GTO 455

STORY

The GTO went into production on September 3, 1963, as a $295 option package on the Tempest-based LeMans, with a 389 cubic inch V8 rated at 325 hp. For 1966 it became a separate model, and sales that year reached 96,946. Motor Trend named it Car of the Year for 1968, and the Judge arrived in 1969, the year the Ram Air IV was rated at 370 hp. The 1974 GTO was only a package on the compact Ventura with a 200 hp 350, and 7,058 were sold. The name came back for 2004 on a Holden Monaro built in Australia: 350 hp from a 5.7 L LS1, then 400 hp from a 6.0 L LS2. The last of these cars was built in Australia on June 14, 2006.