Pontiac GTO

Muscle car fans owe a huge debt of gratitude to Pontiac, GM's premium brand that set itself apart from entry-level Chevrolet, for creating the muscle car segment from virtually nothing in 1964. For his role in the development of the GTO - an affordable mid-size car with a larger 389ci V8 engine from the full-size Pontiacs - Chief Engineer John Z. DeLorean was promoted to head of the Pontiac division in 1965. After a fantastic start in 1964 with 32,450 vehicles built, the GTO's popularity peaked in 1966 with 96,946 units produced. When a revised mid-range A-body was introduced in 1968, sales figures recovered again and 87,684 vehicles were sold. Nevertheless, by 1972, the last year of the GM A-body platform, sales of the GTO had fallen to just 5,807 vehicles.

By 1970, DeLorean's success at the helm of Pontiac was rewarded with a promotion to head GM's Chevrolet division, but the timing coincided with the performance decline that would characterize the 1970s. DeLorean's successor, F. James McDonald, was the polar opposite of DeLorean and focused his efforts - first at Pontiac in 1970, then at Chevrolet beginning in 1972 - on consolidating and streamlining GM's production. By this time, the focus on performance at Pontiac had shifted to the Firebird, and there seemed little motivation to revive the GTO's waning popularity.

When GM's new Colonnade platform was launched in 1973, the GTO appeared in a beautiful new body that was artfully different from its Colonnade siblings Chevy, Buick and Oldsmobile. Designed in a time just before the OPEC oil embargo and many draconian regulations that would soon restrict muscle cars, GM's Colonnade platform promised much for a new generation of performance cars. Many improvements were built in from the start, from larger engine compartments for big-block V8 engines to stiffer frames, radial tires, disc brakes and optimized suspensions. Still, all of GM's Colonnade models suffered from 5-mph bumpers and wheezy, smog-ridden engines.

By 1972, sales of the GTO had plummeted so much that it was no longer offered as a standalone Pontiac model, but as a trim level of the LeMans. Entering 1973 with the new Colonnade platform, the GTO continued to struggle, with sales again dropping from 5,807 units (1972) to just 4,806 (1973). Ironically, the futuristically styled Grand Am - designed by Bill Collins, deputy chief engineer, and John Seaton, chassis engineer - was also on Pontiac's agenda. It had taken on the new role of a European-oriented luxury performance coupe and, with the Super Duty 455ci V-8, became an upper-class muscle car for gentlemen. More importantly, the Grand Am cannibalized GTO sales, as it was also built on the same Colonnade platform and shared much of its design and virtually its entire powertrain with the GTO. 

In comparison, the 1973 LeMans GTO was more of a throwback to its early muscle car beginnings, as it was a modest performance upgrade over the base LeMans coupe (D37) or the LeMans sports coupe (F37). Although the once feared 250 hp 455ci was still available for the GTO in 1973, only 544 buyers were found for it. The remaining vehicles were equipped with the 230 hp RPO-L78 4bbl 400ci V-8. Transmission choices included a standard Muncie three-speed manual, an optional Turbo 400 automatic or the rare Muncie four-speed manual.

Visually, there were hardly any differences between the GTOs, which were based on the D37 LeMans Coupé and the F37 LeMans Sport Coupé, but a clear distinguishing feature is the louvre trim on the side windows of the F37 Sport Coupé.