A Bite of History – Mike Thies

Pontiac GTO

Meet the car that kicked off the muscle car era: the Pontiac GTO. Born in 1964, it was basically a Pontiac Tempest with a rebellious twist, a massive 389 V8 engine stuffed under the hood, some attitude sprinkled in, and just enough rule-bending to make it legendary.

The GTO wasn't supposed to exist. GM had a ban on racing, but John DeLorean (yeah, that DeLorean) and his team found a loophole, offering the big engine as an “option package.” The result? A street-legal beast that could smoke tires and still look good doing it.

Nicknamed the “Goat,” the GTO ruled the streets through the late ‘60s with hits like the ‘Judge’ edition in 1969, loud, bold, and painted in colors that screamed speed.

Though it faded out by the mid-‘70s, and made a short comeback in the 2000s, the original GTO still stands as muscle car royalty, a legend born from a little rule-breaking and a lot of horsepower.