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.

BTW, just heard on THC that Pontiac admitted way later that they cheated in the duel with the Ferrari by putting in a bigger engine!!

When I was in high school I always wanted a yellow gto convertible............i couldnt afford it then...................and i still cant.

..yeah, know what you mean! I had something close, an all yellow Camaro 327 SS with all black interior......quad carb, dual exhausts ...lots of fun!

I agree it is the best pure muscle car although it's reputation is slightley tarnished with that clone from down under they came out with a few years ago. I'll agree simply for the fact that it was the first but i am still a camaro man at heart.
For all you mustang guys out there that will undoubtedly chime in, i will quote the great carol shelby "the mustang is a secretary's car".

Sorry...but it wasn't the first muscle car. Chrysler beat Pontiac to the party by almost ten years.

The GTO press cars generally had the 389 engine swapped for a blueprinted 421 Catalina engine.

__________________
Jarlaxle Baenre
----------------------------------------------------
RIP E. Gary Gygax 1938-2008

The 3-deuces is what made the 'Goat' unique...other factory muscle cars never had more than a Quad carb on their production models! Was that 421 CI the bigger engine that they used to 'cheat' and beat out the Ferrari GTO in "the Duel of the GTO's"??

There is no way I actually read something that far removed from reality, did I?

Dang, I guess I did.

Chrysler was putting 2 Carter 4bbls on their cars a solid NINE YEARS before the GTO was introduced. Heck, they were STANDARD on some (including the first muscle car). First muscle car: the 1955 Chrysler C-300.

__________________
Jarlaxle Baenre
----------------------------------------------------
RIP E. Gary Gygax 1938-2008

I buddy of mine had a 68 GTO, had "The Judge" on the side of it. I don't know if that was his idea or the company's.

He wrecked it when some kids moved construction horses from a new sewer project and he drove into the hole at 2 in the morning. Broke the chassis in half.

What a sweet ride, ruined in possibly the dumbest way I have ever heard.

The Judge was a model of the GTO named after "Laugh In's Sammy Davis Jr.'s routine of "Here comes the judge, here comes the judge.''

The GTO has always been considered the first muscle car, light car/big engine. I was never to big on pontiacs, a buddy had a strong running 68 with a 400. Can't say I've ever heard a 55 C-300 being termed as a muscle car, a land yacht maybe. Dual quads were very common on about everything in the 50's, even caddy's.