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History on the Pontiac's GTO.
1964, Up to that point, about the snazziest car on the road was of course the Corvette Stingray. The only problem with that was, that almost no one could really afford to buy one. The car that had the greatest impact at the time was the Ford Mustang. This was a sharp looking car which set the pace for others to follow, the Camaro, Firebird and countless other. It was more of a sporty and classy car, suitable for women, executives, and people less interested in performance than in classic good looks. And a big thing here was, it was affordable.Introduced in the middle of 1964, the "GTO" quickly became one of the fastest selling cars of all-time.
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A 1965 GTO
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Here's The Real History On The GTO!
The Beginnings of a Legend:
The Pontiac GTO was an idea born from a few brave men at Pontiac such as John Delorean and Jim Wangers who thought it would be a real boast to Pontiac's performance image to have a midsized high performance car. Pontiac had successfully forged a new performance image for itself with the introduction of wide track in the late 1950s. However one thing stood in their way, GM's internal regulations which only allowed the large displacement V8s for the full-size cars. In other words the midsized 1963 Pontiac Tempest could at best be ordered with a 326 cid V8. However John and his coworkers at Pontiac were planning a revolution not only within the GM structure but a revolution that would rock the whole auto industry. Their plan was to make an option package on the 1964 Tempest lineup called the GTO option package. This option package was to consist of a 389 cid V8, a special handling package, dual exhaust, and a few "GTO" badges. When the 1964 GTO was released it created quite an uproar, its performance and handling were among the best in its day. With the optional 3 deuce (3x 2bbl carb) 389 producing a screaming 348 horsepower, every young man under the age of 40 wanted a GTO.
Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery:
By 1965 the good thing continued however with even better styling from its new double-decker headlight and dual grille design. Performance for 1965 was just as stunning as it was in 1964. However it was now realized by 1965 the great success of the GTO and imitators were now beginning to pop-up and enter into this new class of automobiles that was created by the GTO called "Muscle Cars". The Chevrolet Chevelle now came with a SS package that had the monster 396 cid big block V8. For 1966 the GTO became its own model no longer an option package on the Tempest. By 1966, Buick, Olds, Ford, Mercury, and even Dodge entered into this muscle car war by stuffing a large displacement high performance V8 into a mid-sized car. However Pontiac was not worried since GTO sales continued to climb for 1966 and 1967. By 1967 a new 400 cid V8 was now under the hood of the GTO along with the familiar coke-bottle body styling derived from the Tempest/LeMans. The verdict was now in, America loved muscle cars and the GTO was America's Muscle Car.
The GTO Continues to Lead the Pack:
By 1968 the muscle car competition was really heating up, however Pontiac did not even break a sweat. Their strategy for the GTO was to keep the performance up and improve its styling to keep GTO sales sizzling. For 1968 this strategy worked well with a new rounded body style that was enhanced by optional hide-away head lamps which were bordered by the optional beautiful endura front bumper which was painted to match the body color. The endura front end was a technological breakthrough, it could sustain a hit of up to few mph and within a few hours would pop back into its original shape. By 1969 GTO sales were still booming however there were dark clouds beginning to appear on the horizon. Dark clouds that the new for 1969 option package called "The Judge" could not even prevent. "The Judge" first intended to be a GTO package to compete with the very low cost bare-bones Plymouth Roadrunner. However by the time Pontiac engineers were done with it, it was a high-end option to the GTO, offering such new goodies as a rear spoiler, 15" Rally II wheels, and Judge Decals. The Judge also came standard with the 366 horsepower Ram Air III 400 and could even be ordered with the optional Ram Air IV 400 which came with a very conservative 370 horsepower rating
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I DON'T like GTOs from 70 on wards, but here's the rest of the GTO history:
The GTO Goes Upscale:
When 1970 rolled along it was becoming clear that the GTO was beginning to lose its sales momentum. However it was not due to its great new for 1970 Endura front end treatment which had a quad head lamp design now separate from the dual front grilles and embedded into the Endura front bumper. This was a great styling touch along with the new fender creases along the top of each wheel well. The engines for the GTO along with the GTO's Judge package remained a carryover from the 1969 model year except for the introduction of two new 455 cid V8 engines. The real problem with GTO sales were the increasing initial cost of a GTO, higher insurance costs, and competition from its Pontiac brother the Firebird. The GTO for 1970 was now the heaviest it had ever been and it was also the most upscale of the muscle cars. However most GTOs for 1970 were ordered with the 400 cid /350 horsepower V8 and the TH400 automatic transmission. Indeed the times were changing. 1971 offered a newly revised front end endura treatment that made the GTO look even more upscale than before. However its sales were not reflective of its best ever handling and great looks offered that year. GTO sales like all its muscle car competitors had taken a nose dive. 1971 would be the last year for the "The Judge" option package on the GTO and the last year for the convertible option which had been with GTO since its birth. The 1972 GTO was mostly a carryover from 1971 with the only cosmetic changes being a new front grille, new lower side air inlets behind the front wheels, and a new front parking light lens design. Also now the GTO was back to being an option package off of another car, it was now officially a LeMans with the GTO package. The 1972 GTO sales also continued unfortunately the tailspin of the last few years.
The GTO Tries to Make a Comback:
Pontiac engineers thought that GTO sales could be salvaged since the GTO now had the new 1973 LeMans styling. However the best of Pontiac performance was not available for the first time on GTO. The best Pontiac engine for 1973 was the SuperDuty 455 which was only available on the Pontiac Trans Am and Firebird Formula. It was now clear by 1973 that the Firebird was now Pontiac's top dog in performance. The GTO now took a back seat. If this was not bad enough the GTO also lost its endura front end in 1973. It now had a conservative chrome full front bumper. The endura front end instead went to the new for 1973, Grand Am. If it was any consolation the interior for the 1973 GTO which was also new, was first class
Pontiac Celebrates the GTO's 10th Anniversary by Pulling the Plug:
If 1973 was not bad enough, 1974 would prove to be a real downer for most GTO fans. In an effort to bring the GTOs weight down to improve its performance, Pontiac moved the GTO option package to the Ventura line-up. The Ventura was much lighter than the beloated LeMans which had gained a quite a few pounds over the years. This sounded like a great idea however the styling of the Ventura was still too conservative to win over a lot of GTO fans. The only really good performance styling cue was the new functional shaker hood which was borrowed from its Trans Am brother. However there was no 455 cid V8 available this year, not even the 400 cid V8 was available under the hood. A 350 cid V8 producing a meager 200 horsepower was the only option available. Even though it was a good performer for 1974 since most performance cars had their wings clipped by this time, it was a far cry from the 348 horsepower monster motor available in the original 1964 GTO. Pontiac realized by this time it was time to pull the plug on the GTO before any real damage was done to the GTO name. Pontiac instead went on to put all its performance eggs into the Trans Am basket. Ironically the 1974 GTO stopped the downward GTO sales drop of the previous few years, sales had begun to climb back up finally in 1974
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Thanks to:
GTO world for there help with the exact history.
GTO World
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67 GTO Conv.
This is my favorite Year of the GTOs. You can see what it comes with by reading the history above.
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Thanks of your interest in my site.
Terence |
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