‍The introduction of the GTO changed the course of the segment of the American car industry. It was a mid-sized performance car, and the term ""Muscle Car" had not yet been used to describe it. Historians agree that this vehicle had a certain mystique and started the performance car movement! 

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  A Pontiac GTO convertible had a base price of $3081.00, with a shipping weight of 3,360 pounds.

‍1966

The 1966 3 2BBL optional engine had 10.75:1 compression pistons and was rated at360 horsepower at 5200 rpm. The carburetors were made by Rochester, and this year the center carburetor received larger throttle bores for improved drivability. The hydraulic camshaft had a .414/.413-inch lift with288/302-degree duration. This was the last year for this 3x2 engine upgrade.   

A new "coke bottle" body shape came to the GTO for the 1966 model year, continuing the use of stacked headlights and a split grille now with deeper recesses. The roof design featured a "flying buttress" tunneled design, which from the side looked like a semi-fastback but with a recessed backlight. A rarely seen option this year was the availability of red-hued front inner-fenders. Pontiac for the first time categorized the GTO as a separate series, no longer on dealer paperwork an option for the Tempest LeMans line. Sales for the 1966 GTO set a new record, 96,946 units.

1967

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GTO's interior was plusher as compared to most other muscle cars of the era, including wood-covered instrument panel, a 1967 4-speed version shown.   

Motor Trend Magazine tested a 4-speed 1967 GTO at the Motor City Dragways track and it performed quite well, thanks to some special attention (Bobcat Package)given by dealer Royal Pontiac in Royal Oaks, MI. The car was factory equipped with the Ram Air option (360-hp engine), 3.90:1 rear gears. A set of equal-tube exhaust headers were installed, and the "Bobcat tune-up" included switching to thinner head gaskets (now 10.75:1 compression ratio), blocked heat-riser on the Quadrajet 4-barrel carburetor and re-jetting of the carb to provide more fuel. Plus, the distributor was re-curved for quicker advance. After a pair of 8.50 x 14 M&H rear slicks were installed, the test drivers came up with a best run of 13.10 seconds at 106 miles per hour and completely stock it ran 14.21 @ 102.97 mph.  

1968

The Endura front bumper of the 1968 GTO was a major visual highlight of the car, along with the use of hide-a-way headlights, and they must have helped the editors in the decision to award it as the "Motor Trend Car of the Year" winner.   

a Pontiac completely re-did the Tempest line for 1968, including a new chassis, with three-inch shorted wheelbase everything up body for 1968, with smoother, stylish. Exclusive to the GTO was an energy-absorbing front bumper ,wrap-a-round in design, color-keyed to the body with the traditional pointed nose center. A long hood with hidden wipers provided a slippery appearance.

There were some 2,108 steel front-bumper GTOs built, and while they did have a certain odd-ball appearance at the time, and there must have been a lot of today they are extremely rare to find and collectors are in search of them for collectability reasons.  

Pontiac offered numerous options for the 1968 GTO, including a Ram Air package with larger valves, special camshaft, different exhaust manifolds, functional hood scoops, 8-Track player, brake and suspension upgrades.   

The promotion for the all-new 1968 GTO featured a cluster of previous GTO examples. This advertisement was created with the tagline "There's only one Great One, we've been proving it for five years."  

The hottest 400-cube engine for GTO buyers as the 1968 cars came out was the Ram Air IV, fitted with unique cylinder heads with D-port exhaust ports, streamlined exhaust manifolds, a 308/328-duration hydraulic camshaft, and the functional twin scoop fresh air system. Horsepower was rated at 370.   

In 1968 Pontiac released an upgraded performance engine featuring special cylinder heads with huge "tunnel port' intake ports, where the pushrods pass through. The block was reinforced with 4-bolt mains and a mechanical Ram Air V high-lift camshaft was included. Less than that200 were built.

‍1969  

These GTOs remained much the same as the previous model year, with the exception of removing the side vent windows. Now the H.O engine was now referred to as the Ram Air III and developed 366 horsepower at 5100 rpm. To counter some of the sales of Plymouth's Road Runner, for 1969 Pontiac came up with a special model, named "The Judge." It came with a uniquely designed rear wing spoiler, side striping and prominent name markings on the front fenders. The Judge was a perfect example of the then-popular way of using a vehicle as a means of personal expression in the high-performance scene. The general idea of the car, and its name, came from Poncho boss John Z. Delorean, who wanted to add something fun and youth-oriented, and priced just slightly more than the standard GTO.  

