Champ,
I believe you misinterpreted the point of that post, or perhaps I was not as lucid as I should have been. I was simply stating to Charlz that nobody was questioning the abilities of the new GTO, rather, just that the linking back to the original cars bothered some. I have no problem with Pontiac calling the new import a 'GTO'. They can call it whatever they like. I don't care. I’m sure it’s a fine car.
I agree that using the word ‘extinct’ is inappropriate for inanimate objects, but then so is the use of the word ‘evolution’. Just as they don’t go ‘extinct’, cars do not ‘evolve’. They are simply re-engineered. So we shouldn’t say that the new GTO is a natural evolution from the original, rather, we should say its engineering follows the same principles that were set forth in 1964.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>The brought it back and it is one of the fastest, best handling cars available in the US. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Well, I think you would have to qualify this statement and say, "the fastest, best-handling car in the price range." There are plenty of cars available in the US that can beat the new GTO in all performance aspects, but they are nowhere nearly as affordable.
I do have a question for the ’04 owners. Can you really put adults (6’ 200 lb.) in the back seat? I’m not being facetious, it’s a genuine question that hopefully will garner an objective response.