The Pontiac Story: How General Motors Killed the Brand That Created the GTO, the First Muscle Car in History, and Why Nobody Saw It Coming.

In 1963, General Motors prohibited its engineers from installing engines larger than 330 cubic inches in midsize cars and withdrew its brands from racing. Three Pontiac engineers, including John DeLorean, found the loophole in the fine print: the rule referred to standard engines, not optional ones. Thus, the Pontiac GTO was born, a Tempest with a 6.4-liter V8 that was sold as a simple optional extra on the order form.

In this documentary, we revisit the complete history of Pontiac: from the little brother of Oakland in 1926 to the GTO, the rigged Car and Driver test, the Firebird and the black and gold Trans Am, the Banshee that GM banned, the Fiero, the Aztek, KITT from Knight Rider, the 1984 reorganization, and the closure announced on April 27, 2009.

And we answer one question: why would a company destroy the only thing that taught it how to win? Featuring Bob Lutz's perspective, the role of the U.S. government, and the final chapter of the last Pontiac, a white G6 with workers' signatures in the spare tire well.

If you enjoy car documentaries, automotive history, and vanished brands, subscribe to Steel Empire: every week I tell the story of the demise of a car, motorcycle, or brand that the world has forgotten. Tell me in the comments which brand you'd like to see featured and what country you're from.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro: GM's 1963 Order
01:35 Pontiac, the Boring Brand
03:24 DeLorean and the GTO Trick
07:29 Car and Driver's Rigged Test
09:20 Banshee and the Rise of the DeLorean
11:45 The Trans Am and KITT
13:54 The DeLorean Goes, the Fiero Arrives
16:33 1984: The Reorganization That Killed It
18:55 Lutz and the 2009 Closure
23:48 Lutz's Question and the GTO
25:51 What's Left of Pontiac

#Pontiac #GTO #AutomotiveHistory

Music:
"Constance", "Unwritten Return", "Almost Bliss", "Death and Axes", "Ryno's Theme", "Silver Flame", "Metaphysik", "Blue Feather" and "Universal" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
License: Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...