John Delorean changed the auto industry when he added three letter to a Pontiac Le Mans. The GTO was a game changer that kicked off the muscle car wars. See why the Pontiac GTO is a very special car.
GTOs are just bad ass cars. Deloreans design was ahead if it's time. I owned a 70 Goat and always thought they were the best looking of the muscle cars.
When John DeLorean was working for Pontiac Motor Division in 1966, he wanted Pontiac to have their own version of the Chevrolet Corvette. He begged and pleaded to General Motors executives to get a Pontiac sports car. GM executives refused, so they had Chevrolet Motor Division offered Pontiac the Camaro F-Body to create the Firebird. The Corvette-based Pontiac sports car was supposed to be called Banshee. Could you imagine a 1968-1969 Corvette-based Banshee with Pontiac's 455 cubic inch Super Duty V-8 engine with the Ram Air? It would have been a legend! But GM executives felt it would have affected the sales of the Corvette! GM needs to bring back Pontiac!!!
There are still 2 Banshee prototypes that exist. I think one sold at Barrett-Jackson not too long ago. Pontiac was my favorite brand. In my eyes, it died when they stopped making their own V8 engine in the early '80's. I still preferred their looks to other GM brands... but even the performance versions were just better-looking Chevys.
I agree. Chevy torpedoed Pontiac because a turbo 301 would've creamed their precious vette. Pontiac fell to sabotage by GM. They chose Buick over Pontiac? GM missed out on all the retro cars. The GTO & TA would've sold like they did before! Like hotcakes! I haven't bought a GM vehicle ever since they dropped Pontiac. It was a dumb move on their part.
@stevesvoboda9816 Buick and Oldsmobile was supposed to be granted their own versions of the 2nd generation F-Body in 1971, but GM executives quickly scrapped the plan because they did not want the affect the sales of the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird. An Oldsmobile F-Body with the Rocket V-8 or a Buick F-Body with the Nailhead V-8 would have been interesting to see
Big fan of the GTO! I absolutely love the history you bring into your videos... I wonder how many people know Delorean worked for Pontiac?! Nice work joe... you even brought on the oil embargo - impressive!!
Tempest was the base model, then the LeMans, GTO and GTO Judge. Great video, my mom had a 70 LeMans sport with factory 400 and turbo 400 auto, loved that car!
The 1968-1971 GM A-Body muscle cars were awesome cars. Each GM division even had the freedom to design and build their own powertrain. They were: 1970-1971 Chevrolet Chevelle SS w/454 LS6 V-8 Cowl Induction 1968-1971 Pontiac LeMans GTO w/455 Super Duty V-8 Ram Air 1970-1971 Buick Skylark GSX w/455 Nailhead V-8 1970-1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 w/455 Rocket V-8
That was one of my dream cars, you get all the best cars : ). Hopefully the owners or you can add a 6 minute driving review on all the cars you review if possible.
Higher Then A Drone In The Dome. Thanks! I’m glad we have similar tastes. I’m trying to get connected with the owners. It’s so difficult because at these events people like to walk around because there are over 300 cars. I appreciate you watching!
Raiti's Rides Got it, for sure It will be really cool to hear and see those cars perform in a safe way ofcourse hehehe, also can't wait for the video of your wife and you going to the academy this summer.
Higher Then A Drone In The Dome. Well Thank you for being interested in the stuff I’m filming. I going to get you some sound clips at next Saturday’s event. Trust me, we can’t wait either!
I Owe My Very Existence Here In The U.S. Because Of The G.T.O. - My Dad Adopted Me Along With My Brother and Sister From Saigon Vietnam Because Partly Being a Successful Buick-Pontiac Dealer From 1964-2008 - He Told Me Years Ago That He Sold So Many G.T.O.s During The '60s and Early '70s He Could Afford To Do So.
John DeLorean was the one who actually wanted Carroll Shelby to make the Ford Mustang a muscle car, back around 1965 when he was at Ford; that's how the GT350 was created. When he came to Pontiac, he wanted Pontiac to get their own version of the Chevrolet Corvette and name it "Banshee". So, executives at GM headquarters refused and instead had Chevrolet offered Pontiac the Camaro F-Body, which was later named Firebird. The GM executives felt that the "Banshee" would affect the sales of the Corvette. Pontiac has always been a companion to Chevrolet, only a sportier brand.
The spoiler "wing" or whatever you want to call it was not stock i.e. it was an aftermarket add on that came stock from the factory only on the Judge, if my memory serves me right. This is no Judge, so it's an aftermarket item on a garden variety 455 cid GTO.
His and hers was the slang term for the Hurst dual gate shifter, and it was a big mistake in 69, my M 21 Muncie and close ratio Hurst 4 speed shifter in my 68 grabs rubber in all 4 gears, I love playing with mustangs and corvettes! 😂 😲
@@RaitisRides You're welcome. Always loved GTOs My first car ( in 1974 ) was a 65 Tempest that I took out the 326 and put the 389 Tri Power motor out of my brothers 66 GTO along with a muncie 4 speed into it. Fun times back then.
@@RaitisRides Canary yellow that faded a little over 17 years,The pontiac has been sitting in one spot for 17 years strait, until it was pulled put in august of 2017. It needs restoration
Hahaha I had the exact same car when I was 17-18 in the late 70s - the '69 actually. Mine was dark blue and beat to sh*t. I'm pretty sure I remember paying 300 bucks for it though. I had it for about a year, maybe a little longer. Inside, mine had the 3-spoke steering wheel, but otherwise the same as that green one. 400 CI engine/400 THM trans and a bench seat for some reason.... Probably why they sold it to me cheap besides the body and interior being beat up. It ran and drove great! Question ❓❓ why do people put those stupid big tires on the back? I understand the purpose on the dragstrip, but then take them off for driving on the street. Makes them handle like sh*t that way and the speedo would read wrong too. Anyway to each his own I guess. One of the things I liked about my goat was how it handled - for the time.
@@zeussingh5111 my Lemans has a 350, no spoiler and not that hood but on the outside it looks like the blue one and the interior is a like different. Chief had a Gto
@@RaitisRides any time! Otherwise fantastic video. I grew up riding in my dad's 1970 goat and thankfully he still has it. Although it has been in a barn for about 14 years now
I've been harassing him for years. It needs a new interior and some rust repair (typical vinyl roof rust) but it's a damn solid car. It will be back on the road eventually but I do not know when
That blue one isn't a real GTO the back bumper don't fit into place rite.. Matter Fact i don't think neither one of those are true GTO's..But still nice rides.
