The GTO story is an amazing one because it almost never happened. In 1963,
the brass at GM put a ban on all racing activities, plus a 330 CID limit
on engines in "Intermediate" cars. Delorean and his team knew
there was a "youth" market for fast but affordable cars. The
GTO became a "snunkworks" project.
To get around the corporate ban, marketing genius Jim Wangers and Pontiac chief engineer Pete Estes agreed to make the GTO an "Option" package on the 1964 Tempest--the smallest car Pontiac had at the time. When they presented the concept in the BIG meeting, there was almost a fist fight. They had circumvented the GM corporate ban!
They grudgingly got permission to make 5,000 GTOs (The assumption was "...they'll never sell them and we'll hang their asses!") Guess what? They sold over 32,000.
To the left: Delorean was a 6'3" force of a man who blended technical engineering ability, charisma, and sophistication with rare leadership qualities and marketing savvy. He was director of advanced engineering at Pontiac. The GTO never would have happened without him.
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facts about 1973
The 1972-73 St. Aloysius "Saints" had great football and basketball teams. The 7th/8th grade football team completed their 2nd consecutive undefeated season with a 9-0 record. See the football team picture. |
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73
GTO Odyssey Music
Time....The Chambers Brothers |
In 1963, General Motors banned all company-sponsored racing activities. This was a major blow to Pontiac who had been cleaning up at NHRA and NASCAR events in the late 50s and early 60s and had turned the division around based on speed and high horsepower engines like the 400+ HP Super-Duty 421 which was dropped into Bonnevilles and Catalinas. In addition, GM banned all engines over 330 CID on new models. This ban set the stage for the "secret" project by John Delorean, Pete Estes, and Jim Wangers to create the GTO for 1964.