Quote:
Originally Posted by VADER SS L99
I'm sorry but that car above does not say this is a "Grand National and I am American muscle". It is a great looking car but you can't put a legendary name on it like the Grand National. They did the same thing to the legendary GTO and looked what happened to it. I actually thought the 05+ GTO was a great looking car but it was nowhere deserving the GTO name. Same goes for the car above. If GM brings back the Grand National it better look the part the same way the 5th gen Camaro looked as if it deserved the name.
Also if they build the GN it better be offerd in 1 color, black. It better be 1 trans type, a stout automatic. It would also be a plus if they built a whole new motor for it in a 3.8 liter. I think a twin turbo DI DOHC 3.8 would be killer. If people want different colors and trans types bring back the T-type name or something.
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I agree with your comments regarding the renderings above, and I think the comparision to the GTO/Monaro deal a few years ago is spot on.
However, not all GNs of the 80s were black with a 3.8L turbo. The first ones were grey with a larger naturally aspirated 4.1L V6. I think there were some silver ones too. Then they moved on to black with the 3.8T's. Anyway, it is true that the GNX only came in black with that engine, and I would hope GM continues that legacy.
Anyway, if they make the Grand National/GNX a proper RWD car then
something is going to have to be the base vehicle with plenty of options (including colour) so that they can sell more than 500/mo (and therefore, keep the total cost somewhat resonable). 25 years ago, they had the Regal to do that with, but now the Regal is happy being a FWD midsize sedan. So something needs to be the base car. I say make the Grand National
that car. I'm not saying it should be watered down too much, but it would still have to be the starting point. A 300 hp V6 would be a good place to start & wouldn't infringe upon the legacy too much (especially since there were already naturally aspirated Grand Nationals anyway).
Then have the all black, turbo6 GNX as low volume halo car.
Onto engines. I doubt they'd use a 3.8L engine. GM's current plan seems to stem around using one V6 (the LFX) for just about everything. So chances are, they'd use the current LFX (which seems designed to take a pair of turbos anyway). However, with that said ...
I see a lot of potential in GM having 2 different V6 displacements in their lineup in the not so distant future. Both based on the same architechture (unlike what they had in the 90s & 2000's). The small one would be say a 3.1L for 'light duty' tuned to roughly 275 hp and used in midsize luxury sedans, small crossovers, base engine for large sedans and so on. Then have a 3.8L with something like 350 hp on tap for performance cars, large sedans, trucks, SUV's, and large crossovers. I also see room for 2 different turbo-charged versions of this engine. You could have a 'low boost' version making around 400 hp as an alternative to Ford's eco-boast, then a high output version (say 500+ hp) for things like the GNX and ATS-V.