GTO Parts and History

GTO Parts & History

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GTO History

GTO Clone? (ask me if you want to know)

John Z. Delorean joined the ranks of Pontiac in 1956 at 31 as the director of Advanced Engineering. After only 5 years he became Chief Engineer and in 1964 the muscle car era began with a little option package added to the Lemans know by three letters GTO, "Grand Turismo Omologato". Loosely translated from Italian, an Accredited Grand Touring car. This differentiated it from the smaller sports cars of the time which did not provide comfort on long trips. The option package included:

389-cubic-inch V8 with 325-horsepower

Dual exhausts

Carter AFB four-barrel carburetor

Mild hydraulic camshaft

Special hydraulic lifters

Three-speed manual transmission with a Hurst shifter

Heavy-duty clutch

Heavy-duty suspension

US Royal red-line tires

3.23:1 rear axle ratio

Simulated hood scoops

GTO emblems

Bucket seats

These options add a whopping $295.00 to the price tag and was available on the two-door coupe, hardtop, and convertible. And if that wasn't enough of a wow factor, additional options included:

348 horsepower Tri-Power engine (three 2 Barrel carburetors)

four speed manual transmission

Two speed automatic

Power windows

Power seats

AM/FM radio with Verba-Phonic rear speakers

Tilt steering

Tachometer

Air conditioning

Metallic brake linings

The GTO is rumored to have been snuck past GM executives and only 5,000 unit were scheduled for production. The model year ended with an impressive 32,450 units produced. The desire for these car spawned competitors to hit the drawing boards in order to reap the rewards of the muscle car craze. Pontiac sold 75,352 GTOs in 1965 more than double the previous year, and the rest as they say is history.

We have tracked down quality parts and literature to help you restore your pride and joy. It doesn't mater if you are rebuilding a true GTO or just trying to recreate memories by cloning a Lemans. Let Corbett's Auto help your dreams come true.