One way around this difficulty as far as GM engineers and sales were concerned was make their 389 engine an option on the midsize Tempest. They called that option package GTO.
Our understanding is that the letters GTO reportedly stand for “Gran Turismo Omologato“. This means that with the GTO designation the car is eligible to be entered in races like the LeMans and stock car races.
While the Pontiac GTO was considered a muscle car with a lot of muscle,
the automobile was also considered one of the best looking mid-size cars
of the late 60's and early 70's. The 1970 Pontiac GTO was among the third generation of this model.
The 1970 GTO was restyled in many aspects. The 1970 model received a new front end with four exposed headlights wrapped in an Endura rubber bumper. Also put in were new body creases and a redesigned rear end.
Why GTO?
Why did Pontiac decide to use the already used GTO designation? It seems that the use of the GTO lettering was the idea of a GM advertising agency executive along with John DeLorean, one time Pontiac chief engineer and later an automaker himself with his DeLorean sports car. It has been said that DeLorean came up with the GTO designation straight from the popular Ferrari 250 GTO which didn’t sit too well at the time with GT Class enthusiasts.
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| 70 GTO dashboard |
The Pontiac GTO was of course meant to have plenty of power and it did.
The 1970 Pontiac GTO came equipped with a choice of two excellent engines. There was the 400 cubic inch V-8 that put out 365 horsepower. There was also the powerful 455 cubic inch V-8. The 455 delivered 350 horsepower. Soon after the 455 came out horsepower began to decline because of emission regulations. With this being said, all GTO's prior to 1971 hold the greatest appeal.
Pontiac came out in 1969 with a GTO model called "The Judge". It was named "The Judge" as in “Here Come Da Judge,” was essentially a sort of spoof. Pontiac Motor Division wanted to attract the youth who predominately sought high performance vehicles. During that time the TV show "Laugh In" was pretty popular and attracted a lot of young viewers. The feeling from Pontiac was that the name The Judge would be considered "cool" by the younger buyers. The optional engine on The Judge was the Ram Air IV featuring a ram air system
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| Lots of power and smooth styling |
E.L. Cord's 1929 Auburn Boattail Speedster. This 29 Auburn was equipped with a Lycoming 268 cubic inch straight eight.
See the 1989 Lamborghini Countach and Where Did All the 60's Muscle Cars Go? on Muscle Car Journal.
Up, Up and Away
The Pontiac GTO hit a sales peak of 96,946 in 1966. By 1970 that figure declined to 40,149. Dropping significantly further, and obviously due to the new emission controls, 1971 sales were just 10,532 vehicles. As an indication that the GTO was probably on it's way out, sales for the 1972 model year were a small 5,807 vehicles. Eventually, the GTO, which held the title of America's first muscle car, was no longer a standalone series but an option package on the Le Mans.
The Pontiac GTO's of the muscle car era are prized collector cars. The automobiles were produced with powerful engines and good styling. Today's restored models command some pretty high prices and they look great on the street.
(Article and photos copyright Muscle Car Journal)
