Pontiac GTO As A Muscle Car

The Gran Turismo Omologato or GTO, folks would come know as the first street supercar. The moniker was borrowed from the Ferrari GTO, which in essence, meant a car suitable for racing and street driving as well. No matter the name, Pontiac engineers looked on the car as a solution to the 1964 rules that came down from General Motors stating no more racing for Pontiac. Prior to 1964, Pontiac was producing dominant machines such as the 421 Super Duty Catalina. These beasts were conquering the drag strips and creating legends on the boulevards of America as a force to be dealt with.

After GM pulled the plug on racing, Poncho engineers came up with the idea to sidestep the edict and create a street “supercar” for the masses of loyal Pontiac tire-smoking enthusiasts. Pontiac engineers came up with the plan to swap big block 389 mills into the intermediate size Tempest line. The idea was simple; the package would be an option to the Tempest line, not a race car.

It would include a 389 mill, a four speed transmission, dual exhausts, special handling and suspension modifications, special larger redline tires, a posi-traction rear-end, factory tachometer, and many creature comforts for the driver as well. Hence, Pontiac had started the battle for dominance on the mean streets by creating the first true muscle car. The car lived a rousing and varied life from 1964 to 1974 with numerous innovations including the famous GTO Judge. 2004 saw a relaunch of the GTO package with an Australian built import, which lasted through 2008. GM is now dropping the Pontiac division, so it is farewell to the famous Poncho GTO and all.