Pick of the Day: 1966 Pontiac GTO
By: By Andy Reid
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Pick of the Day: 1966 Pontiac GTO
A great example of the first real muscle car ever
The Pontiac GTO is one of the most important cars in post war U.S. auto history. This is because many think of it as the first true muscle car ever. The GTO was conceived to be a muscle car at the start after GM execs saw how kids were modifying their mid size street cars, making them faster and more flashy. GM decided to start doing this in house despite the GM ban on racing and the result was the launch of the GTO as its own model in 1964.
An interesting fact about the GTO is that GM got its name from the legendary Ferrari 250 GTO. GTO is an Italian acronym for “Gran Turismo Omologato” (grand tourer homologate in English), which signified in the case of the Ferrari 250 GTO that the car in question was certified by the FIA for racing in the grand tourer class as a production car with at least a hundred units made. Unlike Ferrari who did not make 100 250 GTO cars, a very cool Pontiac employee had the car homologated by the FIA in 1964, so that it was possible for the GTO to compete in European sports car racing.
The GTO we have here as our Pick of the Day is a first generation 1966 GTO convertible located in Vero Beach, Florida. [ spam deleted] They state that this GTO is one that has recently received a no-expense-spared restoration. All around this car you can see that a significant amount of time and money went into bringing it to its fantastic condition.
The trim tag correct Montero Red exterior paint looks to be excellent as does all the chrome and other trim on the cars exterior. The white power convertible top goes up and down at the push of a lever and is said to fit perfectly.
This GTO is powered by a 389ci/335 hp V8 with Tri-Power carburetors tied to a 4-speed manual transmission. The seller adds that this GTO represents the perfect build and is a great vehicle to drive.
Options on this GTO include a correct matching red interior with bucket seats and center console, a custom sports steering wheel, rally gauge cluster with tachometer, and push button AM/FM radio. It is equipped with power steering, a SafT-Track rear, ride and handling springs, shocks, stabilizer and Hurst Rally II wheels that are riding on newer Redline radial tires. They close stating that this GTO checks all the boxes and that Pontiac Historical Society documents are included with the vehicle.
I have said this before and I’ll say it again. It is always cheaper to buy a restored car than to have one restored . [spam deleted]
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How many cars are so great they have songs written about them? I know there are a few, but G.T.O. is sung in the movie RV which I recently watched again - I liked Robin Williams.
Goat! Sweet!
Goat???
Greatest of all time.
LOL. If he had said G.O.A.T. I could have found out what he meant.
Nickname for GTO
Goat
There are a lot of urban legends where the term "GOAT" GTO original stood for Gran Turismo Omolgato, which was a John DeLorean dig at Ferrari. Americans like to modify car names for some reason, that's why you hear Corvettes called "vettes and Mustangs "stangs".
Some legends sat that the GTO was just to cumbersome so the GTO became got with a long O sound hence Goat, but my personal favorite is......A goat is an animal that will eat anything, so a Pontiac GTO "goat" will eat anything in a drag race at the time.
Thanks for that explanation. One of my best friends loved Mustangs and drove them even though he was a big guy and it wasn't a big space for him. He called it his "Mouse". It was before the days of computers.
Aha!!!
The first time I heard that term was in a discussion about athletes. Here's what I found by googling it
GOAT as an acronym for "(the) greatest of all time" (also considered as a noun ) originally referred to Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers of all time.
The first written usage is from 1992 as G.O.A.T. Inc., the name of a company incorporated by Muhammad Ali's wife. The first written usage of GOAT to refer to someone is from 1996.
However, GOAT has its roots in mid-1960's when Muhammad Ali was referring to himself as "the greatest of all time". It can be used for anyone and in any field. One can even call their mom "the goat", for example when she cooks their favorite meal. Here is the full origin story from boston.com : (Cont'd)
A character in Infinite Jest (Joelle, whose face may or may not have been subsequently destroyed by acid) by David Foster Wallace was the PGOAT (Prettiest Girl of All Time). It was was written in the mid 90s..
