Pontiac GTO - The Greatest Muscle Car of All Time

The GTO is a story from which legends were born. Chief engineer John Z. DeLorean, general manager Eliot M. “Pete” Estes, engineer Russ Gee, engineer William Collins, marketing manager Jim Wangers and the previous general manager Semon E.“Bunkie” Knudsen is best known as the individuals responsible for the Pontiac GTO.

“GTO is a significant addition to Pontiac’s list of individual Sports Car developments” proclaimed E.M. Estes, Pontiac general manager and GM vice president, in a 1963 press release.

Regarded as the first true muscle car, the Pontiac GTO is the most famous muscle car in high-performance automobile history. Prior to 1964, performance cars were full-size hardtops and sedans with the largest displacement engines available. These full size cars were a little slow off the line, but really performed once they got rolling. Hot Rodders had known for years that you could go even faster if you put those big engines in smaller, lighter cars. The Pontiac GTO was General Motors attempt at the factory Hot Rod.

Initial promotion of the GTO option was somewhat low key. The GTO wasn't mentioned in the 1964 Pontiac full-line catalog. A GTO brochure didn't show up until after the first of the year and by then the car was already a success. Very favorable media coverage (especially the famous Car and Driver March 1964 Pontiac versus Ferrari GTO duel) and great word-of-mouth advertising sold a lot of cars.

Nineteen Sixty Four (1964):

The 1964 model year introduced General Motor’s all new A-Body Platform. The platform included Pontiac’s Tempest and Lemans, Oldsmobile’s F85 and Cutlass, Buick’s Skylark and Special and Chevrolet’s Chevelle and Malibu. The Grand Tourismo Omologato (GTO) package was GM’s first muscle car built on this platform.

The $295.90 GTO option, RPO 382, joined the 1964 Pontiac Tempest/LeMans option list. The heart of the GTO option package was a 325-horsepower 389-cubic-inch V8 with a 421 style cylinder head, dual exhausts, Carter AFB four-barrel carburetor, a mild hydraulic camshaft, special hydraulic lifters, manual three-speed transmission with a Hurst shifter, a heavy-duty clutch, heavy-duty suspension, US Royal red-line tires, a 3.23:1 rear axle ratio, twin hood scoops, an assortment of GTO emblems, twin simulated hood scoops, bucket seats.

The GTO option was available on three LeMans bodies; the two-door coupe, hardtop, and convertible.

The GTO had a long option list that included a four speed manual transmission or two speed automatic, a Tri-Power (three two barrel carburetors)engine that produced 348 horsepower, air conditioning, Safe-T-Track differential, power windows, power seats, tilt steering, tachometer, metallic brake linings, AM/FM radio with Verba-Phonic rear speakers

Free  advertising came about when a Top 40 song was written about the GTO. John Wilkin penned the song "GTO" and a group of Nashville session musicians recorded it under the name "Ronny and the Daytonas." Over a million singles and 500,000 albums were sold. "Three deuces and a four-speed and a 389," played repeatedly to the GTO's key customer group.

 Initial sales projections called for only 5,000 units; however, the GTO was an immense hit with the public as well. The 1964 model run produced a total of 32,450 units.
  
  
Nineteen Sixty Five (1965):

GTO competitors, both outside and inside GM, were caught off guard by the car's tremendous success. While everyone else scrambled to market GTO clones, the mildly restyled 1965 GTO was more popular than the 1964 GTO. Even though there was a UAW strike at the start of the model year, 75,352 GTOs were sold in 1965. This was more than twice the 1964 model year sales. The headlights were now vertical and a single hood scoop replaced the dual 1964 scoops. Improved camshafts and intake manifolds boosted horsepower ratings to 335 for the four-barrel-equipped 389 and 360 for the Tri-Power-topped engine. Six chrome ribs the ran from quarter panel to quarter panel concealed the taillight lenses until they were lit. The handsome Rally I wheels were introduced as an option.

Pontiac held the GTO option price to $295.90. For $115.78 extra, the Tri-power option was available.

A big boost to the rapidly growing GTO legend was the August 1965 release of a dealer cold air induction kit for Tri-Power cars. The kit made the hood scoop functional and gave birth to Ram Air. The Ram Air package continued as a dealer-installed option in 1966. A few factory built Ram Air GTOs were built and known as the XS package after the engine block code.

