after driving the GTO for a month now I don't consider it a muscle car or a sports car really. Don't get me wrong I love this car and don't regret buying it, quite the contrary it suits my preference perfectly. The way the auto shifts is so smooth, it is really a pleasure to lean back and just cruise around town with the thing, one hand on the wheel the other on the big old center arm rest. Truth be told...I really don't liken this car to the whole "muscle car" badge (regardless of HP or the nameplate...which I think we can all agree is BS) as I do a luxury power coupe/tourer. I liken my GTO to the following cars: Lincoln Mark VIII, Ford Thunderbird SC and V8 (I know they come in 5 spds too), Grand Prix coupe GTP, BMW 650, Caddy ETC, Caddy XLR...and some older auto "muscle cars" if you will such as Monte Carlo SS Grand National etc etc etc...correct if I'm wrong but I really don't think I am. Just like a Trans Am or a Z28 is more like a Mustang GT...but in reality our car really really isn't...it just happens to have a massive engine. IMO it's too heavy and too comfy to be a sports car. It's too luxorious and refined to be a muscle car. Go ahead and flame me...bring it on, but if you're going to try and argue that our car isn't more like the one's I described above than an ACTUAL muscle car you're nuts in my eye. And IMO you'd be truly crazy to even think to put our car in the category of other SPORTS car w/ similar HP such as: porsche 911, corvette, M3, etc.