For 1965, the Pontiac Motor Division used a real, live tiger to tell the GTO story.
As we’ve seen previously here at Mac’s Motor City Garage, Pontiac experimented a bit in its early marketing for the exciting new GTO when it launched in 1964. (Video: Marketing the 1965 Pontiac GTO, March 21, 2017.) In the commercial below, the GM division introduced the GTO’s familiar tiger mascot—using a real live tiger, no less. With the aid of a slightly clumsy jump cut, the GTO was shown to have a tiger under the hood, as announcer William Conrad growled, “Some sporty cars are only pussy cats. Pontiac’s GTO is all tiger!”
In Detroit advertising lore, it’s said that the real-life feline was so difficult and dangerous for the production crew to work with that the idea was never suggested again. From that point on a simulated tiger tail was used as a stand-in in the TV spots, while a tiger-skin rug was employed for the print campaign (as shown above).
Whatever. The machine was a sales sensation from the start, as Pontiac sold more than 32,000 GTOs in the first year, blowing past the original forecast of 5,000 units. For ’65, the 389 cubic-inch V8 was treated to an improved camshaft and cylinder heads, the exterior sheet metal was freshened up, and the first ram-air package was offered, originally as a dealer kit. (See our Ram Air history here.) Sales that second year more than doubled to 75,000+ cars. The Pontiac GTO was off and running, joined by a growing list of competitors, and the Motor City’s muscle car era was now under way. Enjoy the video.
My late across-street neighbor, Jack Stewart, was the Merchandising Creative Director for McManus John & Adams (MJA) and responsible for many of the tiger items – banners, rugs, tiger tails – that soon decorated Pontiac showrooms. This led to all sorts of lifestyle GTO items, famously shoes, cologne, even popular music, and much later, Pontiac car shows.
The “tiger” theme had been a copywriter fabrication for some 1963 326 V8 Tempest advertising. It was revived not long after for GTO. The idea started to catch on as Esso implored drivers to “Put a Tiger in your Tank.”… After GTO was live, US Royal Rubber Company (also an MJA client, later Uniroyal) branded their red-stripe high performance tire as the “Tiger Paw,” a name that hung on into the 70s.
It was all fun and games until the GM Chairman called DeLorean at home on a Sunday evening to say, “get that goddamned tiger out of your ads!”
I worked with that GM Chairmans grandson who told me that story also. He said his grandfather hated the whole tiger ad campaign and told them to end it all.
The special effects in that TV spot are all the more remarkable when you consider the technology of the time.
But that “tiger growl” at the end sounds more like a belch! 😂
Ford liked the idea so much they stole it, but with a live cougar for the Mercury version of the Mustang, the Cougar.
I remember both ads well. Made a big impression on a kid that was already car crazy!