Probably the most forgotten muscle car of all time, the Pontiac T-37 is a worthy addition to the muscle car hall of fame. The vehicle is historic and handles its own even in today’s market.
The T37 arrived in mid-1970, just as the muscle car revolution slowed down, mostly due to high car insurance premiums. If you wanted a Pontiac GTO, the insurance was sky-high.
Pontiac used the Tempest model with T-37 identification to fall under Pontiac Tempest insurance rates, which were much lower than a GTO. As for naming, T stood for Tempest, and 37 was the Pontiac internal code for any and all hardtop coupes across the line. This worked well for younger people who adored the GTO but couldn’t afford one.
The T-37 was a stripped LeMans, including a cloth bench seat with rubber floor mats. It was a pretty plain car except for the Rally wheels. It had two white decals near the fender running lights that showed “455 H.O.” However simple; it looked beautiful to behold with a muscle car demeanor.
It was the lowest Pontiac A-body trim. During its 1970-71 production run, the T-37 was General Motors’ lowest-priced mid-size hardtop. Perfect for budget-conscious drivers.
The GT-37 was the performance variant of the T-37, equipped with a 3-speed floor shifter, the GTO’s exhaust system, hood pins, rally wheels, and special badges and stripes.
Let’s take a closer look at the Pontiac T-37.
The GT-37 Brought About The T-37
We can all agree the sixties was the turning point for muscle cars. 1967 heralds a pivotal year for American performance due to various reasons.
The Camaro, Firebird, and Cougar gave the Mustang some stiff competition. Not forgetting the Chrysler Corporation debut of its Plymouth GTX and Dodge Coronet R/T. And at that time, the GTO cost a pretty penny.
A year later, Plymouth unveiled the brilliant 1968 Road Runner, a post coupe with a standard 383 cubic inch engine, four-speed, and plenty of style.
The man in charge at Pontiac, John DeLorean, was unhappy about the Plymouth Road Runner. He felt impending doom considering the GTO had owned the market for four years. So he riled up his engineers to create a Wide-Track competitor to the Road Runner, which ended up being a Tempest post coupe.
The car was fit with the 330-cubic inch 350 Horsepower motor, slash beltline stripe, hood tach, and bright paint. They named it E.T. (for “Elapsed Time”), but DeLorean wasn’t having a 350 cubic inch engine in a 400 cubic inch world.
He had his team return to the drawing board and, in an interesting twist, created a super-GTO and named it The Judge; this was the antithesis of the Road Runner.
However, Pontiac responded with the GT-37 package mid-year in 1970 and gave Pontiac fans the Road Runner competitor they were waiting for.
But to understand the brilliance of the GT-37, you first must learn about Pontiac’s 1970 lineup. The A-body hierarchy started with the Tempest, then continued with the LeMans, LeMans Sport, and GTO.
Mid-year 1970, Pontiac introduced a special promotional model called Tempest T-37 they touted as America’s lowest-priced mid-size hardtop. The regular Tempest was only available as a pillared coupe and sedan. It was this car that the GT-37 package came from.
It consisted of features like hood locking pins, body striping, G70-14 White-letter tires, rally II wheels, dual exhaust with rear valence exit, heavy-duty three-speed manual transmission with Hurst Floor Shifter and special GT-37 decals on front fenders and trunk lid.
Success For Pontiac
By the time the GT-37 made its debut, the supercar market had started its decline. But in a smart move for Pontiac, they specified the standard motor to be 350 cubic inches, with a two-barrel carburettor kicking out 255 horsepower. Hardly muscle, but it allowed the GT-37 to capture the emerging market for a car with sporting pretensions while being insurance-friendly.
Due to the success of the GT-37 hardtop, Pontiac decided to put the Tempest name to rest for 1971 and have the T-37 represent the bottom rung of the Pontiac A-body line, below the LeMans, LeMans Sport, and GTO.
But the big news for 1971 was GM’s lowering of the compression on all their engines. This reduced horsepower and allowed the motors to run on low-lead or unleaded gas. Hence, the GTO’s standard 400 lost 50 horsepower to 300, while the optional 455 fell 35 to 325. However, Pontiac debuted the 455 HO, an evolution of the 1969-70’s Ram Air IV 400.
The T-37 Had The final say
Pontiac made a statement with the T-37, “affordable muscle car”. Before the T-37, that was unheard of.
The T-37 brings a tasteful blend of old-style performance mixed with a muscle car look which is sure to turn heads. Described as beautiful and classy, this vehicle embodies the classic muscle car feel.
Based in New York, Stephen Freeman is a Senior Editor at Trending Insurance News. Previously he has worked for Forbes and The Huffington Post. Steven is a graduate of Risk Management at the University of New York.