Pontiacs of Central California Events in April

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Dan Irwin

The Pontiacs of Central California car club will be hosting a Pontiac Cruise on Saturday, April 6th 2013 in Clovis at the Southeast corner of Herndon and Clovis Ave. The gathering will take place from 2:00PM to 6:00PM.

On Saturday, April 27th 2013, the Pontiacs of Central California car club will have their annual Central Valley Classic All Pontiac-Oldsmobile-Buick-Cadillac & GMC car/truck show in Madera, Ca. Below is a link to the show flyer and registration form: http://www.pontiacsofcentralcalifornia.org/2013cvc/2013%20flyer.pdf

1968 GTO

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Dan Irwin

1968 GTO

Nearly seven inches shorter in overall length than the 1967 GTO, the 1968 Pontiac GTO as well as the other cars in the Tempest/LeMans family received a completely new, more rounded body style. The stacked headlamps of the three previous years were replaced with the return of side-by-side headlamps. With the 1968 model, the GTO was the first GM car to have an Endura front bumper color-matched to the car’s paint. With the initial challenges of getting paint to adhere to the Endura bumper delaying full availability, the chrome LeMans bumper was briefly offered as a no-cost “Endura Delete” option for the GTO in early 1968. The $52.66 hide-away headlamps option was also new for the 1968 GTO. As with the 1967 GTO, the hood-mounted tachometer and the Rally II wheels were available options. The post coupe model was dropped, leaving only hardtop and convertible models for 1968.

The available engines for the 1968 GTO were once again variations of the Pontiac 400. The base engine for the 1968 GTO was a four barrel carbureted 400 rated at 350 hp. The optional four barrel carbureted 400 HO (for High Output) and the 400 HO with Ram Air were both rated at 360 hp. In March of 1968, Pontiac introduced the Ram Air II engine. With re-designed cylinder heads with large round exhaust ports, the header-type exhaust manifolds, forged pistons, forged steel crankshaft, a high-lift cam and high-revving valve-train, the Ram Air II engine was rated at 366 hp. A no-cost option two-barrel carbureted 400 (available only with an automatic transmission) was once again available for folks who wanted a GTO but not the added gasoline and insurance expenses that came with the higher performance engines. As in 1967, Pontiac used the famous 6.5 Litre emblem on the 68 GTO even though it related to the 389 cubic inch engines of the first three model years of the GTO.

The 1968 GTO was named Motor Trend’s “Car of the Year.”

1968 GTO Production Numbers:

77,704 Hardtops

9,980 Convertibles

Total Production: 87,684

1968 GTO Hardtop with the Optional Hide-Away Headlamps

A 1968 picture of a 1968 GTO Hardtop with the Standard Headlamps

1968 GTO Convertible with the “Endura Delete” Option (Photo courtesy of ultimategto.com)

2013 Muscle Cars Postage Stamps

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Dan Irwin

2013 Muscle Cars Postage Stamps

The United States Postal Service has issued Muscle Cars Stamps as part of their “America on the Move” series. Represented by the 1966 model, the GTO is one of five muscle cars selected to have its own stamp. A sheet of 20 stamps has four stamps of each of the selected muscle cars. Visit https://www.usps.com/stamps/ for the official announcement of these stamps. You can also visit https://store.usps.com/store/browse/productDetailSingleSku.jsp?productId=P_842619&categoryId=promo_MuscleCars to view a picture of the beautiful GTO stamp.

1967 GTO

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Dan Irwin

1967 GTO

The 1967 Pontiac GTO was again a full-fledged model instead of just an option package of the Tempest/LeMans and its appearance is very similar to the 1966 GTO. A new plastic grille, rocker moldings (including the relocated “GTO 6.5 Litre” emblem), and the taillamps are the most noticeable exterior differences between the 1966 and 1967 GTOs. Two new exterior options were introduced in 1967: A hood-mounted tachometer and the Rally II wheels. Again, the GTO had the signature Pontiac stacked headlamps and split front grille and was available in coupe, hardtop, and convertible models.

The biggest change between the 1967 GTO and the 1966 is under the hood. A 400 cubic inch engine replaced the 389 from the previous years and the famous “Tri-Power” carburetion was no longer an option. (Note: Despite the increase in cubic inches, Pontiac kept the GTO’s familiar 6.5 Litre emblems) The base engine for the 1967 GTO was a four barrel carbureted 400 rated at 335 hp. The optional four barrel carbureted 400 HO (for High Output) was rated at 360 hp. Header type exhaust manifolds, a hotter cam, and an open-element air cleaner contributed to the extra power. The cold air induction “Ram Air” kit making the center-mounted hood scoop functional could be ordered for the HO. A no-cost option two-barrel carbureted 400 (available only with an automatic transmission) was available for folks who wanted a GTO but not the added gasoline and insurance expenses that came with the higher performance engines.

