Goodbye GTO

The US Government has given GM billions of dollars to save America's largest car maker. The Detroit corporation is still in need. $15 billion this time and the executives have even offered to eliminate several brand names from their inventory, most notably Pontiac, thus ending any real reason for the company to exist in the future.

GM hasn't come out with a good car in years.

The last one coming to mind is the GTO from Pontiac.

The GTO or 'Goat' emerged as the first muscle car in 1964. The Arab Oil Embargo ended its production in 1974, although Holden of Australia came out with a new version from 2004 to 2006. The GTO was every boy's dream car in the 60s. Red. Fast. Thunder.

The brainchild of John deLorean was the result of GM banning their designers from developing race cars. Pontiac engineer Russell Gee, an engine specialist, and Bill Collins, a chassis engineer, transformed the mild-mannered Tempest into a street machine rivalling the Ferrari 250. Its 6.5 Liter engine could beat any other car off the line. My friend, Bush, had a 1966 GTO. He would place $10 on the dashboard and bet every passenger that they couldn't grab the bill before he hit 4th gear. We were all pinned to the bucket seat by the Gs of V-8 acceleration.

It was a monster car.

They never made anything since.

I saw one in Maine this summer.

The owner wanted $15,000.

I felt 17 sitting behind the wheel.

$15,000,000,000 for one million GTOs.

That's worth saving GM.