Phasing out Pontiac? There was a time where that would have been absolutely unthinkable. After all, Pontiac is the division that helped spark the development of the muscle car. And it was aimed squarely at the boomer market!

If you were a teenager in the '60s, 70s or 80s, chances are a Pontiac played a big part in your youth! In the '60s, the GTO was the hottest car on the road.

It evolved before our very eyes right along with the sexual revolution of the era.

In the late '60s and into the '70s the Firebird burst out to the forefront.

The cousin to the Camaro was a worthy rival to the success of the Ford Mustang. And from the '70s into the '80s, you couldn't get any hotter than the Firebird Trans Am. In 1979 over 116,000 were sold.

But for most, it was the GTO that defined the Pontiac muscle car era. In fact, it's considered the first true muscle car made in America. It was introduced in 1964, but it wasn't until 1966 that it was considered it's own model rather than a version of the Tempest. Sales went through the roof nearing 100, 000 units. It stood the entire car industry on its ear. And from there, the race was on!

Here's a television commercial touting the 1966 Pontiac GTO. If indeed, the Pontiac division becomes a thing of the past, the cars and the commercials will live on as memories of our youth!

Do you have a favorite car from your past?

GB Topics, GB Topics - The Way It Was

firebird - pontiac - gto - cars - commercial - television - 1966 - muscle car - trans am