Credited as the first Musclecar, ever, it's no wonder the GTO had to break all the rules
The origin of the GTO, the factory hot rod that became an icon for the Musclecar era, is really a story of one man's battle against the corporate establishment.
That man, John Z. DeLorean, was, at the time, chief engineer of Pontiac. What he wanted was simple enough: a normally mild-mannered mid-sized sedan powered by a big V8.
The GTO concept developed in early 1963 when DeLorean, along with members of his engineering staff, were experimenting with the Tempest, an economy Pontiac introduced the previous year. The car's four-cylinder engine was inherently rough-running and vibration prone. Coupled with its weak-kneed Chevrolet Corvair-based rear-mounted transmission, the Tempest's drivetrain was problematic to say the least.
As a cure for the car's power deficiency, it was suggested that, since the Tempest's four-cylinder shared the same engine mounts as the V8 from which it was derived, it would be easy to install the big motor into the little car.
A prototype was cobbled together using a 389-cube V8 (borrowed from Pontiac's full-size Bonneville) and a heavy-duty four-speed manual transmission. The resulting transplant not only made the car quick, but a blast to drive.
It was also DeLorean who named the car. The term GTO stood for Gran Turismo Omologato, or, in plain english, Grand Touring Homologated. The word "homologation" was used to describe a race car constructed from a variety of parts in sufficient quantities to be approved for production-class competition by the International Automobile Federation (FIA). Why so complicated?
As it turned out, a limited-edition Ferrari was already using the GTO name. But, as the initials could not be copyrighted, it was no problem for Pontiac to adopt them for its newest creation which no doubt brought instant credibility to the car.
The only remaining hurdle was for the car to be approved by senior GM management, not an easy proposition at the time.
In the 1960s, it was GM policy that no specific model could have more than 10 pounds of total weight per cubic-inch of displacement. Since the GTO weighed about 3,500 pounds (1,590 kilograms), it meant that the 389 motor was too large by nearly 40 cubic inches.
DeLorean's way around this rule was to make the GTO an option instead of a separate model. That somewhat loose interpretation of corporate edict allowed the beefed-up Pontiac to sneak by top management.
The origin of the GTO, the factory hot rod that became an icon for the Musclecar era, is really a story of one man's battle against the corporate establishment.
That man, John Z. DeLorean, was, at the time, chief engineer of Pontiac. What he wanted was simple enough: a normally mild-mannered mid-sized sedan powered by a big V8.
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| 1964 Pontiac GTO (Photo: General Motors) |
As a cure for the car's power deficiency, it was suggested that, since the Tempest's four-cylinder shared the same engine mounts as the V8 from which it was derived, it would be easy to install the big motor into the little car.
A prototype was cobbled together using a 389-cube V8 (borrowed from Pontiac's full-size Bonneville) and a heavy-duty four-speed manual transmission. The resulting transplant not only made the car quick, but a blast to drive.
It was also DeLorean who named the car. The term GTO stood for Gran Turismo Omologato, or, in plain english, Grand Touring Homologated. The word "homologation" was used to describe a race car constructed from a variety of parts in sufficient quantities to be approved for production-class competition by the International Automobile Federation (FIA). Why so complicated?
As it turned out, a limited-edition Ferrari was already using the GTO name. But, as the initials could not be copyrighted, it was no problem for Pontiac to adopt them for its newest creation which no doubt brought instant credibility to the car.
 |
| 1964 Pontiac GTO (Photo: General Motors) |
In the 1960s, it was GM policy that no specific model could have more than 10 pounds of total weight per cubic-inch of displacement. Since the GTO weighed about 3,500 pounds (1,590 kilograms), it meant that the 389 motor was too large by nearly 40 cubic inches.
DeLorean's way around this rule was to make the GTO an option instead of a separate model. That somewhat loose interpretation of corporate edict allowed the beefed-up Pontiac to sneak by top management.