I found this on another site. I have yet to verify its accuracy. But it lines up well with what I have heard.
"1964 GTO on the Pontiac home plant assembly line in Pontiac, MI.
The 1964 GTO was created by engineers Russ Gee and Bill Collins. John DeLorean, as Chief Engineer, loved the idea, but GM corporate policy prevented using an engine this large in an intermediate sized car. DeLorean knew that the committee responsible for approving new models would veto the GTO due to its 389 cid engine, so he proposed the GTO as an option on the LeMans model. This bypassed the committee entirely, but he had to sell the idea to Pontiac. Pontiac's General Manager, Pete Estes, along with Pontiac Sales Manager Frank Bridge, would be the two men that DeLorean met with to pitch the GTO. Frank Bridge worked with Zone Managers and maintained dealer relations. His job was simply to sell cars. He disliked the idea of the GTO calling it a teenager's hot rod. DeLorean wanted Bridge to commit to selling 5,000 units so the GTO could be pre-sold before GM found out about it. Bridge objected and told DeLorean he would be lucky to sell 500 units, but if DeLorean could get dealers to take 5,000 orders, he would approve. In a matter of days, more than 5,000 orders had been placed. DeLorean and Estes were confident that once GM found out the GTO, it would be too embarrassing to cancel it because dealers already sold them.
For the first few months of production Pontiac maintained a very low profile and did not advertise the GTO. In fact they kept the GTO option out of their Tempest/LeMans brochure entirely, but they did supply dealers with ordering information. As late as November 1963, two months into production, Pontiac's advertising man Jim Wangers still feared that someone at GM would discover the rule breaking GTO option and immediately cancel the car. As word got around, GTO sales grew. When GM fully understood what had happened, they could have immediately shut down the GTO, but Pete Estes, Pontiac's general manager, put his career on the line by keeping the GTO away from GM top brass until it was too late. Estes deserves a lot of credit for the GTO.
By year end over 32,000 1964 GTOs had been sold and the muscle car era was born. - MCN"
1964, my very first brand new car - the '64 Pontiac GTO. Silver Blue with black interior; my first four speed. I loved that car until a drunk in a '62 Buick station wagon ran a red light and t-boned it. Totaled.
I had the immense pleasure of owning 2 GTO’s in my 70 years on this floating rock. My first was a 3 year old, fairly mild mannered 1970 model that was purchased when I got out of the Army. Looking back, that was the overall nicest, most comfortable, best handling car I think I ever owned. I totaled it when a pickup pulled dead in front of me. Fast forward a few years when I had a little discretional income and I came across a really nice ‘65 that was had stupid cheap. Muscle cars weren’t too much in demand with the price of gas rising. My dream car at that time was a ‘64 model but this one was too nice to pass up, midnight blue hardtop, tripower, 4 speed close ratio, and a 390 posi, just like I would have ordered it. I detailed it out, put some SS Cragers on it, and deemed it to be my forever car. Stolen, stripped, and burnt after about a month.
Found this pic online that looks almost exactly like my ‘65, except that this is a post coupe, mine was a hardtop. Mine had Cragers, this one has AR’s (which I like better.
Found this pic online that looks almost exactly like my ‘65, except that this is a post coupe, mine was a hardtop. Mine had Cragers, this one has AR’s (which I like better.
That story about GTO's production is pretty much the way I've always heard it. It was all kept hush-hush until it was too successful to be eliminated. 😎 😎
I’m going a little off-topic, but since some of you commented on the dark blue, this is the car that imprinted that color in my brain. In 1963 I was 11 years old, and lived in a very small rural town. I was out front of my house with my buddies, when this car pulled up. Please note that this photo was one that I found online, but is exactly like mine I’ve studied this photo over and over trying to find a clue if it is the one I owned as I lost track of it through the years since I sold it. My second cousin bought it new and her major reason for that particular car was that she wanted a manual shift because that’s what she was taught on. She wasn’t really concerned with the HO 421, the 8 lug wheels, or all the other go-fast goodies, she liked the 4 speed and the Ventura interior. I told her at the time, and throughout the years that if she ever sold it, that I wanted it. Years later she actually called and said she was ready to unload it. I had to sell it because I lost storage and couldn’t really afford to keep it. I would love to find it, but now I really couldn’t afford it In ‘83 I paid $3500.00, pretty close to the original price. OK, now if you are still with me, I’ll tie this into the GTO story. There was a Pontiac dealership called ROYAL would modify a stock GTO into a “BOBCAT”. They would install the beastly 421, fine tune it, and do various other mods to turn in into a ground shaker. Believe me, that engine was crazy fast with so much torque it would break motor mounts.
I love this dark blue (Nocturne Blue Poly) color on the '63 Pontiacs, especially the Grand Prix, but my favorite was Marlin Aqua Poly (Dark Aqua Metallic). I sure hope Goldvarg Models do the '63 Pontiac soon!
