Every major United States car maker got into the muscle car market in the 1960s and 1970s. The muscle car market exploded, driven by young people with more disposable income and desire to drive the fastest, most powerful machines on four wheels. One of the most famous of all the muscle car names was Pontiac, who made an early entrance into the muscle car market with its fable GTO. A look back at the history of the Pontiac muscle cars shows why the car maker is still beloved by muscle cars fans of today.

The first Pontiac to truly deserve the muscle car label was the 1964 Tempest. Pontiac dropped a 389 cid V8 engine into the smaller car, and while they weren't the first to put a powerful engine into a smaller vehicle, they were the first to outfit the more powerful cars with heavy duty suspension, bucket seats, hood scoops and other features that would cue young adults into the fact the the souped up Tempest was a “cool car.” The newly revamped Tempest was called the Gran Turismo Omologato, which was an Italian phrase that marked cars as suitable for racing. It was shortened to GTO.

While the first GTO was less a muscle car as it was an marketing campaign. In the mid sixties, Pontiac was mired in an image that branded it as a “parent's car.” The car maker attempted to reverse that with the GTO and the introduction of the 1965 Catalina 2+2 in addition to the sporty option package that Pontiac offered for the 1962 Grand Prix. But it was the GTO that truly shifted the public's perception of the Pontiac nameplate as stodgy to a cool youth oriented brand. The GTO was the first to feature a 325 horsepower V8 engine. The triple two barrel carburetor option generated an even more impressive 348 horsepower. In 1966, the GTO was powered by a 418 V8 that was more powerful than its predessor. More than 96,000 GTOs were sold in 1966.

In 1967, the Pontiac 2+2 was positioned above the GTO. The newer Pontiac Firebird was positioned as a step down from the GTO. The Firebird was in direct response to the new Camaro that had been introduced by Chevy as its entry into the muscle car market.

The Firebird was a little more luxurious than the bare bones Camaro, but it still packed plenty of muscle car punch. The Firebird had a 326 V8 that generated 285 horsepower as well as a 400 that put out 325 horsepower. In 1968, the horse power jumped up to 335 with the introduction of the Formula 400 Firebird.

Not content to rest on its laurels, Pontiac redesigned the GTO in 1968, giving it curvier lines and a sleeker appearance. The first Trans Am was also introduced in 1968, but only 697 were made, making it one of the most rare and collectible of all Pontiac muscle cars.

Pontiac stayed at the forefront of the muscle car parade until the muscle car era ended when gas prices and environmental concerns killed the muscle car market.