So in previous entries I have mentioned why I wanted a project car, but I haven't answered a question I've been asked by a few other petrolheads since buying this car....
'So why a GTO?'
The answer to this one was always going to be a bit more controversial as they are not a popular car in general, though from what I've read, owners of the car love it unconditionally. I actually think that my need to have something different, and its prettiness makes me prefer it to its competitors. When I knew I wanted a project, I also knew I wanted to meet certain criteria:
- AWD
- Turbo or Twin Turbo
- Manual
- Qualifies for Classic insurance
- Easy initial power gains (I know GTO gets harder past 500bhp or so in comparison to similar cars of the era but 500 is probably going to be more than my initial aims for power)
- Good looking
- Something a bit different
So with those criteria in mind I kind of knew it was going to be some kind of 90's JDM muscle so started thinking through my choices:
(Note: for those who like to argue in import vs muscle threads on Car Throttle, here in the UK you cant get American muscle and was I HELL buying a Rover 25)
- rx7 - the later models are pretty (FD), but I didn't fancy doing an engine rebuild every time I took the car to the corner shops and measuring my oil in miles per gallon! Rotary jokes aside I love these cars, there is one that lives the other side of town from me that I am admittedly slightly envious of it even with it's cheesy F&F style decals... I think they are beautiful, but think these are a car I would love to drive but not to own. I am by my own admission an AWD fanboy and they didn't tick that box, combined with being as rare as hens teeth when I was looking meant they were never really an option. Good ones were few and far between, and when you found a good one the price required me to give up limbs....
- Supra - With a supra, it had to be a mk4, it had to be twin turbo and it had to be manual. The choice for a Supra in good condition was phenomenal.... as long as you wanted an N/A.... or an auto.... or both... The only ones at a reasonable price that were turbo-ed and manual were the mk3 and earlier, which if I'm being honest are probably a really good car, they just don't do it for me....
- Skyline - I went further in my search for a Skyline than for the Supra or rx7... there is something about that name, and that GTR badge that was just screaming 'Buy me!'. I actually went to buy one and was talked out of buying it by the sales assistant, it was an R33 GTR they'd had in part ex and he couldn't answer any of my questions about it, or its history, or anything about any work done to it in the past... so I walked away, and kicked myself for a couple of months after thinking it was probably him being a moron rather than being a dud car. After missing out on that one, I trawled sites for a while but struggled to find another one in budget. There were plenty of GTS and GTS-T to choose from (quite often falsely advertised as GTRs)... but that GTR was always at the back of my mind and meant I couldn't commit to a GTS-T. Maybe an R34 as my next project...
- Other random Unicorns - There were occasionally others that caught my eyes, Galant VR4s, 240zs or 300zxs GTFours... but I quite simply never got the same spark with them as when I looked at the GTO.
I have always considered the GTO a very good looking car, even by modern standards which I think is quite a rare trait for a car with a production run that was fully contained within the 90s (excluding the Dodge Stealth variants rear wing *gags*).
My first experience of driving one however was not the greatest. It was from a small locally owned garage, and it was an N/A 3000gt. The owner of the garage allowed my to drive around 500m before returning it to the forecourt, think he assumed because I was young I wasn't going to be serious about buying the car. I made a comment about it not being as quick as I expected as I gestured towards buying the car, to which he took offense and threw me off the forecourt... looking back now that was probably a godsend. The difference in the drive between that car and the twin-turbo I now currently own in unreal, they are the same car underneath but essentially not really comparable in terms of drive and what the car can do.
In truth I would have loved any of the other cars I listed as a potential for the project, but I was always strangely drawn back to the GTO. They are just so different and rarely seen. They were under appreciated in their time, and they still are which is probably why you can still pick up a good twin turbo version for relatively cheap in comparison to other cars with similar performance.
I know people complain about the price of parts, but when you look into it good parts for this car cost about the same as good parts for any car of the era, you just cant get cheap knock off parts for cheap like you can on other cars... which to me, is in all honesty no big deal. I'd only want to use good parts anyway!
When I read comments on forums for wider car communities (rather than owner specific ones about these cars) it was funny how often you would read owners slate the car, calling its' transmission shit, saying it was a bitch to work on and source parts for, but then go on to say they wish they'd never sold it and they wished they still had it, and they loved it more than their Subaru Impreza/Mitsubishi Evo/whatever hot hatch they traded it in for.... and having it for just 4 or 5 weeks I can already see that.... I have been frustrated that the same day I bought it I needed to replace the battery and its connectors, and that next time I get it out of the garage I know I've got to try to un-seize the bonnet
release mechanism that wouldn't let me close it when I put it away at the weekend..... But at the end of the day it makes me smile more than any other car that I have driven, let alone owned, and that's what really matters....
As the stolen meme says, don't build it for anyone but yourself.
And so I conclude yet again having not really talked about my specific car... So I will make this Prologue pt1 of 2 for now. To keep up to date you can follow me on social sites by clicking the links below or search the @s :
