Jim Wangers Announces Signature Edition GTO

OCEANSIDE, California — The latest potential contender for muscle-car star status out of California is the Jim Wagners Signature Edition GTO, a car to be built based off original 1969 Pontiac GTO bodies but claimed as "all new from the ground up."

The cars are nothing if not patriotic. They will get a chassis from the California-based Roadster Shop, a Pontiac V8 engine, a Viper-spec TR6060 six-speed transmission, a 3.73-geared Ford rear end and a DSE C6 Corvette front suspension.

Styling touches include an "aggressive" front airdam, custom grilles with electric hide-away headlights and HID headlamps, a functional ram air hood and a custom ducktail spoiler. The HRE-sourced wheels are Jim Wangers Signature Edition Rally IIs, 19 inches in front and 20 in the rear.

The Wangers' interior has leather Recaro seats, keyless entry, air-conditioning and "a killer audio system," to modernize the retro-look car. As the company says, "This is the car Pontiac should have made but didn't."

Wangers will show off the GTO at a "Tour de Wangers" in Oceanside in mid-October. No word yet on pricing or availability.

Inside Line says: Sure looks like muscle-car nostalgia will never die. — Laura Sky Brown, Correspondent