2006 Pontiac GTO - Melting Pot

This is the true story of an Australian car turned into an American car, turned back into an Australian car and then modified to look like a European car with a little Asian flavor and a ton of American horsepower. Confused? Don't be! This is GM High-Tech, it'll all make sense in a second. "I have always owned something different. This hasn't changed with this car. I want to drive something that you don't see every day." That's Derrick Yee talking, a man who lives 3 or 4 simultaneous lives as, well, he does a lot of cool stuff. "Every day I drive it someone is either looking at it, yelling at me asking me what it is or giving me a thumbs up. Moms in SUVs to the yuppie in his Prius. Guys in Maseratis can't figure out what it is. BMW M3 owners can't stop staring. Kids in Hondas and Evos can't figure it out. Best of all Porsche and Mustang owners can't figure out why they can't keep up!"

It says a lot about one's style to be able to harmoniously blend this many automotive genres together, but it really isn't a surprise that Derrick has been able to pull it off so well. From the front bumper to the back, Derrick has modified almost every piece of his '06 GTO with the purpose of making it different, keeping it clean and keeping people guessing. Up front you're looking at an OEM Holden Monaro bumper cover, complete with the Aussie emblem that wraps around a set of modified factory headlights and closes up underneath a Maverick Man carbon fiber hood, which Derrick had painted with an exposed carbon stripe and the factory Impulse Blue Metallic paint. Sweeping across the side of the GTO, Derrick added a set of killer three-piece SSR Professor MS1 wheels wrapped in Falken tires, a one-off set of bronze and polished hoops that really help set the tone of this GTO. Out back Derrick's GTO sports a set of VX rear taillights from-you guessed it-Australia, a look he prefers over the stock American pieces. Above and below Derrick chose to add contrast to the rear, adding a carbon lip spoiler to the stock trunk lid and a carbon diffuser below the stock bumper, a piece that wraps perfectly around the Magnaflow exhaust tips.

Naturally, Derrick didn't stop there; he kept working at his GTO, slathering the interior in carbon bits and installing a set of Cobra Misano carbon backed seats. Derrick even went out and purchased a Monaro gauge cluster for the conversion that he wrapped in carbon before installing it. Steering wheel? Carbon. Center console? Carbon. Shifter and e-brake? Carbon. You get the idea. But don't just assume that this carbon obsession is gaudy or overdone. It is, in fact, quite subtle and compliments the factory styling of the interior, a feat many people can't pull of as nicely without ruining the look and feel of the car.

Speaking of feel, this GTO has more in common with a Corvette on the street than a soft plush cruiser, as Derrick spent a lot of his time tweaking the GTO's suspension to make for a tight and comfortable ride. For starters, Derrick firmed up the suspension and chassis with a plethora of upgraded bushings by Super Pro and Energy Suspension, understanding that you can't have a great ride without a great foundation. Outboard of the bushings, Derrick installed a set of BC Racing coilovers front and rear, which allow him to adjust ride height for the perfect stance, but also dial in the feel and response of his GTO on the street. Behind the one-off wheels, Derrick dropped some serious coin on a set of AP Racing 6-piston caliper brakes from Stillen, which give the car amazing stopping power and a great race-inspired look.

Of course, this GTO isn't all about show without any go and Derrick wasn't about to upgrade the brakes without a good reason. Oh no, Derrick has a couple well placed go-fast goodies hiding under all of the beautiful bodywork, the majority of it stuck underneath the gorgeous carbon fiber hood. For maximum acceleration Derrick added a highly polished Magnuson MP112 supercharger system atop the LS2, a positive displacement blower capable of huffing upwards of 5 pound of boost into the bolt-on equipped engine. Helping move that extra air is a pair of Edelbrock "Shorty" headers, matched to a Magnaflow 2.5-inch exhaust system. Tuned by Westech Performance, the blown LS2 pumps out 460-rwhp and 460 lb-ft of torque, which is more than enough power for Derrick's daily driving duties. "I wanted something with power that I could drive everyday with air conditioning and cruise control and average 19 miles per gallon. I also wanted something that would pass Smog in the state of California and this car can! Granted, one day I would like to not drive this car every day and go a tad more crazy with it, but for now this setup will do!" Yeah, we think a 460 horsepower one-of-a-kind GTO will do just fine, don't you?

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