It might be easy to discount the Sunfire as a GTO-want-to-be, but actually the car deserves better. In line with the same floor pan as that found under sundry General Motors models all over the world, the front drive, four cylinder car is realistically a united states two-door Vectra, with all the virtues that this incarnation might suggest.

The manual version is easily the most fun – automatics often anaesthetise the performance slightly – and handling is nice, thanks to well-set suspension components. The looks of the car are afflicted by an over-long nose – but apparently drivers get accustomed to that.