Top 10 Pontiac Muscle Cars of All-Time

1.    1970 GTO "The Judge" -- Despite bearing a goofy name ripped off from TV's Laugh In, this is the greatest Pontiac muscle car of all time. While the Judge option had been offered in 1969, it wasn't until 1970 that GM finally allowed each of its divisions to put their biggest engines into mid-size cars. So for the first time the GTO was available with an optional 455 cubic inches (almost 7.5-liters) of V8 under the hood. While the "455 H.O." was rated at 370-horsepower, the "Ram Air III" and "Ram Air IV" 400-cubic inch V8s were also again available carrying 366- and 370-horsepower ratings. The debate still rages on whether the Ram Air IV or 455 H.O. was the best GTO engine of all time, but one things clear: the choice was only offered in 1970. And the most flamboyant GTO of them all was the Judge.

2.    1973-1974 Firebird Trans Am SD-455 - Just after every other manufacturer had abandoned true high performance, Pontiac introduced the "Super Duty" version (which included a specially strengthened block) of its 455-cubic inch V8 and shoved into just under 1,300 1973 and 1974 Firebird Formulas and Trans Ams. Ludicrously underrated at 310-horsepower in '73 and an even more hilarious 290 in '74, the Super Duty Firebirds were really making something around 400-horsepower. And they were blindingly quick (for the time) running through the quarter-mile in the high 13s.

3.    1989 20th Anniversary Trans Am Turbo - To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Trans Am, Pontiac took on the duty of pacing the 1989 Indianapolis 500. But instead of just pumping up either the 5.0- or 5.7-liter version of the regular "Tuned Port Injection" V8s then offered in the Trans Am for pace car duty, someone got the bright idea of installing the 250-horsepower, turbocharged, sequentially fuel injected, 3.8-liter V6 from Buick's Grand National into a short run of 1,555 pace car of white-with-gold-trim replicas. The result was the quickest Trans Am built up until that time and the most collectible Pontiac built during the 1980s.

4.    1964 GTO - As the car that started the muscle car era, this machine earns a spot on this list out of gratitude if nothing else. Though it wasn't much more than a Tempest that had a 389-cubic inch version of Pontiac's own V-8 shoved into it. Rated at 325-horsepower when topped by the standard four-barrel carburetor and 348 when there were three carbs in the classic Tri-Power configuration, the 389 turned the sleepy Tempest into a powerhouse. And it changed automotive history.

5.    1965 Catalina 2+2 - Before the 389 V-8 made its way into the GTO it had been featured in Pontiac's full-size performance car the 1964 Catalina 2+2. With an all-new Catalina coming for 1965 however, Pontiac decided to up the standard displacement to 421-cubes for the big car. When Tri-Power carburetion was also ordered, the result was an utterly gorgeous 376-horsepower beast that could swoop from 0 to 60 in about 7.2-seconds and rip through the quarter-mile in 15.5-seconds. The 2+2 continued in production through '67, but it was the '65 that got the mix just right.

6.    1969-1970 Grand Prix SJ - Pontiac shrank the Grand Prix for 1969 moving it from GM's full-size to its mid-size platform. In the process they created the mid-size "personal luxury" car that would come to define the 1970s. Order up the performance orient "SJ" model and in '69 the 375-horsepower, 428-cubic inch V-8 usually came along with it. A few extra bucks more and that engine was upgraded to "H.O." specs and 390-horsepower. In 1970 the 428s were gone, but in their place was a new 455 with 370-horsepower and more than 500-pound feet of peak torque.

7.    1962-1963 Super Duty Catalina - In the early Sixties if a driver wanted to win NASCAR races, he went out and got himself a big Pontiac Catalina coupe. Back then NASCAR's race cars were still very much stock cars and no cars were more effective than the big Pontiacs. And much of that success came from clandestine support. But in 1962 some of that support became public as the Catalina (not the Bonneville and not the Grand Prix) two-door was offered with "Super Duty" versions of the 389- and 421-cubic inch V8s. Available lashed only to manual transmissions, the 10.75:1 compression ratio, four-barrel carbureted 389 was rated at 385-horsepower while the 11.0:1, dual four-barrel 421 produced a stout 405-horsepower. The 389 Super Duty didn't make it into '63, but there were three versions of the Super Duty 421 engine offered for the Catalina coupe ranging from a 12.0:1 four-barrel version making 390-horsepower, through a 12.0:1 dual four-barrel version at 405-horsepower, to a 13.0:1 monster wearing dual four-barrels at 410-horsepower. So dominant were the Super Duty Pontiacs that Fireball Roberts used one (prepped by the legendary Smokey Yunick) to qualify on the pole for the 1962 Daytona 500, win one of the 100-mile qualifying races, and then dominate main event beating second place Richard Petty by over 27-seconds. But GM officially pulled out of racing in early 1963, and that killed off the Super Duty Catalinas after only a few thousand had been made.

8.    1998-2002 Firebird Formula and Tran Am - When the fourth generation Firebird appeared for 1993 the most powerful engine available was a 275-horsepower version of the 5.7-liter LT1 "corporate" small-block V8. And no one imagine it would get much better than that. But for the 1998 model year, the iron-block LT1 was thrown aside in favor of an all-new, all-aluminum LS1 rated at 305-horsepower or, when equipped with the Ram Air WS-6 package, a rollicking 320-horsepower. These Firebirds were blisteringly quick routinely running the quarter-mile in the low 13-second range and shockingly fast, topping out at about 160 mph (when equipped with Z-rated tires). And they were, sadly, the last Firebirds.

9.    1976-1979 Firebird Trans Am Special Edition - Going strictly to the power ratings and mid-Seventies Trans Ams are also-rans at best and utterly lousy at worst. The most powerful engine in the '76 Trans Am, for instance, was a 455-cubic inch V8 rated at a crummy 200-horsepower. But Pontiac was celebrating its 50th anniversary during 1976 and so decided to issue a "Special Edition" version of the Trans Am featuring black paint, gold lettering and pin striping, and a big gold bird on the hood. Move forward to 1977 when the Firebird got a new "Batmobile" nose, the best engine was the new "T/A 6.6" version of Pontiac's familiar 400-cubic inch V8 rated at 200-horsepower and a movie director named Hal Needham decided to cast a Special Edition Trans Am as the automotive star of Smokey and the Bandit. The rest is cinematic mayhem history. Trans Am sales soared after Smokey hit theaters, and Pontiac tweaked the Firebird's appearance again in '79 with yet another new nose. But it all ended with the 1980 model year when the Division decided to dump the T/A 6.6 in favor of a truly terrible turbocharged version of their 301-cubic inch V-8.

10.    2009 G8 GXP - It may be built in Australia, but there's never been a better Pontiac than the current G8 GXP sedan. With 415-horsepower on tap from its 6.2-liter fuel injected V8, this is the most powerful production Pontiac ever even before differences in testing procedures over the years are accounted for. But beyond being quick (0-60 in 4.9-seconds) it's the best handling too, with an all-independent suspension that's been favorably compared to the BMW 5-Series'. Throw in excellent brakes, a roomy and comfortable interior, handsome looks and a bargain price, and it's hard to believe that the G8 GXP hasn't attracted enough buyers to save Pontiac. At leas the division goes out on a high note.