Petersen Auto Museum To Celebrate 50 Years Of GTO

Though the Pontiac brand itself has been retired as part of GM’s restructuring plan, the legends Pontiac helped create will never be forgotten. Chief among the legendary Pontiacs is none other than GTO, which began as a sport package on the 1964 Pontiac Tempest before spinning off into its own car entirely. But the Pontiac GTO’s big break was an image of the GTO chasing its Ferrari namesake on an imaginary track, creating an American muscle car legend.

The man behind this famous magazine cover was Pontiac’s ad agency account manager Jim Wanger. Hemmings Auto Blog reports that Wanger will make a special appearance at the Petersen Automotive Museum this Sunday to help celebrate 50 years of the Pontiac GTO with a huge Breakfast Club Cruise In.

Back in the day, magazines like Car & Driver and Motor Trend carried even more weight than they do today, and nearly every car guy had a subscription to one or both, as well as a variety of other periodicals. Wanger’s move generated a ton of buzz and attention for the GTO, a car which existed only because of a loophole in GM’s strict corporate guidelines.

For example, in 1963 an “intermediate” car like the Tempest was limited to engines no larger than 326 cubic-inches. However, a special option package was exempt from these rules, thus leading to the rise of the GTO. Wanger also had larger, 421 cubic-inch engines installed in tester cars to curry favor with the motoring press, helping lead to a car that was a huge hit with buyers when it hit dealerships.

Basically, the Pontiac GTO was built on a series of marketing lies, half-truths, and publication propaganda. But it worked, and the legendary car that spawned from the Wanger’s spin team is no lie when it comes to performance.