GTO. The mere mention of the three-letter moniker is enough to evoke images of high-performance cars conquering world-class ribbons of pavement. At the intersection of car enthusiasts and historians, the name is associated with classic Ferraris, such as the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO or the 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO. But, much to the chagrin of die-hard Ferrari fans, the powers that be at General Motors and Pontiac decided the name belonged on a fire-spewing version of the Tempest Coupe.
Enter the 1964 Pontiac Tempest GTO. The three-letter label was more than just a braggy badge. Pontiac took the Tempest, dropped in a potent 389-cubic-inch V8, a four-speed manual transmission, stiffer suspension, and a limited-slip differential, to name a few things. The result? This Tempest was quite a superstorm, laying down surprisingly quick acceleration times. And, unlike other, more sought-after specialty muscle cars of the day, the 1964 Pontiac Tempest GTO is still (arguably) affordable. Just don’t expect to get a solid one for the same money you’d spend on a more recent GM muscle car or pony car, like the 2006 Pontiac GTO or 2010 Chevrolet Camaro.
The 1964 Pontiac Tempest GTO: Thunderous And Lightning Fast
By the mid-1970s, the days of muscle-bound coupes turning high-octane gasoline into asphalt-cracking horsepower and torque were all but over. The oil crisis of 1973 waved the green flag for the emissions-dictated anemia of the Malaise era, and the thirsty, high-powered eight-cylinder engines of the 1960s gave way to detuned, defanged V8s producing paltry horsepower figures. Fortunately, however, stateside shoppers enjoyed a decade of mighty mills. And one of those beloved, if also overshadowed, gems of the 1960s is the GTO treatment for the Pontiac Tempest.
The formula was simple. Take the plusher Le Mans option for the Pontiac Tempest, add a thumping great 348-horsepower, 389-cubic-inch V8, and a Muncie four-speed manual transmission. Stuff Pontiac’s Saf-T-Trak limited-slip differential into the equation, and add a stiffer suspension setup than you’d find in a typical, comparably wallowy 1964 Pontiac Tempest. This is a Tempest that hit the gym and got addicted to it. In short, the car that many fans consider one of the original muscle cars is quick. Real quick. No surprise there.
A Controversial Name
Pontiac made the GTO on and off for over 40 years until GM decided to shut the brand off in 2009. But that doesn’t mean the GTO name was always a welcome part of Pontiac’s lineup. In March 1964, Car and Driver said it agreed with irritated enthusiasts that Pontiac was “swiping a name to which it had no right” with regard to monikers like Le Mans, Grand Prix, and, of course, GTO. To this day, there are still Ferrari superfans who believe the only rightful place for the “Gran Turismo Omologato” name is on a Ferrari. Still, that didn’t stop General Motors and Pontiac from using the names across their lineup.
Originally, the GTO was a Le Mans option for the Tempest-platform Pontiac. But, toward the end of its tenure, the GTO would become its own coupe. At the end of the GTO’s run, the 2004 to 2006 models were simply “Pontiac GTO,” sans Tempest or Le Mans. They were also built on the same Commodore platform as the Holden Monaro, the Australian market GM muscle coupe.
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Faster Than A Ferrari?
A Ferrari GTO and a Pontiac Tempest. What a dichotomy. At a glance, it’s as if you’re comparing a supercar and a family hauler. Hardly seems like a fair comparison. But when you get into the nitty-gritty, things start to make a bit more sense. Granted, the 1964 Pontiac Tempest GTO isn’t the most powerful muscle car of the era– far from it, really. But the 348-horsepower V8 was enough, when launched just right, to hit 60 mph in just 4.6 seconds. That’s 4.6 seconds back in 1964.
It didn’t stop there, either. The GTO was good for 100 mph in just 11.8 seconds with the “Royal Bobcat” treatment from Michigan’s Royal Pontiac. “Our test car, with stock suspension, metallic brakes, and as-tested 348 bhp engine, will lap any U.S. road course faster than any Ferrari street machine, including the 400 Superamerica. Not bad for an actual delivered price of 3,400 dollars,” evaluators noted in the March 1964 issue of Car and Driver. And they mean any Ferrari. The Ferrari GTO, though significantly pricier, couldn’t even outrun the taut, angry Tempest in on-paper comparisons.
Quick By Today’s Standards
The 1964 Pontiac Tempest GTO wasn’t just quick by the standards of the 1960s. It’s quick, period. Even by today’s standards, the Tempest GTO’s acceleration figures are impressive. With the Royal Bobcat touches, including carburetor tweaks and a distributor modified to increase low-end responsiveness, the Tempest GTO hit 60 mph in just 4.6 seconds. That’s 0.3 seconds quicker than a 2025 Honda Civic Type R. It’s also 0.1 ticks behind a brand-new S650 Ford Mustang EcoBoost. Frankly, it’s proof that the GTO didn’t get much quicker over the years. The final Pontiac GTOs, specifically the 2004 to 2006 models, required closer to five seconds to complete the sprint. And that’s with a fuel-injected, 400-horsepower 6.0-liter LS2 V8 under the hood of the 2006 model.
1964 Pontiac Tempest GTO Specs
|
Engine |
Naturally Aspirated 389-CI V8 |
|
Transmission |
4-Speed Muncie Manual Transmission |
|
Horsepower, Torque |
348 HP At 4,900 RPM, 428 LB-FT At 3,600 RPM |
|
Curb Weight |
3,485 LBS |
|
0-60 MPH |
4.6 Seconds |
|
Quarter Mile |
13.1 Seconds At 115 MPH |
Punches Above Its Price Tag
Okay, so a classic Pontiac GTO isn’t exactly what we’d consider overlooked in the world of old-school American muscle. There’s enough interest in GTOs from the 1960s to keep them out of reach for many would-be collectors. However, all things considered, a solid 1964 Pontiac Tempest GTO is a cheaper proposition than many other sought-after and coveted muscle cars of the 1960s. According to Hagerty, a 1964 model with the Le Mans GTO spec is worth around $41,800 in No. 3, or “Good,” condition.
Hemmings reports that nicer examples routinely net $50,000 to $60,000. In comparison, well-preserved ‘60s muscle cars like the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, 1969 Oldsmobile 442 Hurst, and the 1964 Mercury Comet A/FX fetch much higher values at auction. Better yet, if you have a time machine at your disposal, you might want to make a stop at a mid-1960s Pontiac dealer. Back in 1964, a Pontiac Tempest Le Mans would have cost around $2,480. Adding the GTO option tacked on $296, taking the total up to $2,776, or around $30,000 in today’s buying power.
One Of The Fastest Muscle Cars Of The Day
A 4.6-second run to 60 mph is a guaranteed bragging point for this 62-year-old muscle car. But it’s also enough to establish the 1964 Pontiac Tempest GTO as one of the fastest-accelerating production American cars of the time. In testing, the legendary 1968 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 managed a 5.3-second run to 60 mph, well off the pace of the Pontiac. Even the 1968 Dodge Charger 426 Hemi, with its sinister silver-screen looks and 425-horsepower Hemi V8, was slower to 60 than the GTO by 0.2 seconds. Not too shabby.
Sources: CarBuzz, Car and Driver, Classic.com, Hagerty, Hemmings