The GTO Was The Benchmark Muscle Car

William Jason
SubmitYOURArticle.com
March 5, 2011

William Jason
http://musclecarmonster.com

The Pontiac GTO may have been considered as the first authentic muscle car but that feature was not enough to guarantee its continuous production. The Pontiac GTO was produced from 1964 to 1974 and it was revived for the 2004 model year. Although there was no convertible body style in this new model, there was a suitable rear-drive 2-door coupe.

If you are looking for the most famous muscle car that goes 0 to 60 in 6.5 seconds, the 1966 Pontiac GTO is your best bet. When it was first introduced in the industry, it immediately became a bestseller. Pontiac had produced a new masterpiece with the 1966 Pontiac GTO and it continued to be in high demand among car enthusiasts.

The 1966 Pontiac GTO offered outstanding features. It had distinctive headlights and excellent contours all over the body, which really gave it a sleek and stylish look.The 1966 Pontiac GTO was available in a wide array of styles and colors when it was manufactured, including the hardtop coupe, the sports coupe model and the convertible.

Of course the most popular models were the hardtop coupes, then the convertibles. In fact, there were fewer sports coupe models produced so they are the rarest among the three.

The release of the 1964 model was the reason of the popularity of the Pontiac GTO line. This is because their 1964 model featured a racy style, dual exhaust system and a powerful V8 engine. It was known as a car with an attitude although it possessed phony hood loops. The 1966 model also featured the same traits as the 1964 model but being the 2nd body style for the GTO line, it redefined elegance with excitement.

This GTO model generally had a 4-barrel 389 engine but it also featured a tri-power option. With its XS Ram Air package added to the tri-power engine, the Pontiac was given a greater power and a hotter cam. Very few of these GTOs possessed the XS Ram Air setup so if you are a muscle car collector, it is definitely a must-have.

Sadly, in 2004 Pontiac tried to bring back the GTO and it met with a lukewarm response from the American public. Sales were modest at best and people never really took to the new version.The car was taken out of production once again after this failed revival, and thankfully it did little to tarnish the legacy of this incredible car.

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William Jason has admired classic cars ever since he was a young child and you can read his blog at: http://musclecarmonster.com/