History of the Pontiac GTO: 1964-

various sources | Nov 11, 2018

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Name

The name, which was DeLorean's idea, was inspired by the Ferrari 250 GTO, the successful race car.

It is an Italian abbreviation for Gran Turismo Omologato ("grand tourer homologated"), which means officially certified for racing in the grand tourer class.

But in reality, the Pontiac GTO was never really a certified Grand Tourer race car. Internally, it was initially called the "Grand Tempest Option", one of many automobiles in the Pontiac line up with a 'Grand' in it.

Despite these things, the GTO is one of the fastest cars ever manufactured by Pontiac.

First generation: 1964-67

Second generation: 1968-72

Third generation: 1973

Fourth generation: 1974

Fifth generation: 2004-06

source: wikipedia

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First generation: 1964-67

1964

1965

1966

1967

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1968

[mplc51]

My 1st car was a 1970 GTO, It was awesome.

[libertylover]

Beautiful cars. Thank you. I really like the first generation cars. The 1968 version, not so much.

[gcparent]

Please post photo of a 69 gto.

My first boyfriend in high school had a 69 goat. It was black with red interior.
It was loud and so cool. I remember driving with him playing the 8 track player in the car. 3 dog nite comes to mind. Great times. And we are still in touch after all these years. Thanks for the memories.

[Fiji Hill]

Little GTO--Ronnie & the Daytonas (1964)

My Mighty GTO--Jan & Dean (1964)

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Second generation: 1968-72

1969

1970

1971

[Eric in the Ozarks]

A high school pal owned a ‘64.
The 389 motor made a real screaming sound when pushed hard.

[Hot Tabasco]

Back in 1969 I was with my cousin in his Z-28 Camaro when we spotted Mickey "H"'s 67 GTO broken down on the highway between two small towns.

So my cousin pulled over to the side of the road and proceeded to steal Mickey's chrome carburetor cover..........LOL!

[Robert DeLong]

Internally, it was initially called the "Grand Tempest Option", one of many automobiles in the Pontiac line up with a 'Grand' in it.

The Pontiac Tempest never had Grand in front of it. Now they may have considered the GTO as the Grand Tempest, but there was never a Tempest that was referred to as a Grand Tempest before the GTO. At least as far as I could find. The GTO did look like the Tempest. There was the Grand Am, but that was after the name Tempest was retired. There was also The Grand Prix, the Grand Safari (station wagon), and the Grand Ville

Full List of Pontiac Models

[rockrr]

I’ve only come across one specimen of the first year GTO and it was way out of my price range (at the time). When I was in shop class (around 1970 or so) I had an opportunity to buy the GTO’s little brother, a 1963 Tempest. It was a sweetheart of a car, featuring independent suspension (all but unheard of in most American cars) and an all-aluminum V8 motor.

Alas, I couldn’t swing financing and the seller found a buyer elsewhere.

[ETL]

Now is when you may want to reach for the barf bags...

Fifth generation: 2004-06

2004

2005

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Third generation: 1973

1973

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Forth generation: 1974

1974

[animal172]

Me too. Bought a 1970 GTO in October Nov 1969 on my return from Vietnam. Can’t remember how many times I buried the speedometer on the interstates driving between Fort Gordon, GA and Fort Knox, KY. That was in the day when there was practically no traffic at night. Never did get it to its top speed. I chickened out once the needle passed the 140 mark.

[gcparent]

Thanks. I’m looking at the photos
I think his car was a 66 or 67
We were dating in 69. How could a 19 year old afford such a car? What did they cost back then?

[ETL]

Please post photo of a 69 gto. My first boyfriend in high school had a 69 goat. It was black with red interior. It was loud and so cool. I remember driving with him playing the 8 track player in the car. 3 dog nite comes to mind. Great times. And we are still in touch after all these years. Thanks for the memories.

Lots more pics at link...

https://dyler.com/cars/1696/pontiac-gto-coupe-1969-black-for-sale

[Baynative]

Kicking asphalt was the sole domain of Chevy, Ford and Mopar until '64 when Pontiac finally joined the party with the GTO. It was a genuine ground breaker. But lost its direction after '67 and went into the cartoon books with 'the Judge' in 1969 - a car that wasn't a hit named after a song that wasn't a hit.

"Here come dah Judge"
(give me a break)

[VietVet876]

It was early June of 1964 when my parents took me on our annual trip from PA to southern California to spend some time with my aunt and uncle in La Habra. We went to visit friends in Buena Park one afternoon and when we pulled up to their home, I spotted a midnight blue brand new GTO in the driveway. I was 17 and my California friend had just graduated from high school and the Goat was his graduation present. After an hour of chatting with his parents, he pulled me away and said “Let’s go for a ride”. The car had 1,500 miles on it. It was a special order: 389 with trips, four speed with close ratio gears, limited slip probably a 3:70 or so, “NASCAR Suspension” with huge front sway bars, manual steering, HD brakes, tiny hub caps, black vinyl interior. The first time he got on it, my neck hurt. After a couple of miles, he pulled over and let me take the wheel. We did a couple of 0-60 runs with him timing me on the dashboard clock with the tick second hand. The quickest was just under 5 seconds when I hooked up good and slammed second at about 45 mph which was redline. According to his father, the car was the first delivered in the Southern California zone. I will never forget the experience and certainly not that car.

[ETL]

I’m looking at the photos. I think his car was a 66 or 67

My two favorite years. Basically the same.

https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3704929/posts?page=1#1