1967 Pontiac GTO Hardtop Coupe. Auto Friday No. 148

Right. I think we have had enough exotic oddballs for now — let the eyes rest a little. Today it is a classic.

The Pontiac GTO is the car that, in 1963, kicked off the muscle-car class. Its creator, John DeLorean, wanted to build an affordable sporty car for young buyers under the Pontiac badge, and to do it he sidestepped a corporate ban on fitting engines larger than 330 cubic inches (5.4 liters) to mid-size cars. The ban did not cover optional equipment — so the GTO option package, just $296 on the inexpensive (~$2,600) 1964 Pontiac Tempest LeMans, included, among other things, the 325 hp 389 (6.4 L) engine. The package also brought stiffer suspension springs, a thicker anti-roll bar and so on.

DeLorean's plan, which many considered far too optimistic, was to sell five thousand Tempests fitted with the GTO package. Things did not go to plan: in its first year the GTO sold 32,450 units, and the competition immediately rolled out their own versions. The Oldsmobile Cutlass 4-4-2, Chevrolet Chevelle SS and the other early muscle cars all followed the same recipe — affordable mid-size cars stuffed with big, powerful engines borrowed from the full-size models.

In 1966 the GTO officially became a model in its own right, although it still shared most of its body with the LeMans, and 1967 was the final year of the first-generation GTO. That is exactly the car I suggest we look at today, in 36 photos — thanks to Bring a Trailer.

GR-RRR!