2004 Pontiac GTO

Pontiac’s original 1964 GTO was a legendary muscle car that defined performance for thousands of baby boomers who are now in their middle 50s.

When Pontiac decided to build a new GTO, it turned to General Motors’ Holden division of Australia. A 5.7-liter Corvette engine was stuffed into the rear-wheel-drive Holden Monaro coupe, and presto, it became the reborn Pontiac GTO. Production is projected to be about 18,000 vehicles, so don’t expect to see one on every street corner.

The new GTO was met with some skepticism because it didn’t have the muscular look of the original. Because of the rounded coupe body, you may think this isn’t the same _in-your-face_ car as the original _ until you punch the gas. The Corvette motor rumbles like the soundtrack from American Graffiti, and its six-speed manual gearbox provides plenty of entertainment.

The test car was a 2004. Updated 2005s, with a bigger, 6.0-liter engine, 400 horsepower and optional hood scoops, will be in dealerships by early December. Prices may go up slightly.

But don’t let the soft looks deceive you. The GTO is all about performance, and the 2004 test car was delightful. The Corvette engine pulls hard enough to flatten any hill, and it accelerates out of a turn like Jeff Gordon in a NASCAR race. I can only imagine what the 2005 will be like with 50 more horses.

One of the beauties of a honking big V-8 is a torque curve as flat as Kansas, and the GTO’s engine is an excellent example. The optional six-speed transmission has a gear for any occasion, and the engine accelerates strongly without downshifting every time you turn a corner. Accelerate slowly from a stop, and the car’s computer forces you to shift from first to fourth to improve gas mileage. The skip-shift is one of the car’s least endearing qualities, but the engine doesn’t balk because of the relative abundance of torque. The bigger engine in the 2005 will only be better.

An automatic transmission is standard, but who wants an automatic in a muscle car? Especially one with roots in the 1960s. Not me.

The GTO’s interior has been dolled up for driving. The deeply contoured bucket seats provide excellent support for fast driving. Older folks might find them too confining, and tipping the driver’s seat forward for access to the back seat is a pain because the side bolsters hit the seat bottom. Because rear-seat legroom is pretty snug, the back seat gets used mainly for kids, pets, briefcases or grocery sacks.

Because the GTO is built in Australia, the interior had some elements that were more like those of a European car than a car built here. The Blaupunkt audio system sounded good, but the controls were frustrating to figure out.

Putting 350 horsepower to the ground effectively takes big tires and a tight suspension. The GTO has both. The 17-inch wheels are 8 inches wide and have low-profile rubber. Traction control intervenes to prevent excessive wheelspin when you punch the throttle. The four-wheel, antilock disc brakes erased speed easily.

Even though the 2005 GTO is on its way to dealers, some 2004s are still available.

Price

The 2004 test car had a base price of $32,495. The six-speed manual transmission added $695, bringing the sticker price to $33,190.

Warranty

Three years or 36,000 miles.