Posted on 11/11/2018 7:25:49 AM PST by ETL
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
My folks had a 1966 GTO, same color blue as in the photos (sort of a royal blue) with a white rag top and a blue interior. I think it was my mother’s mid-life crisis, and my brother, who had just got his driver’s license, thought he’d died and gone to heaven!
With a 389 8-cylinder engine and an automatic transmission, we used to joke that it would pass anything on the road except a gas station. Got about 10-12 mph, depending on how much (and how fast) you drove on the highway.
Unfortunately, I never had the fun to drive it. By the time I was old enough, they had gotten rid of it in favor of a 1970 Buick cabin cruiser.
My Gramma had a ‘69 Chevelle. Everytime she drove it there were people wanting to buy it. Every damn time. I miss my 1969 Torino GT 390 fastback. (One of those legendary $300 cars from the 1970’s...)
I look back on those days and wonder what in the heck was I thinking? A man can get killed going that fast. :)
I used to drive past a certain house regularly. You could see in the back yard there was a 1st generation Camaro, white with orange stripes. In the window was a sign “NOT FOR SALE”. I guess the owner had the same problem!
a year or two old, $2000 or less.
The 389 was really not much of a motor, a lot of them grenaded when they were ran hard.
2k was a lot of money back then. In 69 minimum wage was 1.60 hr. Just got an email from my bf back in 1969. He said his gto was 66 worth 75k now.
I have a friend who has a 67 GTO like mine. His is red with black interior, mine is black with red interior. Both of us are second owners. I bought mine from the family of the original owner who was going to be a long- term resident of the state of New Mexico in Santa Fe. He got his by trading his 72 Pinto station wagon straight across for it.
Kicking asphalt was the sole domain of Chevy, Ford and Mopar until ‘64 when Pontiac finally joined the party with the GTO.
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A 409 Chevy , FE powered Galaxy or a 413/426 max wedge Mopar (1964 was pre 426 Hemi) would have a hard time with a 421 SD Catalina... ,, The GTO was great as it brought the horsepower race to a smaller lighter platform than the full size “stockers”. Pontiacs V8’s were basically every bit as efficient as a SBC but with BB cubes... Deadly. Many of the best parts of the SBC were copied directly from the slightly earlier modern Pontiac V8.
I had several friends that had GTO’s in high skrool. I remember riding down the interstate with a 140mph speedometer wrapped around, on bias ply tires no less.
Then there was the night when someone popped the hood on Robert’s Goat and spray painted his engine Chevy orange. He didn’t think it as funny as the perp, in fact was mad enough to consider committing bodily harm. It was the fastest thing in town and probably several towns around. There were dings on the hood where he threw pushrods through the valve covers.
If I recall correctly, it was a Sammy Davis Jr. skit on Rowan and Martin's Laugh In.
1st gen for me, Love the 67
I think most all of the GM brands probably traded tech and basic design qualities (except maybe Buick's nail head). They didn't really have the internal competition as they did with rival corporations.
It was interesting how the trends went in the early 60s. Ford was competing with Chevy in the speed game, but Mercury was not really in it like Buick was not. But then when the Falcons got popular with the 260 and 289 4spd, out came the smokin' Comet Cyclones.
Plymouth and Dodge had those rippin' full size cars, but didn't try putting anything spirited in the smaller Valiants and such.
Ford was in the game with mustangs but never really got toe to toe with Corvettes and just as they were starting to make a nitche for themselves with the healthier Mustangs...BAM! Here came the Camaros with the big blocks.
Those were very good times to have lived in.
A good friend of mine had a ‘62 Catalina bubble top with those 8 lug aluminum wheels. It was SUEEE-WEEET.
Rowen and Martin Laugh In. Sammy Davis, Jr.
You can hear some of the famous Laugh-In lines on the recording linked by Baynative. The YouTube page has some good background:
"This 45 was one of many family records that I studied as a kid. I love this song! While researching this record, I discovered that there were quite a few "Here Come The Judge" records, not one of them being remotely similar to the other! This one, by the Magistrates, is novelty version based on the Laugh-In TV series judge skits, which were probably inspired by the earlier "Judge" records (talk about trends creating trends!)."
I'd never heard this "Magistrates" song before.
Here is Sammy Davis Jr. doing Here come da judge on Laugh-In.
I still don't get it. It's amazing that this became a nationwide riff in '68 or thereabouts and a car was named after it.
Of course, that was a lot more innocent and harmless than the crap going on in 2018 with politics suffused into every aspect of daily life. The U.S. sorely, desperately needs another "Laugh-In" to stop the obsession with politics. Maybe Laugh-In was what was needed at the time to take the nation's mind off Vietnam.
"The Judge", originally portrayed by British comic Roddy Maude-Roxby, was a stuffy magistrate with a black robe and oversized judge's wig. Each sketch featured the unnamed judge bantering with a defendant brought before the court. For a time guest star Flip Wilson would introduce the sketch saying "Here come da judge!", which was a venerable catchphrase by nightclub comedian Pigmeat Markham. Surprised that his trademark had been appropriated, Markham asked producer George Schlatter to let him play the Judge himself; Schlatter agreed and Markham presided for one season. After Markham left, the sketch was briefly retired until Sammy Davis Jr. donned the judicial robe and wig during his guest appearances, introducing each sketch with a rap that always finished with "Here come da judge, here come da judge..".I found the original --> Pigmeat Markham - Here Comes The Judge
That's a great version!
A ‘72 Pinto wagon? Boy, he sure saw your friend coming a mile away.
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