what does GTO stand for on the pontiac?

Answer 1

GTO:

Grand
Theft
Otto

Okay, Okay, I was just kidding! It REALLY stands for Gran Turismo Omologato.

Answer 2

It's an abbreviation for the Italian phrase "gran turisimo omolagato", in English, Grand Touring Homologated.

In the 60s factories were building just a few very special cars and racing them in Grand Touring classes. The people who ran the races didn't like that, they wanted cars that were raced to be generally available.

So they said people had to show they had built 100 of them, in a certification called "Homologation". Ferrari took a street car they made and souped it up for racing calling it the Ferrari GTO. They only made 39, but got away with it. Some were actually sold for street use. They cost about $25,000, a lot of money in those days but still a bargain. These days they go for millions of dollars when they are sold (rarely).

Pontiac simply ripped off the name. I have no idea why Ferrari didn't take legal action, maybe they were paid for it.

Article with pictures:

http://web-cars.com/gto/ferrari_index.ph...

Answer 3

I found this little blurp on a UK website from someone who sited it from the TEAM3S website.

"The terms 'GTO' and 'GT' are European racing classifications. The Italian term, 'Gran Turismo Omologato', means Grand Touring class production vehicle, homologated for racing. The name came to mean a large, high-performance sports car comfortable enough for long trips or 'touring', as opposed to the smaller, less comfortable 2-seater 'true' sports car. Among the Stealth/GTO/3000GT family of cars, all of the DOHC models (both turbos and non-turbos) are in the racing class, 'GTO'. The SOHC models are in the class, 'GT'.

Answer 4

It stands for Gran Turismo Omologato.