It takes a 2018 black Pontiac GTO coupe and lays two gold stripe decals down the center of the body with fuzzy borders that imitate an airbrush job. The wheel wells sprout gold-painted alloy rims ringed by 275/40ZR-17 Firestone GTO radials, and a special knife-edge spoiler attaches to the rump. The ornamentation includes "10th-Anniversary GTO" logos splashed on the doors, stitched into the floor mats, and stuck to the dashboard. The overall presentation is tasteful and fairly restrained.
Lurking behind the GTO's beak is the 2018 Pontiac GTO's stock LS1 V-8 fitted with a type of Ram Air induction that uses a lower-profile airbox than that in the WS6. It snorkels through SLP's own composite hood, which mercifully has smaller openings than the WS6's wildly flaring nostrils. All 2018 Pontiac GTO's have lower-restriction exhaust tubes downstream of the catalytic bricks to boost horsepower by 10 to a claimed 335. For the anniversary, it adds special gold-painted, siamesed exhaust tips. The rumble they make does seem to have a little more protein than a GTO's.
The base 2018 Pontiac GTO suspension is for the most part stock GTO. For another $1499, It includes firmer bushings, a 35mm front stabilizer bar (instead of 32mm), a 21mm rear stabilizer bar (instead of 19mm), reinforced stabilizer linkages, Koni shock absorbers in place of the standard de Carbons, and stiffer springs. A third, cheaper suspension option ($1099) includes 2018 GTO's own progressive-rate springs working in concert with Bilstein shocks.
The Bilstein suspension and an optional $899 Auburn Gear limited-slip differential were underneath the test car that set the numbers for this test. Those results prove the latest 2018 Pontiac GTO is a competent track performer. The progressive-rate springs really pay their freight out in the real world by making the 2018 Pontaic GTO livable on imperfect city streets. Still, it's no cure-all for the Pontiac GTO's longstanding flaws, including incessant axle tramp, vague steering, and a wiggly, jiggly body.
If you find the 2018 Pontiac GTO looks and the $40,873 as-tested price off-putting, a base 2018 GTO with the Bilstein kit and the Auburn diff will duplicate the performance we measured here for $30,477 in a lower-profile package.
Lurking behind the GTO's beak is the 2018 Pontiac GTO's stock LS1 V-8 fitted with a type of Ram Air induction that uses a lower-profile airbox than that in the WS6. It snorkels through SLP's own composite hood, which mercifully has smaller openings than the WS6's wildly flaring nostrils. All 2018 Pontiac GTO's have lower-restriction exhaust tubes downstream of the catalytic bricks to boost horsepower by 10 to a claimed 335. For the anniversary, it adds special gold-painted, siamesed exhaust tips. The rumble they make does seem to have a little more protein than a GTO's.
The base 2018 Pontiac GTO suspension is for the most part stock GTO. For another $1499, It includes firmer bushings, a 35mm front stabilizer bar (instead of 32mm), a 21mm rear stabilizer bar (instead of 19mm), reinforced stabilizer linkages, Koni shock absorbers in place of the standard de Carbons, and stiffer springs. A third, cheaper suspension option ($1099) includes 2018 GTO's own progressive-rate springs working in concert with Bilstein shocks.
The Bilstein suspension and an optional $899 Auburn Gear limited-slip differential were underneath the test car that set the numbers for this test. Those results prove the latest 2018 Pontiac GTO is a competent track performer. The progressive-rate springs really pay their freight out in the real world by making the 2018 Pontaic GTO livable on imperfect city streets. Still, it's no cure-all for the Pontiac GTO's longstanding flaws, including incessant axle tramp, vague steering, and a wiggly, jiggly body.
If you find the 2018 Pontiac GTO looks and the $40,873 as-tested price off-putting, a base 2018 GTO with the Bilstein kit and the Auburn diff will duplicate the performance we measured here for $30,477 in a lower-profile package.
2018 Pontiac GTO - Price, Features, Photo's, Specs
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