Only General Motors would take a car as legendary as the Pontiac GTO and build a modern-day version that looks like an economy car. The only thing GM did right was to pack a muscular engine under the hood to give this modern mess any resemblance to the king of the road from the 1960s. Before its release, the 2004 Pontiac GTO had hot rodders chomping at the bit for more information and a peek at the new design. When photos were finally released, there was little interest in the car outside of its straight-line acceleration capabilities. GM even left off the hood scoops from the legendary car, though that oversight was rectified for 2005. Introduced with 350 horsepower, the 2004 Pontiac GTO missed sales targets – partly because it failed to visually capture the legacy of the car after which it was named and partly because dealers demanded a surcharge amounting to thousands of dollars that few were willing to pay. By the time Pontiac bumped the output to 400 ponies and added the hood scoops for 2005, America had moved on. And with a sticker price of about $33,000 (add an additional $1,300 gas-guzzler tax with the automatic transmission), GM has priced the Pontiac GTO out of contention.
