This summer I purchased my GTO from a fellow automotive enthusiast. For the sake of this article we will call this guy “Ronny”. The fact that Ronny had a 2006 GTO 6-speed told me a lot about him as a car buyer. People don’t buy 400hp Pontiacs on accident. Guys don’t drive down to their local Pontiac and say “You got any more of them Aztecs or maybe a Grand Am I can take off your hands?” and then end up with a 4 seater Corvette. (especially the manual transmission version) You show at dealership on mission to get a vehicle that assisting in hitting “extra” legal speeds very quickly and often.
So this Pontiac GTO didn’t end up in Ronny’s garage by accident. He wanted power. He wanted comfort. He wanted sport. And being a family man, he needed more than 2 seats. The GTO fit the bill perfectly. And for 2 years he enjoyed his 6 liters of V8 fun. Recent back pains that were exacerbated by the manual transmission forced Ronny to sell his high horsepower funmobile and that’s where I came in.
When I test drove Ronny’s car it was the 4th time I had driven a GTO and his car was in great condition. The day I picked up the GTO seemed like a bittersweet sweet day at Ronny’s house. He was glad to have this large transaction behind him but a little sad to see the GTO leave. Several times he commented that if this car had been an automatic he wouldn’t be selling it. The funny thing is, if it had been an automatic, I wouldn’t have been buying it.
So with an open spot in his garage, the family man and horsepower freak goes on the quest for the ultimate vehicle that can satisfy his fatherly duties and his need for speed. Ronny had identified that vehicle as the Mercedes E63 AMG Wagon. Let’s just run a quick comparison of the E63 vs the GTO. The Merc has a bigger engine — 6.2 liter vs 6.0 liter, more horsepower — 507hp vs 400hp, and more torque — 465 lbft vs 400 lbft, compared to a stock GTO.
Today I’d like that think that the GTO is a fond memory in Ronny’s mind and that he totally satisfied in his screaming V8 Mercedes. A station wagon that can beat a stock GTO down the drag strip. Can it beat his former GTO? Well, Ronny has asked to be invited out the next track night so he can find out.
Stay tuned for upcoming track results in the near future.
