Ellis Fo' vs. SRT-4 with HAI/FMIC/BOV

[NOHC_WBody]

I got to drive a GXP Grand Prix today. Ellis Fo'. 300ish claimed hp.

 

One word. Balance. That thing has got to be my new favorite FWD "bigger than an SRT-4" car. You'd expect it to be a serious plow when you ask it to turn, but damn if this thing didn't want to turn in harder than any other big FWD I've ever driven in recent memory.

 

Acceleration? Quiet. Too quiet. Far too quiet to be in the neighborhood of 300 hp....Then again, the whole car was eerily "non GM" quiet. Bash the right pedal from a stop with the traction control engaged and a loud bark accompanies almost effortless acceleration...it's not quite Ellis F-Body acceleration, but it's definitely two or three steps above the L67. With the traction control off however, getting to 60 while staying in your lane becomes more of a challenge than it should be in a 35K car. It also handily paints stripes of expensive 18" rubber on the road with it off.

 

Bringing the thing to a stop is nearly 13" cross drilled rotors up front and similar 12"s in the rear. It stops..well, not on a dime but at the least, a quarter.

 

The "Tapshift" semi-auto feature is a gimmick. It's not much use.

 

The interior of the GXP is miles and miles ahead of any generation Grand Prix before it. That being said, there's your typical "oodles & oodles of GM buttons" dash along with almost better than GM plastic covering everything. A couple of bits stood out as cheaper than the rest, namely the doorhandles & the faux-plastimetal surround on the gauges.

 

All being said..I can't wait for someone to wrap one around a telephone pole. I've got to have a buyer for my 65-E & other shit to swap the Gutlass lined up soon..The L67 is a fast fading memory. The Gutlass NEEDS the Ellis Fo' & I look forward to making it fit.

 

Second on the test drive list of the day was a used 04' SRT-4. I drove a stocker a while back, and I was expecting a bit more out of a couple of mods it had. It had the requisite "filter on a stick" connected to the turdbo and a FMIC. I later found annoyance in an excessively loud BOV that the previous owner installed in the 8K it had showing on the odometer. It was noticeably quicker than the stocker, but it was also something I couldn't live with on a daily basis, especially with that damn BOV doing it's best impression of a hyperventilating Darth Vader. The dealer was asking 18.5 for it

 

CN: I want Ellis Fo' more now that I've driven one. SRT-4 test drive results in more annoyance than fun due to an aftermarket amplified BOV.

[Kalgorn]

I want to drive a GXP so bad.. shit I'd love to see one on the road. I think the idea of a FWD V8 car with power like that is pretty cool. I know manufacturers have had FWD V8 cars in the past but this is pretty damn cool.

 

I'd love to see that engine dropped into the Cutlass... would be quite a sleeper if it's as quiet as you say it is.

[NOHC_WBody]

Sleeper..hah. Fuck quiet. I'd have to put at least a 3" exhaust on it with a cutout for when I really wanted to get loud.

[jdcutty]

That would be a tight fit in a Cutlass, it would be fucking sweet though. Sleeper fo sho.

[5speedz34]

I wonder if it would fit our Gen 1 bays with out any modification?

 

I saw one on the road today, I still like the Bonne ones better.

[NOHC_WBody]

I wonder if it would fit our Gen 1 bays with out any modification?

 

I saw one on the road today, I still like the Bonne ones better.

 

It's probably not gonna fit without some "massaging", but that still dosen't stop me from dreaming about buying one that's been hit hard in the rear. From what I understand, it's got a "drive by wire" throttle, which means hopefully the Cambird Ellis Juan throttle body will fit it's intake manifold.

 

Dosen't the Bonneville GXP have a Northstar style motor? Or is it the Ellis Fo'?

[cutlassdude96]

Northstar 4.4L