Nineteen Sixty Six (1966):
Several strong competitors had joined the GTO by 1966, but that didn't stop the GTO from selling 96,946 cars. This was pretty impressive for a car that insiders doubted would sell 5,000 two years earlier. The GTO became a separate product line in 1966.  Coupes sold for $2,783, hardtops sold for $2,847 and Convertibles sold for $3,082.
 
Even though the body was restyled, the 1966 lineup included the same three body styles as before. The engine choices were again the 335-horsepower four-barrel version and the potent 360-horsepower Tri-Power-equipped 389 V8. Over 19,000 Tri-Power 1966 GTOs were sold, but they were to be the last.

Nineteen Sixty Seven (1967):

The Appearance of the 1967 GTO was very similar to the 1966 model. The cars were on a two-year styling cycle. Mechanically a lot changed in 1976. Engine displacement was increased to 400 cubic inches. The front fender emblem retained the original 6.5-liter designation. There were four 400-cubic-inch engines.

The standard engine was the 335-horsepower Rochester Quadra-Jet four-barrel. A not-very-popular, no-cost option was the low compression 255-horsepower two-barrel for customers who wanted the GTO image with better fuel economy. Only 2,967 lower-performance engines were sold in '67. The first optional engine was the 360-horsepower HO which added a hotter camshaft, open element air filter, and improved exhaust manifolds. The top engine was also rated at 360 horsepower, but it included the Ram Air package which was shipped in the trunk for dealer or owner installation.
 
A new three-speed Turbo Hydra-matic transmission replaced the outdated two-speed automatic from previous years. When the optional console was ordered with the TH-400 transmission, a Hurst Campbell His/Hers shifter was included.  The transmission could be shifted manually or automatically. The base transmission was still the three-speed manual with a Hurst shifter. The two optional four-speeds were the wide-ratio M20 and the close-ratio M21.

Power front disc brakes were another new '67 option.

The Coupe was the lowest priced model at $2,871. The hardtop retailed for $2,935 and the convertible sold for $3,165

Sales were slightly lower than the record 1966 numbers, but still very strong at 81,722 units.

Nineteen Sixty Eight (1968):

A long hood and short deck showcased the Tempest line and the Endura color-keyed bumber distinguished the 1968 GTO. The sleek styling also had a boost with the twin hood scoops and hidden windshield wipers. Although the Endura bumper was very popular, those who did not like it could get an option delete and get a Tempest chrome bumper. Hidden head lamps was another option in 1968.

The interior changed from the 1967 model and included a foam-filled pad covered dash. Woodgrain also ran the full length of the dash. A 120 MPH speedometer was the center of a three hole instrument cluster.

A 400 Cubic Inch engine that developed 350 HP was standard. There was also a 265 HP 2 barrel carburetor engine, 360 HP high output engine, 360 HP Ram Air and a 366 HP Ram Air II engine.

The redesigned 1968 GTO had a smaller 112 inch wheelbase

Motor Trend named the 1968 Pontiac GTO its "Car of the Year"

Coupes were no longer manufactured in 1968. 77,704 hardtops and 9,980 convertibles were sold.

Nineteen Sixty Nine (1969):

The 1969 Pontiac GTO was basically the same car as the 1968 model. The grille is one minor noticable change with its honecomb texture. Other noticable changes included rear taillights, door vent window eliminated, additional chrome, emblems and marker changes

The interior was revised with a new two tier dash design and woodgrain trimed lower dash.

Ram Air III (366 HP) and IV (370 HP) was introduced in 1969. Minor chnges were introduced over the 1967 engines to complete the line.

Pontiac released the Judge on December 19, 1968. Initially it was only available in Bright Orange but later was available in all GTO colors. The standard package included a blacked out grille, functional hood scoops, Rally II wheels, Judge and Air Ram decals. The standard Judge engine was a 366 HP, RAM Air III with a three-speed manual transmission, Hurst shifter and a 3.55:1 rear axle. The Judge was an option and was added to 6,725 GTO hardtops and 108 GTO convertibles in 1969

58,126 Hardtops were made in 1969 and sold for a base price of $3,080. 7,328 convertible model sold at a base price of $3,553

Nineteen Seventy (1970):

Nineteen Seventy One (1971):

Nineteen Seventy Two (1972):

Nineteen Seventy Three (1973):

Nineteen Seventy Four (1974):

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