While a committee came up with the formula for the car, they also came up with a "silly name" as JZD had noted at the final presentation meeting. The suggested name was "E/T" as in elapsed time (popular dragstrip jargon). Jim Wangers, who was in on the meeting, remembered what had happened this way: "All right guys, I'll buy your car. But let's forget that silly name. Every time I turn on the TV these days, I hear this funny guy shouting 'Here comes da Judge, Here comes da Judge!' So let's give them their damn Judge!" The television show he was referring to was then then-popular "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" with a skit by comedian Flip Wilson.  

The standard engine on The Judge was the 366-hp Ram Air III 400-cid engine with a 4-speed, a T-handle-fitted Hurst shifter. Rally II wheels were used, fewer trim rings. The often-seen Carousel Red hue (Code 72) was actually the same as Chevrolet's "Hugger Orange" and while it was used in advertising and a popular color choice for buyers, there were other colors available on The Judge models. Sales totaled 6,833. 

1970

For 1970 the GTO was restyled, the elimination of hideaway headlights among the changes. Big changes under the hood was the first-ever availability of an optional 455-cid V8 powerplant. 

This was a milestone year of sorts for the GTO as for the first time, the availability of the 455-cid engine was available, rated at 360horsepower.  The 455 wasn't a high-horsepower engine as delivered to the GTO, as the primary focus on factory-tweaking the GTO engine selection had always revolved around the 400-cid powerplant. However, with an available extra 55-cubic inches there was now ample opportunity for private engine builders to create more power to the ground. Cosmetic styling changes came this year and gone were the hide-a-way headlights. To enhance handling, a rear sway bar was added this year as standard equipment.   

The 1970 model of The Judge saw a redesigned rear spoiler with a much more effective design that actually did provide downforce, black-hued grille, side stripes over the wheel openings, extending into doors and continued the use of the400-cid Ram Air engine, rated at 366-horsepower and fitted with 10.5:1compression pistons. When CARS Magazine drag tested a 1970 Judge (equipped with close-ratio 4-speed and 3.90:1 rear gears), it weighed in at 4100 pounds and ran a 14.45-second time down the 1/4-mile.  

Evidenced in this shot of the optional hood tach on a 1970 GTO, 5100 rpm factory redline for the optional Ram Air H.O. 400-cid engine with a 366-horsepower rating.   

"The Judge" option continued for 1970, receiving louder graphics as well as a differently designed rear wing spoiler. 

 1971

1971marked the last year for "The Judge" option, and only 357 were sold. There were only 17 buyers that opted for the convertible version. Honeycomb wheels were a $100.00 option, and only one was built in the Tropical Greenhue!  

Things changed all across the board throughout Detroit for the 1971 model year, less emphasis on performance. For the GTO, it caused the engines to be emasculated with a reduction of power, mainly as a result of the change to lower compression ratios. The GTO standard 400-cid powerplant was rated at 300horsepower (dropped to 8.2:1 compression ratio). Also, 1971 saw a redesigned, more bulky, Endura front bumper that gave the car a heavier appearance. Twin front mounted air slots were now part of the GTO's hood design.  

1971marked the last year for "The Judge" option, and only 357 were sold. There were only 17 buyers that opted for the convertible version. Honeycomb wheels were a $100.00 option, and only one was built in the Tropical Green hue!   

1972

This model year GTOs are basically carry-over versions of the previous year, but now with wire mesh grille inserts and extractors on the front lower fenders. This model year the rating of the horsepower was listed as "net" rather than the way it was always listed in the past, "gross" which meant without typical equipment (as example restricted exhaust systems, closed air filter housings and emissions devices).

The base GTO 400 was now dropped to a rated horsepower of 250 at 4400 rpm. The optional 455-cid "HO" engine was listed as having 300 horsepower with 8.4:1 compression ratio, and could be ordered with Ram Air and transistorized ignition systems.

In total, 5,807 GTO hardtops and convertibles, were produced in '72.   

1973

Ina real fluke, High-Performance CARS Magazine proclaimed the "SD-455 1973GTO" as their Car of the Year winner for 1973. However, as it turned out, none were built as between the time they drove the prototype at the press debut and the time the model year was released, the project was killed by the front office. How ever, a few SD-455 Trans-Am Firebirds were built.  

For1973 the new Pontiac LeMans Colonnade A-body design, named so as a result of the c-pillar roof design, was what the GTO option was based on, and standard came "babymoon" hub caps with beauty rings.   

For1973 Pontiac decided to introduce a whole new car, a "sports sedan," and it was called Grand Am. This car, with a pronounced flexible rubber front nose, had a dramatic look to it and was available in both 2-door and 4-door varieties. It turned out to be a wise marketing move, as it was a big success with over 40,000 total sold. As a result of the Grand Am introduction, the 1973 GTO was somewhat of an afterthought. GTOs were based on the newly restyled LeMans body, and had a standard 230-horsepower 400-cid engine, with an optional 455 available rated at 250 horsepower.  

