Because it was a midsize car with a big-block V8 engine, many automotive buffs consider the '64 Pontiac GTO to be the first real muscle car. But did you know that the GTO was not even a model at all? In 1963 GM banned any high-performance marketing, forcing ad man Jim Wangers and some of Pontiac's younger execs to sneak the GTO into existance as simply an extra Tempest LeMans package. The GTO (Grand Turismo Omologato) package was announced in October, '63 for the Tempest LeMans Coupe, hardtop, and convertible models. In January 1964, Motor Trend magazine found a four-speed GTO convertible capable of doing a 1/4 mile in 15.8 seconds at 93 mph.
SunStar Diecast Model No. 1839
