2004 Pontiac GTO

Those of you who remember the Pontiac GTO—known in car-guy circles affectionately as the "goat"—as a GM midsize car with a monster engine and all the behavior characteristics of a highschool kid invited to his older brother's frat party, might be disappointed in this reincarnation. It's built in Australia by Holden (GM's down-under part of the business), and is known there as the Monaro. But it's the right size, it has rear drive and it will take the Corvette's small-block LS1 V8. In a short time of about a year and a half, the GM guys went through a few styling mods to give it a Pontiac flavor, fiddled with a few other details here and there, put it on a boat and brought it to the U.S.

What the GTO offers is good ol' high-horsepower, rear-drive performance in a reasonably affordable package—which is exactly what the original GTO offered. While this new version has none of the raucous, fire-breathing, wild-eyed personality of those old pavement pounders, it is far, far better as a car; far, far better as a high-performance car.


There is only one trim level and only one option; you can order a six-speed manual instead of the four-speed automatic. Interior appointments are even a little sparse, at least for those familiar with today's range of everything but the penthouse kitchen sink. You cannot get the OnStar system, no navigation system (if you can't find your way around without having your car give you directions, you shouldn't be driving a GTO anyway), no sunroof, no quadruple-zone climate control. Pretty much, what you see is what you're gonna get.


The chassis has fully-independent suspension, although not terribly sophisticated, with struts in front and semi-trailing arms in the rear. Brakes are four-wheel discs, with anti-lock standard. Traction control is also standard. The engine is the aluminum block/aluminum heads version of Chevy's small-block, essentially the same as the Corvette, and rated at 350 horsepower and 365 lb.-ft. of torque. It will smoke the rear tires at a rate that will absolutely warm the heart of your local tire dealer.

The seats are among the best in the biz, with great support for serious driving.

The inside is not cramped, but—understandably—not necessarily capacious, either. But the seats are among the best in the biz, with great support for serious driving. Although, truth be told, those who haven't been particularly studious at counting calories may find the seats to be the automotive upholstered equivalent of a pair of French designer shrink-wrap jeans. The rear seats are also surprisingly good, at least once you're able to clamber into them; those familiar with the balance beam and other acrobatic activities will do best.