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Back to the Past (Part 3)
Bob Weinstein is a journalist who covers technology, project management, the workplace and career development.
Even before John DeLorean distinguished himself as a brilliant engineer and project manager, GM’s top brass sensed that he was star material and destined for the fast track. It was the success of the GTO concept that heralded him as one of GM’s top engineers and designers.
Pontiac’s sales bolted through the roof, according to Karl Brauer, editor in chief of Edmunds.com, the popular online automotive information website out of Santa Monica, Calif. In addition to the big engine and the cool look, “DeLorean introduced the concept of customizable vehicles,” says Brauer. “Now automakers are doing it today.”
The GTO triggered the muscle car trend, with all the majors jumping into the market trying to get a piece of it. “Within a couple of years, Chevy, Oldsmobile, Ford and Chrysler were all turning out muscle cars,” says Brauer. “They all saw it as both a successful model and a brand-builder. But GM’s GTO was the first, which immediately increased its value for first-adopters and car collectors.”
While GM turned out GTOs right up until 1974, the last models were based on smaller platforms and not considered true muscle cars. As all trends do, the muscle car trend fizzled out. But for many diehard motorheads stuck in the muscle car culture, it never died. There are plenty of websites …
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"Let us be thankful for fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed." - Mark Twain |