FIRST AND GREATEST MUSCLE CAR EVER
In December of 1964, while I was enjoying a Christmas leave from the U.S. Marine Corps, an uncle in Trona, Calif., honored my request by driving me to the high-mountain town of Bishop where I paid cash for a new Pontiac GTO at Perry Motors. I owned a 1956 Olds Rocket 88 hardtop at the time, my second favorite ride ever. Red and white with chrome to burn.
Sea Foam green in color, it was a beauty to behold, the GTO.
I had read a review of the car explaining how GTO stood for Gran Turismo Omologato in Italian, translated as "fine touring vehicle." My sights had been set on a Triumph TR4 sports car in English Racing Green, until the lean and clean GTO garnered my exclusive attention.
Car and Driver magazine, March 1964
The finishing touch was the audacity of those three letters on this car, or more likely, it was the audacious way the Tempest GTO delivered on that apparent overpromise. Yes, it was quick, but it stopped and handled, too. We called it "the best American car we have ever driven, and probably one of the five or six best cars in the world for the enthusiast driver." In case readers didn't take that seriously, we included this appraisal: "Our test car, with stock suspension, metallic brakes, and as-tested 348-hp engine, will lap any U.S. road course faster than any Ferrari street machine." And when we called it a bargain, we emphasized the word with italics. The competition emphasized the GTO's significance with an explosion of similar cars that consumed the national conscience for a decade. It took the triple hit of emissions controls, an oil embargo, and an industry-wide rethink of insurance standards to finally slow the trend. —Jared Gall
I enjoy more simple driving pleasures today. Once you've had the best it doesn't matter all the rest.
