If a car has performance worth bragging about, nine times out of 10, you can tell from miles away. Flared arches, massive hood scoops, cavernous cooling vents and, of course, an overzealous rear wing — they’re all billboards announcing spec-sheet prowess to the world. It’s automotive peacocking at its finest.
But, if you’re one of those people who prefer some subtlety with your chart-topping performance, a “sleeper” is the car for you. A sleeper car doesn’t broadcast that it has enough horsepower to make a supercar blush, nor that it can hunt apexes like a Le Mans winner. No, at first glance it’s unassuming, hiding its performance — until it’s needed. Sleepers are the “quiet ones” you have to look out for.
Below are 10 sleeper cars from the past decade that patiently, quietly yearn for when the light turns green.
Pontiac GTO (2004-2006)
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Essentially a two-door Chevy from Down Under with a Corvette engine, the Aughts-era GTO gave no impression that it could compete with cars at twice the price (other than its historic name).
