The “Endura” front fascia of the 1968 GTO may have been the most dramatic
GTO produced. The styling, options and performance got Pontiac
Motor Trend’s Car of the Year Award in 1968.
See All Facts and Figures
1964 -1970 Pontiac Tempest and GTO
Bonus – 2004-2005 Pontiac GTO Facts
Double Bonus – 1955-82 Pontiac V-8 Engine Specs
Pontiac GTO 1964-1970 and 2004-2006
Bob Lutz Tried to Recapture the Flame in 2004-2006
How the “GOAT” Built Pontiac’s Image
“GTO” Does one have to say any more than that to evoke images of power and performance in the muscle car era? Whatever you brand loyalty, you cannot say that the GTO was not the icon of the mid-size performance car of the 1964-1970 period. Not only did Pontiac define what we later came to call the muscle car, but during the initial period of that time – on the street – Ram Air GTOs were a force to be reckoned with.
Throughout the entire “Muscle Car Era” Pontiac’s mid-sized powerhouse captured the imagination of young people and helped Pontiac sell a boatload of cars. The image lasted well into the 80s, but tapered off once the Firebird was retired.
Enter 2004
Pontiac was trying to “Build Excitement” in the early 2000s after stumbling into this Century with clones of other GM cars. Knowing the original GTO was a legend, Bob Lutz and Pontiac tried to recapture that flame in 2004. Unfortunately, they had to go all the way to Australia to find a vehicle that could breath life into the Pontiac line. The Holden Monaro was the best GM model out there that fit the muscle car mold – and that was their choice.
From 2004 through 2006 they imported and tweaked the Aussie bomb. Did the Monaro/GTO bring back the flame?? Lots of opinions abound. Click the box below to find out what we think.
So how does the 21st Century GTO stack up against the iconic 1964-1970 version?
PONTIAC GTO/GT-37 GUIDE
By Eric White*
Every single fact and part number!
Covers 1964-1974 & 2004 GTO and 1970-1971 GT-37. 126 pages • Downloadable PDF
$19.95 *$5 goes to the Auto History Preservation Society in Eric’s name!
All About the Icon
Selling the Pontiac GTO
In Period Print Media
One thing that Pontiac was careful to do with the GTO was ensure that their print media was tuned in to the youth market. GTO ads – whether illustrated or copy always showed the car in exciting stances and the catchphrases always evoke power, performance and the legend the car had already created.
Early on, images showed engines, transmission shifters, cars in action, burnouts, etc. The car was always shown in action. By 1968., with the brand well established, the phrase “The Great One” surfaced – now Pontiac pushed on their established reputation – something they continued to do until the car was discontinued. See:
- “I wouldn’t stand in the page if I were you” – 1964 Pontiac GTO print ad.
- “The Great One” – 1967 Pontiac GTO print ad
- “The Tiger Scores Again“ 1966 Pontiac Performance Brochure
In Period Road Tests
Pontiac made sure the GTO was always available to magazines and newspapers for testing during 1964-1970. Here are some examples:
- “Pontiac Tempest GTO“ – June 1964 Car Life magazine
- “Pontiac GTO“ – July 1967 Popular Hot Rodding magazine
- “The Judge“ – March 1969 Car Life magazine
In 1970 Pontiac stepped away from limiting the GTO to 400 CID and released a new 455 CID V-8 for the GTO. See this comparison test with the Ram Air IV 400 model.
- “Torque versus Speed“ – April 1970 Car Life magazine
See more road tests of the 1964-1970 GTO in our Library – HERE! Click “Pontiac”, then “Road Tests”.
In Racing
Pontiac realized that to sell to the youth market, big inch full-size lightweight Catalinas running in Super Stock weren’t going to send young buyers to the showroom. Thus various dealers were recruited to campaign GTOs in drag racing in the stock classes. Some of these cars were stripped out, lightweight versions, but as the NHRA and AHRA caught on, they returned to very well tuned versions of the GTO.
By 1965, Pontiac used its expertise gleaned from professional racing to offer “Ram Air” versions of the 400 CID V-8 that made impressive horsepower.
Check out this weekend warrior 1967 Ram Air GTO campaigned by Cars Magazine Editor Marty Schorr – “King of the Road“. It shows what a super-tuned ram air GTO could do.
A Road Test of the 1967
Pontiac Ram Air GTO
From 1964 through 1969 GM limited their mid-sized muscle to 400 CID, but after that anything goes. In 1967, on pressure from Chevrolet and its Corvette, multiple carburetors were also banned. Surprisingly, the new Rochester Quadra-Jet 4-barrel seemed to flow up to 800 CFM and did not limit performance. Pontiac once again used its early 50s racing experience to develop the “Ram Air 400” into a powerhouse.
In this October 1967 issue of Car Life magazine, they tested the Ram Air GTO and came back with some impressive numbers.
Notable in their evaluation of the car were these points:
Looks: “. . . the car is attractively styled, luxuriously appointed . . .”
Interior. “GTO bucket seats are among the most attractive found . . .”
Handling: “Ride and handling are best described as firm and stable . . .”
Acceleration: ” . . . provided a level of acceleration beyond belief”.
Don’t forget to get more details on the 1967 Pontiac GTO from the October issue of Car Life Magazine HERE.
Ronny and the Daytonas
Song: “Little GTO”
“Three Dueces and a 4-speed and a 389”
Ronny & the Daytonas were an American surf rock group of the early 1960s, whose members included John “Bucky” Wilkin AKA, Ronny Dayton (songwriting, guitar, vocals), Paul Jensen (vocals, guitar), Thomas Ramey (bass, guitar), Lynn Williams (drums), and Lee Kraft (guitar), with contributions from others such as Larry Butler (organ), Ronny Clark (studio guitarist), and Buzz Cason.
Their 1964 debut single “GTO” reached No. 4 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.
Hear –> “Little GTO“
Documented Specifications
of the 1964-1970 GTO
Ford submitted these specifications to the American Automobile Manufacturers Association who placed them is research files that were retrievable in paper. We have captured those for the 1964-1970 years.
(A typical cover sheet and a subsequent page are shown at right).
You can see and download these accurate technical descriptions:
-
- 1964 Pontiac Tempest-GTO AAMA Specifications Sheets
- 1965 Pontiac Tempest-GTO AAMA Specifications Sheets
- 1966 Pontiac Tempest-GTO AAMA Specifications Sheets
- 1967 Pontiac Tempest-GTO AAMA Specifications Sheets
- 1968 Pontiac Tempest-GTO AAMA Specifications Sheets
- 1969 Pontiac Tempest-GTO AAMA Specifications Sheets
- 1970 Pontiac Tempest-GTO AAMA Specifications Sheets
