Pontiac Confirms GTO Production

DETROIT - "The Great One" will return to U.S. highways in late 2003 when General Motors and its Australian subsidiaries, Holden, begin production of a modern version of the legendary Pontiac GTO. Beginning with the 2004 model year, up to 18,000 GTOs will be produced annually at Holden's Elizabeth plant for sale in the United States.

Bob Lutz, chairman of GM's North American Operations, was a key player in bringing back the GTO. After he drove the Holden Monaro during a recent trip to Australia, he knew he had found a vehicle to serve as the basis for the new GTO. "I love driving this car," Lutz said, raving about the Monaro's 5.7-liter V8 and six-speed manual transmission. "It shares that V8 heritage and a brawny, muscular stance with the classic GTO, and it will make a fine flagship for Pontiac."

The addition of the 2004 GTO to the Pontiac lineup is a giant step in Pontiac's mission to contemporize the way it expresses excitement for the 21st century. "We want to focus on creating vehicles with a clean, fresh expression of Pontiac styling and provide our customers with a 'total performance' package that delivers both impressive power and superior handling," said Lynn Myers, Pontiac-GMC general manager.

"In the 2003 model year, we have the all-new Vibe and the fresh look of the restyled Sunfire and Grand Am SE. We are following that with the redesigned 2004 Grand Prix in the first quarter of 2003," said Myers. "The introduction of the new GTO in late 2003 will be the 'exclamation point' on the exciting evolution of the division, moving Pontiac performance to the next level."

2004 PONTIAC GTO The 2004 Pontiac GTO will share much of the sculpted and clean styling of the current 2002 Holden Monaro CV8 coupe, with unique Pontiac brand character including a dual-port grille and powered by a specially tuned version of the 5.7-liter LS1 V8 (shared with some models of the Chevrolet Corvette) mated to a choice of either a six-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. The rear-wheel drive coupe will feature 17-inch alloy wheels, 2 2 bucket seating and a premium sound system with an integrated six-disc CD changer. Additional performance and feature details are still being finalized and will be released closer to the public unveiling of the GTO at the Los Angeles and North American International Auto Shows.

The latest information currently available to the public on the Pontiac GTO can be found through the www.pontiac.com home page.

HOLDEN MONARO The Holden Monaro was originally introduced in 1968 and was immediately lauded as the ultimate high-performance coupe. It was the first all-Australian sports coupe of its type. Strong public sentiment led Holden officials to bring back the Monaro name for its all-new 2001 coupe. Monaro became an instant classic when it was released in Australia last October and has become the most high profile, sought-after car on Australian roads today.

(More information on the Holden Monaro is available from the Holden Media Site: www.media.holden.com.au.)

GTO HISTORY The Pontiac GTO sprang to life in 1963 as a 1964 model. It has been called the most famous muscle car in high-performance automobile history. Also known as "The Legend" and "The Great One," GTO is the car that started it all.

Prior to 1964, performance cars were full-size hardtops and sedans with the largest displacement engines available. But hot rodders had known for years that they could go faster if they put big engines in smaller, lighter cars. Engine swaps were standard operating procedure for this level of car enthusiast, but that was backyard tinkering, not corporate engineering.

Driving enthusiasts' dreams came true in October 1963 when the $295.90 GTO option, RPO W62, quietly joined the 1964 Pontiac Tempest/LeMans option list. The heart of the original GTO option package was a 325-horsepower 389-cubic-inch V8, Carter AFB four-barrel carburetor, rear-wheel drive, hydraulic camshaft, and impressive torque. Other standard features included a manual three-speed transmission with a Hurst shifter, a heavy-duty clutch, heavy-duty suspension, dual exhaust, US Royal red-line tires, a 3.23:1 rear axle ratio, twin hood scoops, and an assortment of GTO emblems.

Before Pontiac ceased production after the 1974 model year, nearly 700,000 GTOs were sold.