Unfortunately, there was nothing all that special about it, the only exclusive visual features were a twin grille treatment and NACA ducts on the hood. Add in the huge, ugly bumpers front and rear, it was not a pretty sight. As a result, there was never a lot of love for it, and with only 4,806 GTOs produced in that model year, it was the worst-selling one of all. Here's how Jim Wanger's described it: "The 'Goat' at its worst. After decimating the 1973 GTO by stealing every good feature for the new Grand Am project, Pontiac had the gall to bring this mess to market." 

1974

This year saw a major change for the GTO, as for the first time, it was now based on the small Chevy Nova platform, which was in Pontiac's case, the "Ventura" model. Power came from a Pontiac 350-cid V8, which had a very low 7.6:1 compression ratio, delivering 200-horsepower using a four-barrel Rochester carburetor. A functional rear-facing "Shaker" hood scoop was part of the package. as was a stiffer suspension system with F&R anti-sway bars as standard equipment. Cars Magazine in their May of 1974 issue, track-tested one, with a 4-speed manual transmission, and achieved a 1/4-mile dragstrip time of 15.72 seconds at 88 mph. The days of fast cars from Detroit were over.   

The editors did have some positive things to say about the car: "The Ventura-bodied GTO is lighter, and thus can deliver equivalent performance with a smaller engine. Smaller engines mean fewer pollutants and lower insurance premiums. In addition, the Ventura is more in keeping with the original concept of the GTO which was a small, light car with enough power to move it out smartly." Obviously the 1974 GTO was not as potent as compared to previous GTOs from the glory days, but by the mid-1970s, things had changed for "performance cars" in Detroit, drastically in fact. The Nova-based GTO was a one-year-only car, and the only rear leaf-springed version ever produced, all previous models had coils. 7,058 were produced with 1,723 of them the hatchback model.  

Available as a standard coupe and optional hatchback, the 1974 GTO was a clone of the Chevy Nova from the rear, except for revised taillights.  At the time, some enthusiasts bemoaned the car, saying that "the name's the same but the image is gone."  

AUSTRALIAN GTO 

Ona trip to the GM subsidiary Holden headquarters in Australia during 2002, Bob Lutz (then the Head of Product Development and Chairman of General Motors)discovered the Holden Monaro Coupe, a 350-horsepower, 5.7-liter LS1 V8-powered rear-wheel-drive platform, and quickly saw a way to add a performance car to the American market, a reborn Pontiac GTO. Drag strip testing of a 2004 GTO saw1/4-mile times of 13.62-seconds flat, at 104.78-mph, with 0-60 miles per hour in 5.3 seconds. Car and Driver Magazine praised the car when they tested a prototype prior to the car being released, but the editors weren't totally impressed with the re-badged Down Under car's styling: "Okay, the new GTO's styling is a snooze. It doesn't look like the old Goat. Somewhat anonymous-looking. "They were sold in the USA for 2004-2006 model years, with a total of 40,808units sold.   

Although the down-under derived GTO certainly didn't sell in numbers in what the Pontiac division had hoped for, the car did show the GM front office that it would be possible to bring in platforms from their various off-shore divisions. Bob Lutz did say this about the Australian-based GTO when he was reflecting on his GM career when retiring in 2009: "That's the car that got us convinced that we could use the global product development scheme. Up until then, no one had tried anything like that. The GTO was my proudest accomplishment."   

1977

Injecting excitement into the Le Mans Sport Coupe for the 1977 model year, the "Can-Am" was born and included in the special features was a 6.6Lfour-barrel V8, a Trans-Am Shaker hood scoop, rally suspension, premium Grand Prix dash, contoured rear spoiler and tri-tone accent stripes. It wasn't a GTO, however that didn't stop the marketing folks not to tie-in a "Goat" reference in the advertising campaign.  

As part of a tie-in promotion with the pop singing group "The Monkees" that had their own TV show. A "Monkee mobile" was created, starting with a 1966 GTO convertible and heavily modified by Dean Jeffries. MPC Model Company replicated the car in1/25th scale and sold in excess of seven million plastic kits!   

The Term "GOAT"  

Early on, enthusiasts gave the GTO a nickname, "Goat," which was a play on the letters. Jim Wangers later explained that the term was in fact "a personal expression of affection for the car. Out of the mouths of themselves came the name that has survived through the years." 

In retrospect, by the end of the 11-year run of the GTO, these cars had a huge impact on the American car scene. In all, there were 514,793 GTOs built and these cars had a major impact on the performance car world, and today any vintage GTO is still highly regarded by collectors worldwide.