9 muscle cars we'd miss

As Detroit downsizes with a mandate to make greener cars, Motown's hot rods may not be around much longer. A fond tribute to an endangered species.

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Pontiac GTO
Pontiac GTO
1964 Pontiac GTO
In 1964, Pontiac offered the first true muscle car as a racy options package on its unremarkable Tempest. For a couple hundred dollars extra, you could get a full-size V-8 engine and a European nickname that engineer John DeLorean borrowed from Ferrari: GTO, short for gran turismo omologato. The car that inspired "Little GTO" by Ronny and the Daytonas had signature hood scoops and a high-performance engine.

The GTO was revived in 2004, manufactured in Australia, but had disappointing sales and production was halted in 2006. Another high-powered, Australian-made Pontiac, the G8, has been well-reviewed -- but with GM scrapping the Pontiac nameplate, the original home of the muscle car will produce no more.
By Kevin Conley, contributor

NEXT: Ford Mustang
Last updated June 18 2009: 2:33 PM ET
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