BIG B-O-PPERS

DURING THE 1960S, MID- size muscle cars increasingly infiltrated a performance market that had been owned by full-size models with large displacement engines. This transition initiated at the Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac (B-O-P) divisions with the arrival of the Pontiac GTO for 1964, followed by the Oldsmobile 4-4-2 later in that model year and the Buick Skylark Gran Sport partway through 1965.

It didn’t mean that full-size car styling and power weren’t still advancing, however. The GM B-body was skillfully redesigned, providing contemporary lines and curved side glass for 1965, and most two-door hardtops featured a sporty semi-fastback roofline. Each division instilled its own character traits in the exterior panels that were installed on the shared inner body structure, resulting in enthusiastically executed individual identities that were instantly recognizable