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GenVibe.com had a chance to drive the GT-R at Michigan's Milan Raceway near Ann Arbor where General Motors has recently invested some serious dollars to fix up the ¼-mile drag strip, skid pad and ride and handling courses.

The GT-R takes a standard Vibe GT and aggressively modifies it for the streets. On the exterior it's ground effects, upper rear wing and 19-inch racing wheels grab your eye while inside Momo Street Racer seats, an MP3 player, custom pedals and shifter hold you in place so you can enjoy the ride. Underneath, a Ground Control / Eibach ERS adjustable suspension and AEM Big Brake Kit up the ante in driving dynamics.

Where the Vibe GT-R really stands apart from the rest of today's tuner crowd is in the engine. Like the original GTO, the GT-R uses Ram Air induction. This provides a boost in horsepower to the GT-R's 2ZZ-GE Toyota powerplant, from 180 to 190-hp. Ram Air works by forcing cooler outside air into the engine's air cleaner through an external, front-facing inlet. This, combined with an increase in air pressure as the car moves faster, works like a natural supercharger to improve engine combustion, performance and power. It's not a big boost in horsepower or killer technology but it is uniquely Pontiac.

Dave Coleman, the 'Geek' at Sport Compact Car Magazine, makes a great critical point though about the GT-R and its performance oriented moniker. "In the modern performance world, (Nissan's) Skyline GT-R is a performance icon without parallel. It's respected, no, worshiped by the same crowd Pontiac thinks they're going to impress. How impressed would Detroit be if Mitsubishi tried to sell them a sports car called a GTO? Pontiac lovers would flow from their trailer parks, baseball bats in hand, until every last one had been destroyed." Perhaps GT-RA would be more respectful if the Ram Air option reached production. Then again, this car on dealer lots would probably run much less than a third of the $89,000 it costs to import, purchase and certify a Skyline here in the US. That's pretty good bang for the buck.

Regardless, the Vibe GT-R does show GM is finally getting serious about small car performance.

When you start the Vibe GT-R you immediately notice the lower notes emanating from its exhaust. It's a sound that lends more credibility to potential street performance improvements over the GT. The notes quickly climb in tone as you pump the gas.

Taking a seat inside, the GT-R red accented interior is superb. Momo's Street Racer seats provide great support and hold you firm through aggressive turns. The stereo too is outstanding and leads you to wonder why Pontiac didn't offer an MP3 player in the 2003 Vibe. Only the aluminum Momo Corse pedals could be improved. The brake and accelerator are extremely close to each other especially if you have hiking shoes on.

On the track is where you notice dramatic differences and similarities between the GT-R and Vibe GT. While it's shifting feel is quite similar to the GT, since they both share the same 6-speed manual transmission, ride and handling are quite different even at low speeds. The GT-R's adjustable Eibach Ground Control suspension is extremely stiff but nicely complimented by the 19-inch racing wheels so it's not too uncomfortable. The suspension was set to its lowest ride height for use on Milan's groomed surfaces which also added to the hard ride. Steering is much more rapid and feedback more positive than in the GT, leading to a car that can turn very sharply. Slaloming through a section of the course featuring a moderate turning radius on level ground leading into some aggressive S-curves, the GT-R also shows off some pretty high cornering abilities. It makes you wonder how it would feel to have the all wheel drive option available with this configuration.

The GT-R's Ram Air acceleration is not a mind blowing experience but it definitely does feel faster than the GT and ¼-mile numbers prove this out. I was capable of a fairly decent 15.4 second time in the car but I am sure others could have, and did, sprint faster than that figure. The Ram Air adds the extra horses right when they are needed as the torque kicks in at high RPMs in 3rd, 4th and 5th gears. The VVTL-i engine loves to run in the 5500+ RPM range.

Overall, the Pontiac Vibe GT-R is a great little street machine. It has custom looks that radiate attitude and good performance numbers to back it up. Let's hope that some of that 1960's GTO attitude shines through once again at Pontiac for the younger car enthusiasts out there today to step up and enjoy their share of Pontiac performance by putting a Vibe GT-R in their driveway.

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