Chief of the Skies. All the legendary Pontiacs including Starchief, Catalina, Bonneville, Gran Prix, Le Mans, Tempest, Sprint, Grand Am and Ventura (GTO & Firebird in separate galleries). Pontiac captured the youth market in the late 1950s thanks to an all-out assault on achieving racing success.

Pontiac’s first V8 - the ‘Strato-Streak’ was launched in 1955 at 287 cubic inches (4.8ltr) and went on to become a performance legend. Later versions ranged in size from 326, 389, 400, 421 and on up to 455 cubic inches.

GTO - the great one, by Pontiac. So said the print ads of the early ‘60s. The 1963 GTO started a trend that remains with us today - the factory muscle car. Brainchild of John Z De Lorean and Jim Wangers, the GTO became an instant legend and inspired countless clones. V8s ranged from the Tri-Power 389 to Ram-Air IV 400, and on up to ‘69 Judge with 455 cubes (7.4ltr). Hood scoops, big horsepower, floorshift and buckets - the GTO started it all. Read more about the birth of the GTO here

When GM top brass refused Pontiac’s request to build a sports car, they were told they could have the soon-to-be-released Camaro, or nothing. Adding several inches to the nose gave the Firebird a distinct Pontiac snout, add the optional hood mounted tach and fresh air scoops, plus a 400HO engine option, and Pontiac had a muscular baby brother to the GTO. The SD455 of 1973-4 - SD for Super Duty - was a $521 option on either the Formula 455 or Trans Am. Regarded as the last of the great muscle cars, the SD455 equipped Firebird was able to pull sub 14 second 1/4 mile times