What's your Grassroots GT car?

Hey, let's have a party thread!

I mean a real GT, not something that's had the moniker hung on it by the marketing folks..I still recall a Chevrolet "Vega GT" called such a thing just because it had split seats and a console up the middle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_tourer

I'm talkin' real-live "fat" sportscars, with miserable back seats, luxury stuff, and enough of a trunk to get one man, one woman (or "partner", if you're convex, rather than concave) and two overnight bags from London, Munich, Barcelona, or Paris to a weekend of hedonism in Monaco as fast as possible.

Cars like the Ferrari 250 SWB, the Aston Martin DBs, or the Merc SL don't count...they're real GTs, but too expensive.

I've got two VW Corrado VR6s, and I just picked up a dead Alfa GTV6 to resurrect. And after I'm finished with the Alfa, I'll probably be looking for a 2nd gen Toyota Supra, after DIASISS & Karl La Follette reminded how cool they are.

After that? Well, my g/f had a 3rd gen Camaro in high school..I'd love to find a nice one of those for her. RobMopar's been talking about Dodge Daytonas. I've noticed a Jag XJS laying around at one of the local Eurocar repair shops...It's been there for awhile, and I can't help but wonder what kind of pocket change it would take for me to free up a little space in their back yard..

So, if you're interested in a real GT that a "grassroots" guy could afford, what would you be looking for?

Without getting into the pricing stratosphere, I think the Lexus SC300s and BMW 8-series fit the bill. Both can be had with a manual, if you are good at finding four-leaf clovers.

Porsche 928

SVX

My personal GT cars are my 4 Triumph Stags, should be one good Stag when done

GTV6 would be my pick. Or a 928 with a stick.

There's also the E24 chassis BMW 635. Occasionally you seem them going for cheap.

Mitsubishi Starion
Porsche 944
Mk.II/III Supra
Mitsubishi 3000GT

...or are those too sporty for GTs?

assembly required....

It does have 4 usable seats though. This thing is actually called a GT and I have to say that, other than some anemic acceleration in stock form, it really does live up to the task. Very comfortable cruising at highway speeds, loves to carve corners, stylish (I think) and with the leather seats probably the most luxurious car I've ever owned. Best of all you can buy them at Challenge friendly prices.

The 1'st gen Volvo C70 is stupid cheap for what you get. Yeah, it's FWD, but that's not all bad for a GT car. You can get a nice example for less than $5K, add a bigger turbo, exhaust, chip and you can hit a nice round 300HP. Available in both 5spd and auto.

I like the Supra mentioned earlier, but I dont want to jump on the bandwagon, so I will say late 80s Monte Carlo/ Cutlass in SS form or late 90s 300ZTT.

I know, complete pposite ends of the spectrum

My A6 seems to fit the bill but has two too many doors and seats five. How do you order a car with a twin turbo engine and a manual 6 speed without the sport seats?

• 911, 928, 944, 924... pretty much everything Porsche made with a tin top except the 356, Carrera GT and the SUV.
• Nissan 240z, 280z, 300z, 200SX
• Mitsubishi Starion / Dodge Conquest
• Jaguars of the 80s/90s
• V8 Ferraris of the 80s, early 90s
• BMW E24 6 and the 8 series (whatever chassis number that was)

Mine is a 94 Thunderbird SC. Tons of torque, 4-wheel double A-arm independent suspension, RWD, 5-speed manual, power everything inside, a big trunk, a decent rear seat and I like the looks. It runs high 12s in the quarter (after a lot of mods, anyway) and autocrosses pretty well for a 3500 pound car.

I was just about to say thunderbird...Ford takes its most comfortable highway cruiser, a Crown Victoria, gives it two doors, and shortens up the wheelbase. brilliant...SuperCoupe is my choice...with a manual.

I came close to getting one when I was 17, but I was shopping with my parents and the dumbass owner said, "I can take you out in it, you will E36 M3 yourself, you can break the tires loose in 3rd gear." Apparently he didn't want to get rid of that car that day...

For cheap luxury/touring...I'd go with a Lincoln MkVII / MkVIII LSC.

4cylndrfury wrote: I will say late 80s Monte Carlo/ Cutlass in SS form. I know, complete pposite ends of the spectrum

I alway had a soft spot for them too.

friedgreencorrado wrote: I still recall a Chevrolet "Vega GT" called such a thing just because it had split seats and a console up the middle.

IIRC, all Vegas had bucket seats and consoles. The GT had a gauge package, "styled" wheels and better tires, some suspension tweaking, and the Holley/Weber 2-barrel carb.

My Kammback - not a GT - had been retrofitted with a GT dash, which I really liked. Once I added a Starfire GT steering wheel, the driver's office really wasn't bad.

I'm planning to make the LS1-powered MGB GT into, well, into a GT. Lots of heat and sound insulation, and with the T56 transmission it'll cruise at around 2000 rpm at 75 mph. The suspension's going to be based on what I learned with the rally car, enough travel to make it comfortable without sacrificing performance. Exotic(ish) looks, lots of performance - should be a good option.

As 924guy said, some assembly required.

Volksroddin wrote:

4cylndrfury wrote: I will say late 80s Monte Carlo/ Cutlass in SS form. I know, complete pposite ends of the spectrum

I alway had a soft spot for them too.

Same here (wonder why? ).

Buick GNX, GN, or T type

Olds 442 or H/O

Chevy Monte Carlo SS.

Funny thing is only the GNX, 442 and H/O had the 8.5 inch rear that could actually handle any real performance upgrades in power. Though modified Ford 9 inch rears are common for the G body (gotta thank racers for that one). Sorry I'm looking for new rear for my car so its on my mind

BMW M Coupe.

911 targa & x2 on the mgb gt - going the budget route w/302 power instead of lsx power

Hocrest wrote: SVX

Plus STI gearbox,rear diff and turbo. Oh,the possibilities...

GTV-6, 6 seriese BMW or an 80's 560 SEC with some AMG goodies on it.

My car is a real GT.....says so in the name. Opel GT