An option turns a midsize Tempest into the ’64 PONTIAC GTO & THE SUPERCAR REVOLUTION, and a decade of GTO-badged high-performance Pontiacs.
Pontiac called it “A Device For Shrinking Time & Distance.” Magazine editors called it a “Supercar”. And, from coast to coast, enthusiasts flocked to Pontiac dealers see the new GTO, an option that breathed life into a Tempest. Pontiac - not Ford, Chevy or Plymouth - essentially created the option that ignited the Supercar Revolution and an ...
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DAY ONE
THE GREAT ONE: 1968-1972 PONTIAC GTO.
Hagerty’s Greg Ingold guides us through the second generation of the Supercar that started it all in THE GREAT ONE: 1968-1972 PONTIAC GTO.
Pontiac called it “A Device For Shrinking Time & Distance.” Magazine editors called it a “Supercar”. And in 1964 enthusiasts flocked to Pontiac dealers from coast to coast to see the new GTO, an option that breathed life into a Tempest. Pontiac, not Ford, Chevy or Plymouth, essentially created an option that ignited the Supercar Revolution and an...
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R-CODE 427 FORD 1963 ½-GALAXIE
David LaChance blogs about the full-size R-CODE 427 FORD 1963 ½-GALAXIE that kicked off Dearborn’s 'Total Performance' program.Ford had a number of regional and national press and dealer introductions for its new fastback 427/425 Galaxie, including a very limited drive program for pre-production and Pilot models in January 1963 in Monte Carlo. That’s right, that Monte Carlo, tied into its participation in the 1963 Monte Carlo Rally. The Holman & Moody Falcons were there, and the editor of th...
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’70 BUICK STAGE I GS-455 – FIRST ADULT SUPERCAR
Certainly not in keeping with Buick’s traditional image, the ’70 BUICK STAGE I GS-455 – FIRST ADULT SUPERCAR catapulted the Flint automaker into the heat of the battle for Supercar supremacy.
The Skylark GS-455, in 360 horsepower Stage I trim, was the industry’s first “adult” Supercar. It was a powerful, high-quality, well-balanced midsize coupe (or convertible) with superb ride and handling qualities. Yet it was almost invisible compared with competitive offerings like the SS Chevelle,...
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COPO CAMARO: HERITAGE & HORSEPOWER!
Before there was a COPO ZL1 Camaro and later an RPO ZL1 Corvette in 1969, Duntov’s aluminum Mark IV program had already generated engines for Can-Am racing.
The third ZL1 Camaro built was yellow and ordered by Berger Chevrolet.
COPO CAMARO: HERITAGE & HORSEPOWER! Although Duntov championed aluminum heads and lightweight engines for the Corvette, the first “production” use of the ZL1 was in the 1969 COPO (9560) Camaro, not the Corvette. Credit for the ZL1 Camaro goes to Vince Piggins, worki...
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PONTIAC FLASHBACK: TEMPEST MONTE CARLO!
Built on a shortened ’62 Pontiac Tempest convertible, the Monte Carlo was a hit at auto shows and major road racing events. It shared the spotlight with GM design chief, William Mitchell’s Corvair Sebring Spyder show car.
One thing was a given at GM in the 1960s: Chevy’s Corvette was a sacred cow and no other division could bring a two-seat sports car to market. The only way Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile or Cadillac could reveal branded two-seat, high-performance sporty vehicles was to have Mitche...
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427 CAMARO: THE THOMAS /NICKEY AFFAIR!
Within months after Chevrolet’s September 1966 introduction of its all-new ’67 Camaro, Nickey and Nickey/Thomas SS427 Camaros were on the road.
Bill Thomas Race Cars, Anaheim, CA built 427 Camaros for California customers, while Nickey Chevrolet, Chicago, IL covered the rest of the country. Built on a Bolero Red SS350 donor, I drove Bill Thomas’ first SS427 Camaro around Orange County in early 1967. It retained its original 350 emblems and 1966 Illinois dealer tags.
My reason for visiting Bi...
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ONE OF NONE: PONTIAC RAM AIR V GTO!
Like Chevrolet’s ZL1 Corvette and Buick’s Stage II Gran Sport, Pontiac’s Tunnel Port Ram Air V is part myth, part magic, and has been the subject of urban legends for decades.
According to Tom Nell, a Special Projects Engineer at Pontiac in 1971, “Pontiac’s Ram Air V or Mark V was the first Pontiac engine since the 1963 Super-Duty 421 to be developed around the concept of performance and durability, outside the realm of normal usage.”
Many of the same high-performance engineers responsible f...
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ONE OF NONE: PONTIAC 455 VENTURA SPRINT!
What could have been the ultimate 1972 stealth Supercar, a GTO/Firebird 455-inch HO-powered Ventura Sprint, never really happened. They built just one production-ready prototype.
It was an unassuming Pontiac Ventura II Sprint coupe motivated by a 455 engine. Little more than a grille and badge-engineered Chevy Nova, this screamer with an EPA certified engine would have flown under insurance companies’ radar. Pontiac built one and everyone loved it.
But it was not to be!
I drove it in June...
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’65 CHEVY Z16: ONE-YEAR WONDER!
One of the highlights of Chevy’s 1965 performance portfolio was the limited-production big-block 396/375 Malibu.
Chevrolet had been slow to bring a high-performance midsize car to market in 1965. Toward the end of the 1965 model year, they revealed the potent Z16 Chevelle Malibu SS396, powered by an all-new Mark IV 396 big-block. While somewhat boxy, it was the most powerful car in the Supercar Sweepstakes. But there was a problem. Chevrolet General Manager Bunkie Knudsen’s foray into the marke...
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