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American Muscles | Episode 06 – Pontiac GTO Hardtop Coupe
PONTIAC GTO HARDTOP COUPE
Words Christian Parodi / Photos Greenside Cars
In the desert, the air is always hot. The left arm hangs out of the window with the tips of the fingers bouncing on the door panel every time the wheels come in and out one of the many potholes that invade the road. The road, that interminable straight line that gets lost towards the horizon. And in the meantime, with the other hand, I grip the thin wooden rim of the three-spoke steering wheel and enjoy the mumbling of the 6,375-cc V8, ready to unleash hell, not caring about its almost 60 years. These are eternal engines and after having tasted a few more incisive pressures on the throttle, I really believe that the original 335 horsepower still live under the hood. Just like now, accompanied by the inevitable wheelie effect offered by the too soft suspensions.
The Pontiac GTO is a legend, the umpteenth star-striped motoring icon. Introduced in 1963, it is thanks to it that Americans have begun to stow gargantuan and powerful V8s in the body of cars that they consider smaller than usual. The GTO replaced the Tempest and offered a more performing alternative to the Le Mans, maintaining a large coupe line and available with both a solid roof and a soft top. At least this was the plan for Bill Collins, Russ Gee and John DeLorean – yep the legendary man behind the ill-fated time machine of “Back to the Future”. Reality was incredibly better in this case and Pontiac had to scale up production to meet the demands for one of the most iconic models of the 60s.
Afflicted by too harsh and imprecise steering, insufficient brakes because of the extra power compared to the Tempest and by a set-up that favored a more relaxed ride, the GTO nonetheless has the merit of being one of the ideal tools when it comes to driving pleasure in USA style. The V8 is simply outstanding and pushes hard from just 3,000 rpm. It matters little if the maximum speed stops at about 180 kph, because despite the dimensions we have a weight that does not exceed 1,600 kg (1,577) and this allows for unexpected reactivity, even from standstill: for example, it takes just 6, 6 seconds to sprint from 0 to 100. Today I enjoy its rumble, that roar that fills the air, its comfortable interiors enhanced by the turquoise of this specimen, perhaps not in perfect harmony with the wooden profile that incorporates the main instrumentation, but perfect for a journey through time back to the dawn of muscle cars.
… to be continued
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