The Pontiac GTO,
considered the first true muscle car, is the most famous muscle car in
high-performance automobile history. Prior to 1964, performance cars were full-size
hardtops and sedans which were slow off the line, but performed well once they got
rolling. Hot Rodders knew you could go even faster if you put those big engines in
smaller, lighter cars. The Pontiac GTO was General Motors factory Hot Rod.
By
1996 several strong competitors had joined the muscle car market, but the GTO still
sold more than 96,000 cars. The sale were strong enough for the GTO to become a
separate product line. Coupes sold for $2,783, hardtops sold for $2,847 and
Convertibles sold for $3,082.
Even though the body was restyled, the 1966 lineup included the same three body
styles as before. The engine choices were again the 335-horsepower four-barrel
version and the potent 360-horsepower Tri-Power-equipped 389 V8. Over 19,000
Tri-Power 1966 GTOs were sold, but they were the last.
