1967 Pontiac GTO, aka "Goat". I can buy one today for something in the neighborhood of $95,000. The base model sold for $2,700 in 1967; the high performance version sold for about $3,000. A Royal Oak (suburb of Detroit) dealer sold a performance package for another $650. Minimum wage was $1.25.

400ci, 4 bbl carb, 335hp 0-60 in 4.9sec, ¼ mi in 14sec at over 100mph. One of the most collectible of the 60s muscle cars.

John DeLorean was Pontiac's chief engineer and one of the original designers of the GTO.

The Pontiac Tempest was the mother to the GTO; the GTO was originally an option package of the Tempest.

Pontiac was close to where I grew up; it was not uncommon to see pre-production models out on the roads for "real-life" testing. (The guy across the street from my home was a Corvette designer and often had "test" models in his driveway ... and sometimes, under my butt).

Woodward Ave was not far away:
"In the 1960s, Woodward Avenue became a famous spot for street racing and cruising, attracting young drivers and car enthusiasts. The wide boulevard, lined with drive-ins and car dealerships, was a hub for automotive culture and the muscle car era, making it a vibrant social scene."

Now the "Dream Cruise" on Woodward is an "event" and what was in the 60s is - like so many other things - highly commercialized as a sad resemblance of what once was.

But to be a teenage boy in the muscle car era could only be beat by being old enough to buy and drive one of these at the time.

I want mine in deep purple flake ...

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