When the Pontiac GTO was released in 1964 it was via a loophole because the car's parent company, GM, did not want to produce cars that could be raced. The first car came about as an option package. The small, lightweight Lemans model had, as one its extra options, the powerful V8 engine from the larger Pontiac Catalina model. A muscle car was born, with 325 horsepower and a lightweight body, a car that could be marketed to the young drivers of the time. The GTO Package sold well, with 10,000 vehicles being purchased before the end of 1964. The GTO had a long run and underwent many improvements over the years until it was discontinued in 1975. It was relaunched in 2003.
The Mustang was released in 1965 and was intended to be a small, powerful sports car. Designers briefly flirted with the idea of making it a two-seater but management felt it would sell better as a four-seater. The Mustang's body was based on the existing Ford Falcon compact car. As a money saving measure, the Mustang offered three engines, a six cylinder and a pair of V8s. The car was an immediate success, selling 22,000 units in its first day on the market. Originally named the P51, after a fighter plane, it became known as the Mustang because of its iconic horse logo. The horse logo originally eluded to the Mustang being called a pony class car.
In 1966, Dodge released the Charger muscle car. It used the chassis from the company's Coronet model, with a 5.2-liter V8 engine. The car's power and speed were such that it soon found its way into NASCAR racing, and in 1966 a modified Charger carried David Pearson to a grand national championship. The charger was introduced halfway through the year, but by year's end 37,344 units were produced.
The Chevy Camaro was General Motors' answer to the newly coined pony class of cars. The Camaro was released in 1967 to try and challenge the popularity of the Ford Mustang. The car's body was loosely based of the Pontiac Firebird, with a 3.8-liter l6 engine that could produce 140 horsepower. The meaning of the car's name is a subject of some contention; one story goes that researchers found the word in a French dictionary and that it means friend.
