IN the mid-1950s, General Motors' Pontiac Division had a dull maiden aunt image. Annual sales had declined and there were rumours of its demise. That was the scene in 1956 when Semon (Bunky) Knudsen became Pontiac's general manager and John DeLorean joined its engineering department.

Knudsen tossed out the Indian head hood ornament, stripped the chromed stripes from the hood and decklid and used Pontiac's new overhead V8 engine as a foundation to convert its lineup into stylish, powerful cars. He widened the rear track, making "Wide Track" a potent sales tool, and Pontiac became a dominant force in NASCAR.

When GM withdrew from racing in 1963, Pontiac's performance image was in danger of disappearing. So Knudsen and DeLorean put a big 389-cubic-inch V8 in the mid-sized Tempest and created the 1964 GTO, spawning the whole muscle car craze. Noting the outstanding success of the Ford Mustang, Pontiac launched the Firebird several years later. But Pontiac really wanted its own unique sports model, and it created several sporty concept cars, including a mid-engined Firebird.