Car: Pontiac GTO Hardtop Coupe
Year: 1967
What makes it special: The 1967 Pontiac GTO stands as one of the most beautiful muscle cars of all time. To their iconic muscle car’s pleasing nose, Pontiac designers added simple polished “chain link” grille inserts. At the tail, they resculpted some edges and cleaned up the lamps. Without disturbing the matchless lines of the ’66, the stylists had created an aesthetic triumph.
What made it famous: Something fresh lurked behind the 1967 Pontiac GTO’s gorgeous new grille: The standard engine was now a 400 cid enlargement of the 389 cid V8. Compression was unchanged, and the base version, with its 4-barrel carburetor made 335 horsepower. But taking over the 360 horsepower slot from the discontinued tri-carburetor setup was a new single 4-barrel High Output option. It added a higher-lift camshaft, free-flow exhaust manifolds, and an open-element air cleaner. Also, the 1967 Pontiac GTO’s HO mill could be fitted with Ram Air. These ultimate GTO V8’s had extra-strong valve springs and a longer-duration cam; they were underrated at 360 horsepower. The Ram Air package consisted of hardware that opened the otherwise nonfunctional hood scoops, plus a pan that went around the open-element air cleaner and mated to the hood with a foam-rubber skirt.
Why I would want one: The ’65-’67 Pontiac GTO’s are iconic in both design and performance.
Fun fact: The last Pontiac GTO, which was also the very last Monaro-based coupe produced, came off the assembly line in Australia on June 14, 2006.
Powered by CCS Insurance
