Pontiac GTO - The Greatest Muscle Car of All Time
GTO is the monogram for the most famous muscle car in high-performance
automobile history - the Pontiac GTO. Also known as "The
Legend" and "The Great One," GTO is the car that
started it all. Prior to 1964, performance cars were full-size
hardtops and sedans with the largest displacement engines available.
They were a little slow off the line, but once all that sheet
metal and chrome got rolling, they pulled like a freight train.
Hot rodders had known for years that you could go even faster
if you put those big engines in smaller, lighter cars. Engine
swaps were standard operating procedure for hot rodders, but
that was backyard tinkering, not corporate engineering.
Factory Hot Rods
The backyard boys were blown away in October of 1963 when the
$295.90 GTO option, RPO 382, quietly joined the 1964 Pontiac
Tempest/LeMans option list. The heart of the GTO option package
was a 325-horsepower 389-cubic-inch V8 with dual exhausts, a
Carter AFB four-barrel carburetor, a mild hydraulic camshaft,
and gobs of pavement-grabbing torque. Other standard features
included a 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, and an assortment
of GTO emblems.
Body Styles
The GTO option was available on three LeMans bodies, the two-door
coupe, hardtop, and convertible. More hardtops were produced
than the combined total of the coupes and convertibles. Engines
with the single four-barrel carburetor outsold the Tri-Power
models by a margin of three to one.
Long Option List
An extensive list of LeMans options allowed the potential GTO
owner to build anything from a bare-bones muscle car to a loaded
high-performance cruiser. Option choices included a four-speed
manual transmission, a two-speed automatic, a 348-horsepower
Tri-Power engine, Safe-T-Track differential, air-conditioning,
power seat, power windows, tilt steering, tachometer, metallic
brake linings, an AM/FM radio and a Verbra-Phonic rear speaker.
In less time than it took to change spark plugs, a young performance
enthusiast could check the appropriate LeMans order form boxes
for a factory-built hot rod. The Pontiac GTO launched a whole
new market segment.
Natural Swap
Pontiac was on a sales roll, much of it due to its exciting
performance image and desire not to stagnate. Pontiac's General
Manager Pete Estes and Chief Engineer John DeLorean wanted the
new '64 Tempest/LeMans line to stand out from the crowd. A full-size
engine in the intermediate body would certainly do the trick.
Since the 389 V8 used the same basic block and motor mounts
as the already approved 326 V8, such a swap would be a natural.
DeLorean and engineers, Bill Collins and Russ Gee, had experimented
with a 389 in a prototype '64 Tempest coupe. DeLorean and his
crew liked to spend Saturdays at the GM Proving Ground in Milford,
Mich., experimenting with new ideas. The 389 four-speed Tempest
was an immediate hit with the engineers.
5,000 Orders
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.
Naming the GTO
Pontiac already had somewhat of a European racing theme in place
with the Grand Prix and LeMans, so Chief Engineer John DeLorean
appropriated the Italian racing designation Gran Turismo Omologato.
The name was closely associated with Ferrari. In English it
means, "Grand Touring Homologated." The Pontiac GTO
was a grand touring car homologated (or made) from different
parts, specifically the 389 Bonneville engine. It is doubtful
whether many GTO owners understood the name or could even pronounce
it, but it projected an image of a powerful, exotic, high-performance
car. All that really mattered was that the GTO was a great car
and the name was very well received.
