1965 Pontiac GTO

When General Motors management banned the company from auto racing involvement, John DeLorean, Bill Collins, and Russ Gee conceived the GTO. Since they couldn’t go racing, the trio focused on street performance to appeal to youthful speed-hungry buyers. The GTO name was borrowed from the world renowned Ferrari 250 GTO, much to the dismay of the tifosi. The American car-buying public wasn’t bothered in the least by the GTO moniker. In fact, it likely contributed to the attitude that defined the car. With performance that was astounding for its time, you could rule the streets in a GTO.