The appearance of the Pontiac GTO is a milestone for the muscle car. Although it is not the first muscle car in history, it has had a profound influence on muscle cars. The exterior is muscular and powerful. The size of the midsize car reduced the overall weight, further enhancing its speed, making it popular in the market and driving the development of muscle cars.
The Pontiac GTO was born in 1964, but as early as the 50s of the 20th century, Pontiac had the idea of creating a high-performance mid-size car. This stems from a ban by the American Manufacturers Association (AMA). In 1955 and 1957, respectively, the Le Mans** and NASCAR accidents that shocked the motorsport world caused the cars to crash into the crowd and cause hundreds of spectators**. As a result, in 1957, the members of the AMA held a vote and reached a gentlemen's agreement to no longer support motorsport as a manufacturer.
GM, as one of the loyal members of the AMA, naturally does not object, but GM's sub-brand Pontiac has its own ideas. Pontiac is known for its signature on high performance, and to give up performance is to give up its greatest feature. Since it was impossible to emphasize track performance, the top management intended to start with street performance, envisioning a mid-size car with a powerful engine, which would later become the Pontiac Tempest Lemans GTO.
The Pontiac GTO did not start as a stand-alone model, but was a performance version kit of the second-generation Tempest, released in 1964. Strong power, equipped with 68-liter V8 engine with 255 hp. With a maximum engine option of 360 hp, it performs as well as a larger car, but is lightweight, so it's very fast. Other parts have also been upgraded, such as a three-speed manual gearbox. The tires are wider, the anti-roll bar is thicker, and the suspension is stiffer.
After its launch, the high-horsepower Tempest Lemans GTO was recognized, and the market was in short supply, with sales exceeding 30,000 units that year and doubling the following year. Seeing such a strong result of the GTO, two years later, Pontiac decided to separate the GTO from the Tempest series and become a standalone model.
The commercial success of the GTO has led to the development of muscle cars and pony cars. Competitors were influenced by the GTO and soon after launched the classic Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger, etc.
In 1968, the second generation of GTO came. The fastback style is adopted, and the overall is more elegant. The bumper, hood, grille, taillights and other parts have been improved, while concealed headlights are also available. The whole is more beautiful. A 265 hp V8 engine is standard, with an optional maximum of 360 hp.
In 1969, the GTO made a minor update with the introduction of The Judge suite. The body color can only be chosen in bright red. The engine was further strengthened, equipped with the Ram Air IV system, and the horsepower was increased to 370 hp.
In the late '60s and early '70s, competitors were trying to catch up with the GTO. But Pontiac's own improvement in the GTO itself is less pronounced, as GM believes that it has violated the AMA ban and has decided to restrain the development of the GTO. With the passage of time, the GTO no longer leads the first echelon, and the competitiveness gradually declines.
In 1973, the third generation of GTO was launched. Unfortunately, the world was shrouded in the shadow of the first oil crisis, and the gas-guzzling muscle car went into a trough. At the same time, the United States** discovered the dangers of tetraethyl lead and ordered a total ban on leaded gasoline. The allowed unleaded gasoline has a low octane rating, so the compression ratio of the high-horsepower engine has to be downgraded, resulting in a lower output. Since then, the GTO has not sold well, and in 1974, the top management decided to discontinue it, which has continued for decades.
At this time, in order to save the "life" of muscle cars, most manufacturers have abandoned the V8 engine, further reducing performance. Some of them withstood the shock of three oil shocks and regained their second life in the 90s and after the turn of the millennium. And the GTO, who does not intend to abandon the V8 engine, chose to be silent for the time being.
It wasn't until a decade after the end of the third oil crisis that a new generation of GTO finally made a comeback. To the disappointment of GTO fans, **GTO is highly similar to the Holden Monaro produced by Holden Australia, a subsidiary of General Motors, and the appearance is no longer muscular, but has changed drastically. The appearance of this generation is quite controversial, despite the fact that it carries a high-horsepower 5The 7L V8 engine, but there are few fans willing to pay for it, and only 40,000 units have been sold in the three years on the market. Faced with a failed result, the GTO collection had to be dusted again in 2006 and disappeared into history with the demise of Pontiac.
Although it has passed, it is undeniable that Pontiac GTO has left a strong mark on the history of American automobiles. At the time of its launch, it was a huge success and subsequently witnessed the rise and fall of muscle car culture, becoming an important chapter in automotive history.