WTF? Do I have a mental disease? The "car" disease?

[vanrah]

Greetings Guys; This post is one of the most fun & entertaining I've seen. I call it the affliction, we all seem to have it too some degree. From one extreme to another "numbers match" guys to many of us "can't leave it stock" (how many of us have promised to leave it stock?) to "I NEED more than ONE", or "505 Lbs Ft of torque isn't enough", it only generates .85G's turning ".91 G's or it's a slug", "I'll have to have those wheels". Did I miss anything?
This is what my brain came up with just after the auctions (BJ & Mecum), now keep in mind this is for fun and laughs! Define in your mind what is a Pro Touring car, don't answer yet. Now what's the difference between a Pro Touring car and a amateur Touring car? I asked one of my non car buddies this question and his answer did NOT include 17" wheels, rear disc brakes, after market suspension or even over drive. His answer was Pro means that you paid someone labor to build said car. So most of our cars are really just amateur touring cars. Or amateur street (in lue of Pro street), mussel, pony, sports, rat rod or hot rod cars, we all have the affliction! I would think that most of us here are proud to be amateur enthusiast and damn glad the pro's among us keep pushing the limits. Oh call mine an "amateur 2 lane black warrior" built by an afflicted amateur hot rod enthusiast.
Now please chime in and post your (us car Nuts) definition of Pro touring. The reason I ask that El Camino that sold at BJ was referred to as Pro Touring, and if the guy had receipts for $50000 (labor included) maybe it was. Bob Jr.
PS: Was that G8 yours ssn696? & you have a brown Malibu also?

 

[ssn696]

Yes. Both are now posted in my photo album.
The coupe came my way in 1999 when I found it in an apartment building parking lot across from the the university. Someone had decorated it with a cinderblock on the hood and windshield. I left a note on with windshield and got a phone call about 4 months later, "leaving town, bring a $150 and a trailer and it's yours". I put a battery in it and drive it up on the trailer. I took a picture of the original title from 1980 - the kid inherited it from his grandmother. (Wish it was as nice as Josh Hanna's...) I cut out the trans shifter hump and sold it on EBay for $75 about 9 years ago. Then it sat in various hidey holes until about 3 years ago when I started fixing it up. I spent more on replacing the windshield last year than I paid for the car.
The G8 was a total accident. I have been 'working on cars' for a long time and my wife was joking that she could be rid of one of them when I die by using it as my casket. In February last year, Chevrolet made a big deal about reintroducing the SS at the 2013 Daytona 500. I was tempted to consider the stupid loan it would cost, then said 'forget it' when the Chevrolet Customer Service sent me an email response that 'no, they weren't planning to offer it with a manual transmission'. I read the reader comments on several news articles about the SS and one reported that the G8 is built on the same 'Zeta' platform as the Holden Commodore and Cadillac CTS-V. And in May, a loud red G8 showed up on our town's 'lemon lot'. I looked in the window, adding another nose print to the collection attracting dust on the window...lo, and behold, a STICK SHIFT. It was the car I knew that in 10 years I would wish I had bought when I saw it. I called the seller, and turned out the be the only one who knew what a G8 GXP was. Everybody else said, 'eh, why is it $10K more than the other G8s'? That's because the GXP performance package includes Brembo brakes and the base Corvette LS3. Pontiac only sold 1863 GXPs of which only about 715 had the T56 six-speeed manual. I have not tracked down the fellow that can tell you that your car is *** of 1863 made...not quite as rare as a GNX, but unusual enough. Would you believe it has snap-ins for 3 kids' car seats in the back seat? :lol:
I was in debate about selling it recently, 'cause it's too nice not to keep in the garage. But, like a diamond ring in the safety deposit box, why exactly do I have it? Based on what GXPs are getting (or not getting) on EBay, I paid too much. But, like a house in the current real estate market, I should just hold onto it a bit longer... It only has 26K miles on it. It does have me worried that my customized G-body will never handle as well, even after dumping a lot of money into it. [Don't pop my balloon, man!]

 

[vanrah]

Good Evening ssn696 & all; Just a quick word & questions. Where are you located & what's your name? Since we both own Brown Malibu's (mine the Brown Brick) with 406" sb & Holden's (05 GuTOo for me, my ol'e work car) we seem to have similar taste in automobiles. Just a warning, but it's too late, you own two GM cars that were only produced 3 years and they made under 40,000 units. Will the future value be similar to our G cars or will the factory hot rod be slower than our G cars to depreciate. So far the Holden's seem to be a very good choice. Anyway check out the Chicago Holden connection forum, great bunch of guys, good vibes similar to this forum. And last but not least are you considering Power Tour? Bob Jr.
PS: I see you posted over on my for sale post, I'll get back to ya over their tomorrow as I'm about to call it a day, the snow & cold have won this day.

 

[BPTTONE420012]

MY NAMES ANTHONY AND IM A G-BODY ADDICT... it all started when i was a kid, my older step brother had a few diff cars, an old irocz28, a half assed chevy monster truck, a 69 chevelle we ended up rebuilding, and a half a dozen montes and caprices... the house we lived in had the 2 car garage built into the house, and my room was right above the garage... the sounds, the smells that would come up through the floor... he raced late model stock up at waterford and down at riverside... could of been getting to race the monte in a figure 8, or blind folded passenger race... could of been just getting to help work on his cars, the incredible sound of finally turning over the 454 we installed in the chevelle at 3 in the morning, no exhaust just open headers... or maybe it was just being 12-15 yrs old and being let drive... or maybe it was sitting shotgun while we powerslid through turns, smoked the tires, drove insanely fast, with METALLICA being played deafeningly loud... or maybe it was a combination of all of it... BUT, EITHER WAY, ITS MADE ME A G-BODY JUNKY FOR LIFE... found one in new york for $1200... trying so hard not go buy it...