While you’re not likely to find one at your local Pontiac dealer near Springfield, some of the best used Pontiac cars are the muscle cars from the 1960s and 1970s. These cars had plenty of power and flashy, fast looks.
One of the first Pontiac muscle cars was the 1964 Pontiac Tempest. The Tempest was a midsize car that featured one of Pontiac’s largest engines – the 389 cid V8. It had a heavy duty suspension, hood scoops, and even bucket seats.
It wasn’t until a year or two, that the biggest and best of the Pontiac muscle cars arrived on the scene. The 1969 GTO is often considered the most classic of the Pontiac muscle cars. “GTO” stood for “Gran Turismo Omolgato,” which meant that the car was suitable both for street use as well as racing.
The Pontiac Firebird was, along with the Chevrolet Camaro, a response by General Motors to the Ford Mustang. In 1969 the Firebird Trans Am was released, with only 697 of these vehicles produced.
1970 saw the end of the muscle car era, for the most part. As unleaded engines became standard for most vehicles, there was a significant drop in horsepower. Still, the Trans Am continued for many years, even reaching the new Millenium.
October 31st, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Even though I agree with you about the Pontiac muscle cars, you can’t ignore that Dodge and Plymouth had some pretty awesome cars that competed with the Pontiac in motor size and speed. It is hard for me to say that I have one favorite muscle car. I grew up in the fifties and sixties when these cars came out and I love them all. Good article.
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