The Pontiac GTO Special 5th Generation in 2004
The Pontiac GTO was a front-engine, rear-drive, two-door, and four-passenger automobile manufactured and marketed by Pontiac over four generations from 1963 until 1974 in the United States, with a fifth generation in Australia from 2004-2006. The first generation of the Pontiac GTO is credited with popularizing the muscle car market in the 1960s. Some consider the Pontiac GTO to have started the trend, with all four domestic automakers offering a variety of competing models. Can you believe this was the Pontiac GTO to start it all?
The Pontiac GTO Generations
The first-generation Pontiac GTO began production on September 3, 1963, and was available as an option package for the Pontiac Tempest-based LeMans model, available in coupé, hardtop, and convertible body styles. When the GTO started production, did Pontiac think they were creating the muscle car market? The $295 option package, which most took, was equivalent to $2,990 in 2024 dollars. It included a 389 cubic inch V8 engine, rated at 325 horsepower at 4,800 revolutions per minute, with a four-barrel carburetor and dual exhaust pipes, chromed valve covers and air cleaner, seven-blade clutch fan, a floor-shifted three-speed manual transmission with a Hurst shifter, stiffer springs, larger diameter front sway bar, wider wheels with 7.50×14 redline tires, and hood scoops.
General Motors redesigned its A-body line for the Pontiac GTO in 1968, with a larger, semi-fastback styling. The wheelbase was shortened to 112.0 inches on all two-door models. Overall length was reduced by 5.9 inches, and height dropped half an inch, but overall weight rose by 75 pounds. Pontiac got rid of the familiar vertically stacked headlights in favor of a horizontal layout, but made hidden headlights available at extra cost. Powertrain options remained the same as in 1967, but the standard GTO engine’s power rating rose to 350 horsepower at 5,000 revolutions per minute.
The Pontiac GTO unveiled a third generation in 1973. The second generation lasted a long time. The third generation had an option package that featured a reskinned A-body with “Colonnade” hardtop styling, which eliminated the authentic hardtop design because of the addition of a roof pillar, but retained the frameless door windows. The Rear-side windows could not be opened and were triangular in shape. New federal laws for 1973 demanded front bumpers capable of withstanding 5-mile-per-hour impacts without damaging any safety-related components; these bumpers became standard in 1974. The car kept its V8 engine. The overall styling of the 1973 Pontiac GTO was generally not well-received by the general public.
A stylistic change resulted in a fourth generation in 1974. General Motors wanted the Pontiac GTO to avoid internal competition with the “Euro-styled” Pontiac Grand Am and was looking for an entry into the compact muscle market populated by the Plymouth Duster 360, Ford Maverick Grabber, and AMC Hornet X (which was a 007 car). Pontiac moved the 1974 GTO option to the compact Pontiac Ventura, which shared its basic body shell and sheet metal with the Chevrolet Nova. Everything else, including the powertrain, stayed the same.
At the 1999 Detroit Auto Show, a Pontiac GTO concept car with a heritage-inspired “Coke-bottle” shape, grille, and hood scoop, was introduced. It was only intended to be a design study and had no engine. The fifth generation of the car was produced in Australia. In 2004, the car was relaunched in the U.S. market in the form of a rebadged, third-generation Holden Monaro. The powertrain was the same as earlier models, and the VZ Monaro-based GTO was Pontiac’s first captive import since the 1988–1993 Pontiac LeMans.
Conclusion
The Pontiac GTO was significant because it created the muscle car market. Pontiac broke ground with this car. It is funny, therefore, that there were only five generations of this car, with the fifth generation produced in a foreign country. The car did have a V8 engine, like all muscle cars, so the powertrain created the market. It is fair to wonder if Pontiac knew they were creating a market when they launched the car.
