| A royal blue 1967 GTO with 325 hp, 3 deuces | | | | it like a teenage of the 1960's? |
| and 4 on the floor, one of the most famous | | | | |
| muscle car during the high-performance | | | | What Made The GTO So Coveted? Some things you |
| automobile history. Guys love the looks and | | | | never forget such as my 1967 GTO with 3 |
| the speed while the girls loved the guys who | | | | deuces. It was a good thing it had a |
| own the GTO. Just say GTO, people knew it | | | | windshield because I would have had bugs |
| was from Pontiac. It was also known as "The | | | | stuck to my teeth from grinning so much. The |
| Goat", "The Legend" and "The Great One". | | | | thrill of standing still, shifting into first |
| There was a even a song called Little GTO | | | | gear, revving up that sweet engine and |
| that summed up what the GTO was all about. | | | | letting out the clutch and being plastered to |
| Prior to 1964, high speed performance cars | | | | the back of the seat was pure adrenaline |
| were full-size hardtops and sedans that had | | | | pumping. That was my first experience of |
| the weight of a Sherman tank but had the | | | | "pulling G's". Last time I felt that type of |
| largest displacement engines available. They | | | | adrenaline rush was during chopper |
| were a little slow off the line, but once you | | | | auto-rotations in Nam. That was 40 years ago |
| got that tank rolling, they were like a | | | | and I still love my GTO. Maybe it is the |
| runaway freight train. | | | | legend. Maybe we have gotten the legend |
| | | | mixed up with reality. All I know is I can't |
| Factory Hot Rods became real. In October of | | | | help but smile when I remember my little GTO. |
| 1963, the GTO was born. Pontiac offered the | | | | |
| GTO option for only $295. They quietly added | | | | It is hard to explain to my children why it |
| to the option list of the 1964 Pontiac | | | | was so special. I owned a 1955 Ford though |
| Tempest/LeMans. The GTO option package | | | | it was pretty it just didn't have the appeal |
| included a 325-horsepower 389-cubic-inch V8 | | | | of the GTO. The royal blue was my favorite. |
| with dual exhausts, a Carter AFB four-barrel | | | | I have a friend whose color was plum. Can |
| carburetor, a mild hydraulic camshaft, and | | | | you remember vinyl seats? I can! They were |
| the kind of whip lashing neck pain | | | | cool looking and very hot functionally. I |
| street-grabbing torque that left a smile on | | | | remember leaving my skin on the seat many |
| your face. Other standard features included a | | | | times getting out that car. Getting in the |
| manual three-speed transmission with a Hurst | | | | summer meant either cooking your legs or |
| shifter (in those days the Hurst shifter was | | | | trying to keep a towel in the car to sit on. |
| not only very good but also very cool), a | | | | Once you started up that 389, you were |
| heavy-duty clutch (very much needed), | | | | transported to another world. The purr of |
| heavy-duty suspension, US Royal red-line | | | | that engine, the feel of the Hurst shifter |
| tires, a 3.23:1 rear axle ratio, twin hood | | | | and watching the gas needle drop was worth |
| scoops, and an assortment of GTO emblems. The | | | | all the pain of sitting on a hot seat. What |
| GTO emblem itself was just as famous as the | | | | hot seat? |
| car itself. | | | | |
| | | | How Do You Get A Piece of History Today? |
| Body Styles were important. Pontiac provided | | | | There are many GTO's still available that are |
| the GTO option on three LeMans bodies, the | | | | being offered by GTO lovers who have been |
| two-door coupe, hardtop, and convertible. | | | | taken care of by their lovers. You can find |
| More hardtops were produced and shown to be | | | | them on the web. |
| the most popular than the combined total of | | | | |
| the coupes and convertibles. Engines with the | | | | Pontiac also has brought back the name of the |
| single four-barrel carburetor outsold the | | | | GTO. They are still pretty fast. In the |
| Tri-Power models by a margin of three to one. | | | | long run against the 1964 GTO, they can |
| I still remember the sound of my three | | | | outrun them for the distance but put the two |
| deuces sucking air when the gas pedal was on | | | | together on a quarter mile strip and the |
| the floor. Needless to say, you could also | | | | early muscle car is still king. There is |
| see the gas gauge move down toward empty. | | | | just something about the Goat. Once you |
| Fortunately, gas was only $0.20 a gallon. | | | | drive one, old or new, you just have to own |
| Can you imagine owning one today and driving | | | | one. |