1964 Pontiac GTO: Dawn of muscle

GTO fired the imagination of drivers everywhere

Sep 18, 2009

Special to the Star

Pontiac was only a shadow of its former self by the time GM put it out of its misery this year.

But in its heyday, as GM's performance division – it introduced the GTO in 1964, the first muscle car – Pontiacs fired the imagination of enthusiasts everywhere.

Reverently known to fans as "The Goat," the new GTO represented Pontiac at a major shift in the auto industry, with younger men at the reins, building the powerful cars they wanted to drive. And until a 1970s oil embargo killed consumer interest, these were the cars the public wanted to drive, as well.

Originally, Pontiac was a stodgy brand – immediately identifiable by its Indian-head mascot and "silver streak" chrome bisecting its hood and trunk – when Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen took over as general manager in 1956.

Famously opining that "You can sell a young man's car to an old man, but you'll never sell an old man's car to a young man," Knudsen cleaned up the design and, in 1959, pushed the wheels farther out to create Pontiac's famous "wide-track" design, which looked better and improved handling. He also brought in John DeLorean, who eventually left GM to create an ill-fated car that bore his name.

In 1961, Knudsen's team produced the Tempest, a compact (for its day) with an unusual setup of a four-cylinder engine – basically a V8 cut in half – with a rear-mounted transaxle and innovative flexible driveshaft. In 1962, the Le Mans option package added bucket seats and upgraded interior.

Pontiac was riding a wave of solid sales and success in racing, but in 1963, GM cancelled all factory participation on the track. For 1964, it turned the Tempest and Le Mans into conventional, intermediate-sized cars with a small, optional 326-cubic-inch (5.3 L) V8.

None of that sat well with DeLorean, who was as wily as he was determined.

Knudsen had gone to Chevrolet in 1961, and his replacement, Pete Estes, worked alongside DeLorean, joined by Jim Wangers of Pontiac's ad agency. Together, this trio cooked up a magnificent scheme. A 389-cubic-inch (6.3 L) V8 fit effortlessly into the Le Mans' cradle, and they named the car Gran Turismo Omologato, after a 1962 Ferrari racer. But GM had set a limit on the size of engine that could be placed into a specific weight of car, and the new GTO exceeded the specs.

DeLorean got around that by making the GTO an option, rather than a model, and hiding the bigger engine at the bottom of the list, well below the name plate and interior trim. He then drove one around to dealers, gave them test drives, and showed them how to find the option on their order sheets.

By the time top brass figured it out, it was far too late to cancel orders. The fact that 32,450 went out the door that first year – against an original estimate of 5,000 – sealed the deal. The era of muscle cars had begun, and by the end of the decade, every major North American manufacturer was on board.

Toronto Star