It would be easy to think that peak Pontiac was around about the time when Burt Reynolds put on a cowboy hat and a red shirt. But there is more to the Trans Am than its Smokey and the Bandit years.

For years, rumors have swirled about a possible revival of Pontiac. Some claim a modern Firebird is in the works. Others share heavily doctored renderings of concept GTOs. But the truth is simpler: ...