1966 Pontiac GTO: Muscle Cars In Detail No. 13

By David Bonaskiewich

Pontiac's GTO is often credited as being the first muscle car. As model year 1966 ended, an astounding 96,946 GTOs traversed Pontiac assembly lines, which set a high-water mark that would cement the GOAT as the most salable muscle car that was produced during the golden age of performance.

Author David Bonaskiewich examines this model year in precise detail, taking into account every cosmetic change and optional hardware that warranted this sales boom. The Coke-bottle styling for the remodeled GTO certainly tipped the scales for some consumers. However, as they say, "The devil is in the details."

This book delves into those details, showcasing the vast array of optional equipment across its three bodystyles (hardtop, sports coupe, and convertible). Thorough examinations of the drivetrain, interior, suspension, brakes, and wheels and tires are exhaustive, which unveils exactly why the 1966 GTO was the most successful muscle car ever assembled.

Tune up those Tri-Power carburetors, turn on your favorite tune, and twist the key with 1966 Pontiac GTO: In Detail!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Car Tech
• Release date: Dec 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9781613257593

David Bonaskiewich

Since he was very young, Dave Bonaskiewich has had an unbridled enthusiasm for cars. His father was a mechanic who was fond of Fords, but was supportive when Dave developed a strong interest in Pontiacs during his teenage years. Together, they rebuilt his first car, a 1970 LeMans, which Dave continues to drive every chance he gets. He has contributed many feature articles for <i>High Performance Pontiac, Smoke Signals, Timeless Muscle</i>, and <i>Poncho Perfection</i> magazines.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

Most classic car enthusiasts agree that the 1964 Pontiac GTO was the first true muscle car because it had a big engine in a midsize chassis, a racy appearance, and something that the few naysayers often forget: a targeted sales approach to the speed-obsessed youth market. As an option package on the LeMans, the GTO sold 32,450 units in its debut year and 75,352 in 1965. Those strong sales figures prompted Pontiac to designate the GTO as its own model in 1966, which resulted in a staggering 96,946 GTOs sold. That figure that would never be surpassed.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but it is difficult to imagine someone who doesn’t view the 1966 Pontiac GTO as a stunningly beautiful automobile. A complete redesign from the previous year, the 1966 models still employed the stacked headlight feature of the 1965 cars, but the sheet metal now incorporated a few more curves, and the iconic flying-buttress rear window design was introduced. Taillights were cleverly concealed by louvers, which gave the GTO a very distinctive rear-end style that is a favorite aspect among aficionados.

Yes, other manufacturers produced powerful and handsome machines, but they were all chasing the GTO’s tail, as many brands adopted similar design cues. The 1966 Ford Fairlane was clearly inspired by the 1965 GTO; it displayed a stacked headlight design and an overall silhouette that echoed Pontiac’s supercar. The 1968 Chevrolet Corvette and the 1968 Dodge Charger successfully utilized the flying-buttress rear window styling feature two full years after it was introduced on the GTO.

As the decades pass, the legacy of the GTO only grows more intense, and hindsight proves that the 1966 model represents one of the most iconic designs in automotive history. Undoubtedly, the designers’ keen eye for detail and the freedom of not being bound by safety and fuel-economy standards positively impacted the final product.

The 1964 hit song G.T.O. by Ronny & the Daytonas summed it up perfectly:

"Three deuces and a 4-speed

And a 389

Listen to her tachin’ up now

Listen to her whine

C’mon and turn it on, wind it up, blow it out, GTO!"

CHAPTER 1

PONTIAC HISTORY: PRELUDE TO THE GTO

Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Pontiac relied heavily on American Indian– themed ornamentation. Although these designs are beautiful, they did not represent Pontiac’s new direction for the 1960s. That new direction featured sleeker designs and a more restrained use of chrome and began a new chapter in the brand’s history.

Within the fervent collector and muscle car hobby, Pontiac Motor Division is now synonymous with high-performing and thoughtfully styled automobiles. With so many iconic nameplates, such as Bonneville, Catalina, Grand Prix, Trans Am, and, of course, GTO, it is easy to forget that Pontiac was not always associated with speed and performance.

In 1955, Pontiac had the sixth-place market position behind Chevrolet, Ford, Buick, Plymouth, and Oldsmobile. Sales were down across the board, and there were rumors that Pontiac would be absorbed by the more successful Oldsmobile division. The simple, workaday cars that Pontiac produced in previous years would not be sufficient if it wanted to prosper in the 1960s and beyond.

