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Pontiac GTO Inducted Into the "Cruisin' Hall of Fame" At The 10th Annual Route 66 Rendezvous

18 September 1999

Pontiac GTO Inducted Into the "Cruisin' Hall of Fame" At The 10th Annual Route 66 Rendezvous

    SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., Sept. 18 -- The Pontiac GTO, General
Motors' first mid-sized sedan powered by a large displacement V-8
engine, was inducted into the "Cruisin' Hall of Fame" today at the Stater
Bros. Route 66 Rendezvous(R).  The GTO was recognized for its 35 years as
America's original "muscle car," a class of automobiles it is credited with
creating.
    "We're very pleased to have the legendary GTO inducted into the "Cruisin
Hall of Fame,"' said Jim Maddison of Pontiac Historical Services.  "The GTO
was unique because of its incredible performance and distinctive style, but it
will always be remembered for creating an entirely new classification of
vehicles and automobile enthusiasts."
    Despite GM's internal regulations that allowed for only full-sized cars to
have large V-8 engines, the GTO made its debut as an option package on the
1964 Pontiac Tempest.  Featuring a 389 cubic inch V-8, a special handling
package and dual exhaust, the GTO was the brainchild of Pontiac Chief Engineer
John DeLorean.
    The name "GTO," which stands for Gran Turismo Omologoto was a reference to
an Italian racing class based on production vehicles.  In 1966, with
increasing sales and a reputation as the best performing and handling car of
the day, the GTO became its own model.
    The 1968 GTO, which featured improved performance and new rounded body
styling received Motor Trend's Car of the Year Award.  New features included
optional hide-away headlights and a new endura front bumper.  This bumper
could withstand a hit of up to 5 miles per hour and would pop back into its
original shape within a few hours.
    Despite numerous challenges from other automobile manufacturers, GTO's
combination of style, performance and mystique was never matched.  1972 was
the first year the GTO was not available in a convertible configuration, while
Pontiac also made the GTO an option package for its LeMans.
    General Motors decided to stop production of the GTO at the end of the
1974 model year, and despite its relatively short lifespan of only 10 years,
more than 500,000 Pontiac GTOs were manufactured.
    The 10th Annual Stater Bros. Route 66 Rendezvous(R) is a nostalgic
celebration of the historic "Mother Road," converting 30 downtown streets of
San Bernardino into a four-day custom and classic car cruise event.
    General Motors is the world's largest manufacturer of cars and trucks.  In
1998, General Motors sold 4,608,764 vehicles in the United States.