they are limited, and not another "dime a dozen I see them everyday" type of car. I think it's nice not being a "me too" person.

[Live702]

do you have a source for these new rumors?

[skibum1111]

I keep hearing about the return of the camaro and firebird, and I've heard alot of crap. When GM was ready to introduce the SSR, they did so first in Australia, ran it for a few years to work out the bugs, then brought it here and price it way out of reach for most people. Are they going to do this again? Personally, I would love to see another camaro/firebird line, but I really don't believe it, and I won't until I see it.

[tuske427]

Originally Posted by Live702

do you have a source for these new rumors?

Not usre if you meant me but if you did- check out this site from time to time

http://www.gminsidenews.com/

and it helps when you personally know several designers who work for GM....