Ahh, the wonders of YouTube, they never cease to amaze, not with just another vignette of a heavily worked late-model GTO, but of one with a very cool and unique shifter.
This particular ’06 GTO is fitted with the C6 Corvette-sourced 6.0L LS2 motor and is modified from soup-to-nuts with an array of bolt-on goodies, including a cam, intake manifold, upgraded radiator, long-tube headers with full exhaust, a one-piece driveshaft, upgraded transmission with torque converter and a performance rear end differential, not to mention, wheels and body/paint mods.
Really setting it apart however is the newly installed Kilduff Machine racing shifter, that allows the pilot of this automatic-trans-equipped GTO to bang gears like a stick shift, all while keeping his right foot planted on the gas. Think of it as a kind of modern-hardcore take on the Hurst “His-N-Hers” Dual Gate Shifter that debuted as an option on 1967 GTOs, where the driver, he or she, could choose full automatic mode with the stick in the left-side gate, or progress through the gears manually, via the right side gate.
The featured Lightening Rod and console unit provides crisp and precise 1st-to-2nd, 2nd-to-3rd and 3rd-to-4th (overdrive/converter lock) shifts, from three dedicated shift bars, with a separate park/reverse/neutral/drive lever for non-aggressive, full-automatic mode cruising without shifts. The race-inspired design prevents slippage into neutral or reverse, which would be bad, to say the least, and even with the four large Lightening Rod shift bars protruding-fourth, the console looks factory and fits the Goat’s comfy and sporty cabin nicely.
KilduffMachine.com makes racing-style floor shifters for most vintage and late-model automatic-equipped American performance cars with a myriad of customizable features and applications including fully automatic ratchet-style race shifters, manual valve body shifters and paddle-shift eliminators for 2010-‘15 Camaros to name but a few.
Prices range from around $400-$700 and all are made in California-U.S.A. utilizing B&M cables and brackets. A professional installation is required and highly recommended.
With the ’04-06 GTO already a jewel for the aftermarket performance industry, Kilduff Machine has added yet another weapon to the neo-Goats arsenal, designed for those who want to “row-row-row their automatic Goat swiftly down the street.”
Since obtaining his driver’s license way back in 1987, Andrew’s automotive interests have revolved around late-model, GM EFI iron. Predominantly a Pontiac guy, he had grown-up driving and experiencing many EFI cars from the ’80s to the present. Since 2008, he’s been a freelance writer/photographer for multiple niche auto enthusiast magazines and websites. Andrew claims to have a short yet definitve list of passions, in which late-model performance cars, hold a top spot.
