Classic US Cars: Pontiac GTO 1973 1974

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Pontiac GTO 1973

For many GTO fans, it was a travesty to call the final two versions, '73 and '74 models, GTOs. They certainly didn't deserve the performance name that had become a legend in the 1960s, but changing times meant that performance was becoming a bad word. Available in Coupe and Sport Coupe form, engines were 400- 455-cid. The downgraded 455 now produced only 250-horsepower.

Pontiac GTO 1974

The final GTO didn't really look much like a Goat, and that was due to the fact that it was an option of the Ventura model. This X-body-based Goat could not hide its economy car origins. Fitted with a 350-ci, 200-horsepower engine, performance was lacklustre, posting high-15-second to low-16-second quarter-mile times in published road tests. When the final '74 rolled off the production line it marked the completion of one of the most successful runs of a special-edition performance model, with a total of 514,793 cars produced.

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Classic US Cars: Pontiac GTO 1971 and 1972

What is your favorite classic car of all time?

Pontiac GTO 1971

The GTO changed very little save front-end styling but compression ratios were dropped to enable regular fuel to be burned in the combustion chambers without detonation. The highlight of the year seemed to be the 455 HO round-port engine, but rated at only 335-horsepower it still looked like a slug when compared to the 400s and the 455 HO D-port engines of the previous year. Convertibles were a dying breed, with only 661 examples being built in '71.

Pontiac GTO 1972

GTO reverted back to option status in 1972, and changes were minimal. Sales plummeted to just 5,807 units and a look at competing muscle car sales figures quickly leads to the conclusion that they had become modern day dinosaurs and extinction was imminent. The only body-styles this year were the hardtop or pillared coupe, the standard 400-powered hardtop being the overwhelming favourite with almost 4,800 sold. A total of only 635 selected the 455 HO for the hardtop versions. Just 134 coupes were ordered, 10 with the 455 engine.

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Pontiac GTO 1964 and 1965

Pontiac GTO 1964

In 1964 Pontiac defined the first modern muscle car by putting a high-power V8 into their midsize Tempest/Le Mans body to create the GTO. In a move that sidestepped GM's prohibition on intermediate-sized cars having engines over 330-cid, Pontiac made its 389-cid V-8part of a $269 option package for the new Tempest. The name Gran Turismo Omologato was borrowed from the Ferrari 250GTO. It stands for a production grand touring machine.

Pontiac GTO 1965

Though still technically an option for Tempest hardtops, pillared coupes and convertibles, the GTO had already forged its own identity as America's premier performance car. '65 models had fresh front and rear styling, grilles were recessed, headlamps were now stacked. The 389-cid V-8 remained the only engine but improvements in breathing and cam design boosted power. GTO production more than doubled, to 75,352.

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