Good God you youngster's, it’s just a nickname a GTO from back in the day
BA-A-A-A-A-A-AH, Humbug.
And from time to time it can even mean this...
Heard them called goats and that GTO stood for Gas, Tires and Oil.
It could even stand for Good Times Only.
A big engine in a light car.
Loved by a generation that grew up in the family station wagon. Go figure?
I never knew anyone who had a G.T.O.
Neither did I. I do remember my schoolmates drooling over them.
Someday you'll have to do something on the girl's favorite car.
(In honor of Mary Tyler Moore)
Do you mean the 1980 Oldsmobile 98? My father took a respite from Cadillacs and tried one, but he didn't like it and gave it to me. I didn't like it either - considered it just a big long car without anything special. Maybe that's why GM stopped making them.
Back in the early 1950s our next door neighbour, whose name was Nathan Sherman, bought a 1951 Oldsmobile 98 that seemed to have a lot of flashy chrome on it.
It had a licence plate that said "JE1". He told us they wanted to write "JEW" but they ran out of ink. LOL
Actually, I was thinking of the car that many claim was the choice of so many women in the early 70s.
Not to jump time periods.
opening screen credits. Listed as Lot #113 in Twin Cities Auction.
This prominent gaffe is remarkable because in the episode where Mary gets her new Mustang, she'd chosen a light green one to get but Rhoda bought and made payments on a yellow car. So naturally the production team chose a blue convertible for the credits. Obviously, they'd picked a car before the new car episode was penned. Too bad no one looked at the screen credits! It turns out that the blue convertible did survive and recently was auctioned this summer at Twin Cities Auction in St Paul/Minneapolis on June 22, 2019. It was during their Back To the 50s event held at the Minnesota State Fairground. It was a one-day event.
The MTM mustang listed as Lot # 113 was described as listed by the Marti Report doc as originally leased to Ford''s Twin Cities District Office as a company car. Additional information states "it was supplied to use for filming introductory scenes in Minneapolis for the third season of Mary Tyler Moore show." American Car Collector journalist, B. Mitchell Carlson noted in his coverage of this event that the car received a driver grade restoration which was done two decades ago and was still presentable." The car was high bid to $16,500 before rolling off unsold. Apparently, the reserve was higher than this amount.
the car shown for sale.
My take on this particular car? Well I am confused by the color difference between the B Roll clip and the vibrant hue shown here. In the screen credits the car appears to be a notably lighter shade of blue. In modern color with today's digital technology, all sorts of color correction and hue shifting can occur. We also must not forget that video color can degrade so fast compared to actual film stock. I kinda wish the Mustang really was that washed out blue shade I see in the still. I think it's a more likely color Mary would have chosen instead of the macho metallic deep blue. That said, it is a striking car and looks great with argent lower accents and white top. I did contact the Blue Line Auto Collision firm in Anoka about this car but the gentleman, Rob, who replied said he couldn't tell much about it as the car was done before his time by the previous shop owner.
Lost Star Cars Special:1973 Mary Tyler Moore Mustang | phscollectorcarworld
I don't know what to say. I think I once saw a meme that said, if you don't know what to say, don't say it, so I won't.
Can I quote you on that?
The best muscle Mustang imo.
Yes, as long as you give me credit for it.
Pontiac turned out some great cars and the GTO was at the top of the list.
I liked them. I had a 1959 Pontiac convertible that I traded onto a 1964 Pontiac convertible and later bought a 1973 Pontiac Grand Am (the rubber nose car).
GTOs would run fast and looked good!
That's a real compliment coming from a "Charger" champion.
One of my all time favorites when I was younger.
Not many know there were 3 cars in the Pontiac line , all based on the same body style , and price based.
Tempest was considered the middle aged affordable family car.
Lemans was considered the poor man's GTO with less available options and still considered suitable for a family.
And then came the sporty GTO.
All targeted to different demographic targets.
They all looked alike with subtle differences from tail light design and outward accessories such as the GTO hood scoop, but all had the same basic lines.
A Car for All Seasons (to twist a movie title).