The Demise of the Pontiac GTO?

With its aggressive design, the Pontiac GTO is considered by many to be the best muscle car of all time. Its innovative design made it a favorite for racing enthusiasts between the 1960s and 1970s, where it sold in huge numbers at that time. The Pontiac GTO would be the source of the popularity of muscle cars during its era.

Full size cars were dominant in the early 1960s whereas muscle cars were just starting to become available in the market. General Motors at that time implemented a ban of factory-sponsored racing. With the GTO in the hands of young and visionary management, they turned their attention to improve street performance in a budget price by including a big engine into an intermediate car frame. Before it was made available in the market, Frank Bridge (sales manager) was not confident that the new Pontiac GTO would find a market. So the production was limited to only 5,000 cars only to find out if the GTO would be a success.

Pontiac Lemans became the first model to come with a new optional performance package that is the Pontiac GTO. This option became available at only $300, which included a 389 cid v8 engine, dual exhaust, quick steering and premium tires. For $300 it sure was a bargain at that time. GM sold more than 32,000 cars than the initial 5,000 cars estimate.

In 1965 following the success of the Pontiac GTO, GM decided to improve its performance. GM improved the styling of the car in both the front and the rear parts. Stacked quad headlights were added like the ones in their full size car models. They also revised the 389 cid v8 engine, which improved the engine's breathing. The improvements worked as GM sold more than 70,000 units.

In mid-1970s sales of the GTO began to decline and GM management decided to discontinue the production of the GTO and instead switch to Buick V8 engines. In 2004, the revival of the Pontiac GTO was attempted. Management had high expectations of selling the revived model, but it was not warmly received by GTO enthusiasts. The 18,000 initial forecasts of sales by the company were overly optimistic as it only sold approximately 14,000 units at discounted prices.