I would like to see a RWD Monte Carlo return. The Pontiacs and the Oldsmobiles don't have any chance of a return. GM shuttered both of those divisions, Oldsmobile while as General Motors and Pontiac as Government Motors. I think if GM had concentrated on Oldsmobile and Pontiac instead of trying to develope Saturn we might still have Olds and Pontiac. I would like to see a retro Chevelle using the 70 as a starting point.

 

Sometimes it is better to put the past to pasture and move forward. Most of these rumors come from a following, a niche. Most of us wouldn't care for a retro GTO, but a certain niche would buy them. Is it enough to warranta full production? Which model GTO do you go by? Same with the Chevelle, same with the Monte Carlo, same with the Torino, same with the El Camino. They all have a niche, but what about overall?

And if they did bring back the Monte Carlo, we'd all find something we didn't like, most likely. we may not like the styling here and there, we may not like the interior.

Sometimes it's better to remember a car as it was for what it was, and let it go. Don't try to bring back the past, because it's the past. Those cars of old were part of a transition, they were a step along the way to where we are today.

 

I have to admit Duane is onto something. And may be right.

Two examples apply here. The GTO, and the Monte.

GM brought back the GTO name in 2004. It was a re-branded Holden Monaro. Personally, I loved it. It was the size of a Pontiac Grand Am, with the performance of a Corvette. But over all, people hated it for various reasons. It was an Australian car, it didn't look like the old GTO's, etc. But like Duane said. If GM did make it look like one of the original GTO's, which model year do they copy? The first GTO's were a performance modified family car. Didn't look very sporty or aggressive at all. Or do they copy the classic GTO Judge? Doesn't matter which one you make the new one look like, your only appealing to those who liked that model year you copied.

And the Monte Carlo...

When GM put the 4th gen Monte out to pasture, and replaced it with the 1990 Lumina Z34, Monte enthusiats screamed for it's return. GM brought the Monte Carlo back in 1995 as a slightly modified Lumina, 6 cylinder engine with FWD. The purists all screamed, "WHAT THE F**K IS THIS SH*T?" The 5th gen Monte was successful by finding buyers who were into the new design. But lost most of the fans of the previous generations. As we all know, the Monte returned for 13 model years until 2007.

If you bring the Monte back, what do you bring it back as? GM won't let it compete against their precious Corvette and Camaro for performance. We all know that. And if you're not going for performance, there's no real need for RWD or a powerful V8 engine. So you're back to a FWD V6. That just eliminated a lot of the enthusiasts right there.

And what do you make the new Monte look like? Do you give it a completely new look like GM did with the 2004 GTO? We know how well that worked out. Retro styling is big right now. So you make it look like a previous generation Monte. Cool. Which generation? You'll get strong arguments for generations 1-4. But if it's a FWD V6, how many of those retro Monte enthusiasts are going to want it?

Personally, I would love to see the Monte name come back. But leave any retro styling stuff in the past. Just my opinion.

 

CamAro, no E, lol.

Anyways, I don't believe that the Monte has a chance of making a comeback. This past winter I went to a local Chevy dealer and I asked if they had heard anything about the 2012 Impala, and they told me that they not only had heard about it, but that it's going to be completely different. RWD, new looks, new engines, everything new. Well, now we know that the 2012 is still the same w-body Impala with the only difference being that it will only be offered with a 3.6L V6 and a 6 speed auto and a mild tweek to the front end. So, no RWD, not really new looking, but there is going to be a new engine.

I don't really see how a RWD Monte Carlo would fill any void at all. There's already a RWD coupe in Chevrolet (the Camaro). However, if they did bring back the Monte, it could work as a mate to the new 2014ish Impala that will be on the Epsilon II platform. If they do that, then I could see a new Monte. But I'm not holding my breath.

 

Another point I failed to make.. how many 60's Impala and 60's-70's Charger fans like the new cars that much? You can bring back the name and bring in a few fans... it always helps to associate your newer car with muscle of old that dominated performance wise, but how much of that old car niche will you pick up with that car? How many guys who love a '68 Charger love this new 4 doored thing?

As you can see in my signature, I'm a Torino guy. For those who don't know, that car came in 2 door coupes, station wagons, and 4 door sedans as well. I don't really care to see the Fusion or Taurus rebranded as a Torino or Fairlane with retro styling. It just wouldn't work. It's better to let these cars be remembered for what they were and what established the name, for the names sake.

Think of NASCAR drivers who overstayed their welcome. Darrell Waltrip spend several years getting into races on what is called the Past Champions Provisional, and didn't win a race for his last 8 years or so on teh circuit, and wasn't even competitve for a time. Richard PEtty won his last race in '84, and was on his way out then... didn't retire until '92. Guys like Bill Elliott, Darrell Waltrip, Ricky Rudd, all kept on competing even though about the best they could hope for was a 30th place run.

Bringing back these old cars is roughly the same thing. The cars have stayed their welcome. They've made their impact. They have their fans. And as much as we'd love to see them again, it's better to just appreciate the past. The markets are different, the buying market is different. Let's start becoming fans of some of these new cars and gain a niche for something out there now! That, or keep the old cars going and keep them out there... either way, as long as you're happy with the car, you win. Just don't try to keep that same car going forever as new models and revamped designs.

 

Honestly i hate retro designs, there old time to make new fresh designs not classic, really the only car u can make retro is ones that only had one body style like the challenger, beetle & jeep, anything else cant be done cuz they try to put all the best parts in from each generation & u get a ugly lookin car like the new mustang its ugly as can be & the newer style thats coming is worse & the camaro is gonna fall victom to this in its next design, yeah the first retro design of a model looks good cuz they copy the best year but after that they try way to hard, these cars are old in the past where it should stay bring new fresh designs, i love the 04-06 gto im glad its not retro & if they make a new monte i hope its not retro

 

I agree, the retro designs get tweeked too much every so often and they don't always turn out looking the best, the Charger as a sedan was a very sad thing for me to see anyway, /i like the 00-07 montes and I also like the mid 80s montes, the older ones ar enice too but not a huge fan and the Lumina Carlos...well If it was a winter car then yeah it'd be okay. I for one would love to see what they come up with if they come out with a new one, I fell in love with the 00-05 body style from the front end, saw one in town when I was 12 and always wanted one..8 years later I have two

 

i personally like the retro design on new cars. i guess because i have always been a classic car enthusiast. in fact, i kinda saw the 6th/7th gen montes as having somewhat of a retro design. you probably think im crazy for saying that. because it doesnt really lookd like a monte from the past. just the lines, and the shape have a retro feel IMO. thats sorta what made me like it. i also feel the same about the GTO. its obviously not a retro car. but, something about it makes me think of it as retro. maybe its the big windows

i think you can bring it back, give it retro styling cues and not go all out like the Mustang, Challenger and Camaro. and as nice as it would be to have a big RWD V8, i dont see it happening. ill be okay with a V6

 

i heard that the 6th gen Monte Carlo DOES have some inspired things? the tail lights are apparently a modernized playoff of the 84's tail lights. anyone else ?