1967 GTO Production Numbers:

65,176 Hardtops

9,517 Convertibles

7,029 Coupes

Total Production: 81,722

1967 GTO Hardtop

1967 GTO Convertible

1967 GTO Coupe (photo courtesy of motortopia.com)

Thunder Valley Show & Shine and Downtown Lincoln Car Show

Posted on March 16, 2013 by Dan Irwin

On Friday May 31st, 2013 there will be a Show & Shine at Thunder Valley Casino and the very next day, Saturday June 1st, 2013, there will be a Car Show in Downtown Lincoln. Please see the attached entry form. Members from the Northern California GTO Club will be showing their cars at the Friday night Thunder Valley Casino event.

Special note to Northern California GTO Club members: If you plan to show your car at the Show & Shine on Friday May 31st, please contact John Gilbert at jg64gto@gmail.com or 916.988.4419 to reserve your parking space with the club.

1966 GTO

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Dan Irwin

1966 GTO

In 1966, Pontiac made the GTO a full-fledged model instead of just an option package of the Tempest/LeMans. The 1966 GTO had the same wheelbase as the 1965 GTO, but was three inches longer with a little more weight. Once again, the GTO had the signature Pontiac stacked headlamps and split front grille and was available in coupe, hardtop, and convertible models. Unlike the 1964 and 1965 GTO coupes and hardtops, the rear glass of the 1966 GTO coupes and hardtops was set in a “tunnel back” fashion with sail panels sloping back from the roof.

The available engines for the 1966 GTO were the same as in the 1965 models, with the standard four barrel carbureted 389 V8 rated at 335 hp and the three two-barrel carbureted (Tri-Power) 389 V8 rated at 360 hp. The cold air induction kit making the center-mounted hood scoop functional for the Tri-Power GTOs was once again a dealer-installed option.

1966 GTO Production Numbers:

73,785 Hardtops

12,798 Convertibles

10,363 Coupes

Total Production: 96,946

1966 GTO Hardtop

1966 GTO Coupe – Rear (Photo courtesy of ultimategto.com)

1966 GTO Convertible (Photo courtesy of flemingsultimategarage.com)

1965 GTO

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Dan Irwin

1965 GTO

For the 1965 model year, the GTO was once again a $295.90 option for the Pontiac Tempest/LeMans. The 1965 GTO had twin stacked headlamps replacing the side-by-side units of the 1964 model and a single center mounted hood scoop. Once again, the GTO was available in coupe, hardtop, and convertible models.

With a more aggressive camshaft profile and a revised intake manifold, the horsepower rating of the standard four barrel carbureted 389 V8 was bumped from 325 hp to 335 hp. The horsepower rating of the three two-barrel carbureted (Tri-Power) 389 V8 was raised to 360 hp. In August of 1965, Pontiac introduced a cold air induction kit for the Tri-Power GTOs, making the hood scoop functional with the purpose of feeding colder air to the engine.

1965 GTO Production Numbers:

55,722 Hardtops

11,311 Convertibles

8,319 Coupes

Total Production: 75,352

1965 GTO Hardtop

1965 GTO Convertible

1965 GTO Coupe

1964 GTO

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Dan Irwin

1964 GTO

Welcome to our first “About the GTO” post starting with the first year. Known as the first true muscle car, the 1964 Pontiac GTO (Grand Turismo Omologato) was actually a $295.90 extra-cost option for the Pontiac Tempest/LeMans. In 1963, General Motors instituted a corporate ban on all factory-backed racing programs which also meant keeping the power-to-weight ratios among regular production models in check. All new models had to be approved by upper management and large displacement engines were not getting approved for smaller cars, therefore, a compact car like the Tempest with a big cubic inch V8 would’ve never been approved for production. John DeLorean (yes, that John DeLorean), who worked for Pontiac at the time, found a way around this by making the GTO an option since new options on already existing models didn’t require approval above the division level.

The 1964 GTO was available in hardtop, coupe, and convertible models. The engines of choice were a 325 hp four-barrel carbureted 389 V8 or a 348 hp three two-barrel carbureted (Tri-Power) V8.

1964 GTO Production Numbers:

18,422 Hardtops

7,384 Coupes

6,644 Convertibles

Total Production: 32,450