Pontiac GTO (1968 – 1973) Review

An all new bodyshell was introduced for the 1968 model year which brought the Pontiac GTO up to date. One of the main new features was the 'Endura' front bumper, which satisfied new safety legislation by being made of deformable polyurethane, yet at the same time was cleverly disguised not to look like a bumper, wrapping round the entire front of the car and housing the mesh radiator grille. De Lorean proved the efficacy of the new bumpers by appearing on US television repeatedly bashing one with a sledgehammer to absolutely no effect.

The ultimate version of these second-generation GTOs was the 'Judge', offered as an option pack. Its power output was nearly 400bhp, thanks to a quad-carburettor 'Ram Air' set-up, and also had large front and rear spoilers, bright paint schemes, a three-speed manual shift transmission and 'Judge' decals. Sales of the GTO as a model in its own right died in 1971 after a massive drop in muscle car popularity and an increasing trend towards less powerful, more luxurious cars in the United States.