Homing in on the changing times and demographics was paramount to the survival and eventual triumph of the Pontiac brand. Shunning the designs of the past, the younger generation expected its cars to be more than basic conveyances. An air of sophistication and youthful exuberance was emerging and was the key to unlocking Pontiac’s success for decades to come.

BUNKIE KNUDSEN

In 1956, Harlow Curtice, president of General Motors (GM), appointed Semon Bunkie Knudsen as the general manager of Pontiac. Knudsen, only 43 years old at the time, was the youngest general manager in GM history and was given the monumental task of resuscitating the brand. His now-famous quote, You can sell a young man’s car to an old man, but you can’t sell an old man’s car to a young man, provided the youth-oriented sentiment that ultimately led to the creation of Pontiac’s most revered model: the GTO.

The 1955 Pontiac was defined by two-tone paint, copious amounts of chrome, and the twin trim pieces that spanned the length of the hood, which Pontiac called Silver Streaks. The 287-ci V-8 engine debuted the same year. (Photo Courtesy Don Keefe)

Bunkie Knudsen recruited Pete Estes from Oldsmobile, where he had considerable experience with multiple carburetion setups. Estes applied this knowledge at Pontiac, and its Tri-Power setup debuted in 1957.

The 1959 Pontiac was the first car to be fully realized under the leadership of Bunkie Knudsen. A radical departure from prior years, the 1959 model ushered in the Wide-Track era and was an instant success. It garnered Motor Trend magazine’s coveted Car of the Year award. (Photo Courtesy Don Keefe)

PETE ESTES AND JOHN DELOREAN

Knudsen snagged Elliot Marantette Pete Estes from Oldsmobile as chief engineer and John DeLorean from Packard as director of advanced design.

Estes

Estes was integral in the development of the multiple-carburetion setups at Oldsmobile and applied that knowledge at Pontiac. The collective vision and talent of these three men not only rescued Pontiac from the brink of extinction but also set a new precedent for American automotive design and performance that was imitated by numerous manufacturers for many years.

Due to the lead times for engineering and design, Knudsen’s new vision for Pontiac was not fully realized until the dramatic 1959 models debuted.

In the late Paul Zazarine’s book, Pontiac’s Greatest Decade, 1959–1969: The Wide Track Era, Zazarine noted, The 1959 Pontiacs were the first of the Knudsen cars, and they broke ranks with previous models. The styling was powerful, with smooth flanks and restrained tail fins. The real news was the wider tread. The new wide bodies had looked disproportionate to the front and rear track of the new 1959 chassis. Upon seeing the first proposals, Knudsen said, ‘The car looks like a football player wearing ballet shoes!’ By extending the front and rear tread five inches outward, the tires now filled the wheel wells and gave the car a broader and lower look.

The new Wide-Track Pontiacs were a huge success, and sales rose from 217,303 units in 1958 to 383,320 units in 1959.

The 1961 and 1962 Tempest and LeMans models were revolutionary for the time period. Conceptualized by John DeLorean, they featured a front-mounted engine and rear-mounted transaxle to optimize weight distribution. This 1962 LeMans convertible showcases the large, factory-issued 15-inch wheels and tires.

DeLorean

John Zachary DeLorean was born on January 6, 1925, in Detroit, Michigan. DeLorean's father, Zachary, was a Romanian immigrant who worked for Ford Motor Company as a millwright, which involved installing and maintaining heavy machinery in Ford’s factories. His mother, Kathryn, was employed as a tool assembler for the Carboloy Products Division of General Electric.

DeLorean was a remarkable student and earned a scholarship to the Lawrence Institute of Technology. However, because of World War II, his education was put on indefinite hiatus. In 1943, he was drafted into the military and served three years in the United States Army.

Upon returning home, DeLorean resumed college and graduated in 1948 with a degree in industrial engineering. Heeding the advice of his of uncle, Earl Pribak, DeLorean entered the Chrysler Institute of Engineering and graduated in 1952 with a degree in automotive engineering. He was briefly employed by Chrysler before accepting a position at Packard Motor Company, where he worked alongside Forest McFarland, who was the head of research and development at the time. DeLorean held a strong admiration for McFarland, crediting him as … a patient and understanding man who taught me much.

By 1956, John DeLorean’s star was already ascending, and he accepted a position at Pontiac as an assistant to both General Manager Bunkie Knudsen and Chief Engineer Pete Estes. DeLorean said, I was offered jobs in five different divisions of GM and eventually decided on Pontiac. The main reason for my decision was the general manager of the division, Semon E. ‘Bunkie’ Knudsen.

Knudsen and DeLorean bonded quickly, as Knudsen went out of