Pontiac GTO
From Wikislippy
The Pontiac GTO was an American muscle car produced by the Pontiac division of General Motors. The name GTO was stolen from Ferrari. The Pontiac GTO is now known as the Pontiac G8. The car remains rear-wheel drive.
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Origins
The GTO was the brainchild of Pontiac engineer Russell Gee and Pontiac chief engineer John De Lorean. The first GTOs were produced in 1964. The original GTOs were built until 1974. Production ended because of failing popularity and the energy crisis.
Revival
Since 1974, General Motors has thought several times about bringing back the GTO. A GTO was planed for the early 1990s based on the Pontiac Grand Am. However, they thought it would not sell.
Japanese automaker Mitsubishi marketed a Mitsubishi GTO coupe. However, it was sold in U.S. and Canada as the Mitsubishi 3000GT to avoid legal conflicts with Pontiac. However, Pontiac just stole the name from Ferrari and they never took legal action.
From American car to Australian car
In the 2000s, GM decided to remake the GTO. However, instead of making a new car, GM decided to just use the Australian version, known as the Holden Monaro. The 21st century GTO was just a left hand drive Holden Monaro.
The new GTO was released in 2004. However, no like liked the car and was never popular. The GTO was produced by Holden in the suburb of Elizabeth, South Australia. It was equipped with the Corvette's LS1 and LS2 V8 engine with a choice of a 6-speed manual transmission or a 4-speed automatic. The same model was sold in the United Kingdom as the Vauxhall Monaro and in the Middle East as a Chevrolet Lumina SS.
In 2008, GM decided to try the Holden Monaro trick again. However, instead of calling it the GTO, they called it the Pontiac G8 and will replace the Pontiac Grand Prix. The car is the exact same thing as the GTO fron 2 years ago, except it was redesigned because the Holden was redesigned. The only major difference is that the GTO was two-door and the G8 is a four-door. Again, the car is made in Elizabeth, South Australia.
