1962 Catalina

cojohnso said

I to this day do not understand why Pontiac didn't offer GTO with the 421? Pontiac's official position was that 389 was the biggest engine available? The 421 would have fit. And one would think that some special option could have married the two to possibly be the most iconic Muscle Car of all time? Today. 1964 GTO does have the destination of being the first Muscle Car by many circles. But not #1. Today. #1 is still debated. But a 1964 Super Duty GTO may have had that title?

JMO.

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Hey Dart_Doc -
When the '64 GTO came out General Motors was limiting their A-body platforms to a maximum of 400 cubic inches. That's why the GTO started life with the 389.
Oldsmobile brought out the first 4-4-2 in 1964 as well and it only carried 330 cubic inches. The "4-4-2" initially stood for four-barrel, four speed, and dual exhaust.
And the first big-block Chevelles were limited to the 396, but I've read the 396 was actually 403 cubic inches. They called it a "396" to comply with the GM corporate edict.