Who would have thought that Americans would steal from Italians? Yes, the name GTO was stolen form an Italian automaker named Ferrari. Ferrari had a car named the Gran Turismo Omlogato. Pontiac thought they were smart and stole it right from underneath their noses. The GTO is one of my "must haves" kinds of car. I plan to own a GTO in the future. This car was resurrected for the newer generations from the movie XXX staring Vin Diesel. The car in the movie was unforgettable, it had rocket launchers, flamethrowers and just about anything a person can imagine. This movie is what made me salivate over owning one.
The Pontiac GTO was born in 1964 to rival the Ford Mustang that was so popular. The GTO was decommissioned in 1974 and reborn in 2004 after many different concepts and renderings. But times have changed and so did the design. The exterior of the 2004 GTO was vastly different and did not resemble any of its older brothers. The new design was sleek and aerodynamic. The GTO remained a two coupe with a long nosed front end. Everything was different. The head lights were very slim and streamline, the bumper hung low giving it an aggressive stance, and the trunk came equipped with a spoiler. The tail lights looked off of a Corolla, it was just out of place. The paint was also different; there were not any special paint codes or packages like the past, just one solid color. I wish they had implemented in a Judge package that Pontiac did in the '70's. Also the rims are nothing special, just plain 5 spoke design. Overall the new GTO seemed like another import Japanese racer, with no American history, so I did not like the design.
The interior of the GTO is very unique. The GTO seats four, in four specially designed racing seats. The seats are leather and match the color of the car. If the GTO is purple, then the seats are purple as well. The color coordination carries over to the door panels as well. Pontiac implemented suede inserts to match the seats on the door panels as well as the dash. But, the color coordination continues because the gauges in the dash also match the exterior. The steering wheel is small, compact and meant for racing. Everything in the interior flows excellent and it flirts with the idea of being over the top.
The GTO engine also fits with the car beautifully. The engine is an LS1, which is straight out of a Chevrolet Corvette. The engine measures 350 cubic inches and is married up with an automatic or manual transmission. The engine puts out an impressive 350-horse power and 365 foot-pounds of torque. The engine performs great and it handles like a true racecar. It’s equipped with anti-lock brakes and four-wheel disc brakes for the ultimate stopping power. The proof that the GTO is a muscle car is in the gas mileage rating. The GTO gets 16 mpg in the city and 21 on the highway. This is a downside of the performance rating because my truck gets better mileage.
The GTO remake was dismissed in 2006, and I have not heard of anything in the works for the future. I particularly did not like the design but the performance outweighed everything else. I drove a new GTO and nearly bought it because of its power and potential. But I guess the enthusiasts agreed that this car should have not been labeled GTO but something different. Pontiac made a wise decision to forget the past and move on.
GTOforums.com : Coreytravis;
just purchased my 06 gto 3 or so weeks ago. I love everything about it! the 04 has a different engine than the 05-06 models so i can not speak for his gas mileage but i can say that i was actually surprised by mine. The car is still new to me so I am constantly beating on it and leaving rubber everywhere i go, all that to say that I am not trying to drive for great gas mileage and i have been getting 18 mpg city!
As far as major problems, i have not had any so far. But i do hear a lot about whining rear ends, and strut damage.
There are more parts for this car that you could ever imagine seeing as it is a corvette engine, but they are all expensive.
Anywho i hope you choose the Goat because i know you will love it! Good luck with your decision!
Corey
I am not very into cars, but I think it is good to take something that was not so popular before and re-make it and re-sale it. There is also been a trend for Americans to re-visit the pass and try and call it something new, for example, skinny jeans, I know it was very popular a in the 50's I believe, but now it seems that everyone wants to go and buy a pair and make it seem like it is new and improved way to wear it. I do think it is possible that this car will do well, but only time can tell.
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