Would you believe this could've...
Would you believe this could've been the '66-'67 GTO? The designers' fullsize rendering was displayed in the Design Dome.
The '68 GTO
This Pontiac was so revolutionary, it would change the way cars were designed forever. It was the first application of a flexible bumper that was integrated into the design of the body and painted body color. This new Endura bumper was made of a steel-reinforced rubber-like material developed by GM's Inland Division. The '68 was the first GTO to offer hide-a-way headlights and hidden windshield wipers
The '68 "A" body was started under Bill Porter in the Advanced Pontiac design studio. It was 6 inches shorter than the '67 and rode on a 3-inch shorter wheelbase. Bill steered the designers toward rounder, more voluptuous shapes. "We must have sculpted the body side a hundred times trying to get those shapes perfect and that was before Jack even started working on it," Porter recalled.
Talk about being ahead of...
Talk about being ahead of its time. The '66-'67 GTO/LeMans clay model, shown here in the Design Dome, features a GTO emblem and a tail treatment that would look fresh today. Note the GP-esque rear quarter-window, which is also different from the released model. The louvers at the back of the rear window didn't make it to production, either. Aesthetically, 8-lug wheels worked great on the GTO. Too bad they never made production.
This basic theme was then sent to the Pontiac production studio under Humbert's guidance. "Jack took a good design and made it great, that's what he was good at," Porter said. Many of the '68 GTO design elements were copied by competitors on future vehicles. A quote from Motor Trend magazine, which named the '68 GTO Car of the Year said, "Never before has an automobile been so successful in confirming the correlation between safety, styling, and performance as the '68 GTO."
Conclusion
Humbert's designs were a reflection of the man. He wasn't flamboyant, but he dressed in tailored three-piece suits that were always impeccable. He was a true gentleman's gentleman, with a great sense of humor and would not disagree simply for the sake of creating controversy. He knew the direction in which he wanted the design themes to go and would slowly develop the clay models until he had realized his vision. Bill Porter once told me, "Jack was the iron fist in a velvet glove-he would take in everyone's input and slowly move the clay model in just the right direction."
Jack enjoyed pulling a studio chair up to the fullsize clay models and, working with his talented sculpting team, developing those surfaces and details that would make the Pontiacs stand out from the crowd when they showed up in the dealer showrooms.
This is just half the story. Join us next month, when HPP delves into later Humbert designs like the '69 GP, and '701/2 Firebird, and provides testimonials from fellow designers and coworkers.
This is the almost-completed,...
This is the almost-completed, fullsize clay model of the '67 Firebird in the Pontiac studio.
John DeLorean never gave up...
John DeLorean never gave up on a two-seater sports car, as evidenced by this shortened Firebird fiberglass model, code named Banshee T/T (Tourist Trophy). Note the Banshee script and the non-stock hood louvers.
Who knew that the now-legendary...
Who knew that the now-legendary honeycomb grille pattern was being considered as far back as 1966 for the '68 GTO? This clay model is in the final development stages with the chrome front bumper. Those parking lights look a lot more '69 GTO than '68.