Who really owns the GTO name?

Could be it's not a brand name, but a model/classification type. GT, GTS and GT2 are a few examples of handles used simultaneously by different manufacturers. Perhaps GTO is same should Ferrari (or some other builder) choose to so name.

 

Take a look here: http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=145330.

 

Well, the Mitsu 3000GT was called the GTO in Japan. The "Celica AllTrac Turbo" was called the "Celica GT-Four" everywhere except the US. Many products change names for different markets.

For example, the Pontiac GTO in Australia is called a Holden.

And what Italian would buy a Pontiac? The cars Ford sells in Europe have nothing to do with the junk they sell in the 'States.

Another naming example: when EuroFord ran the Sierra RS in WRC in the '80s, I asked a local Ford dealer about getting one. The US Ford dealer told me that Cierra was an Oldsmobile. And now GMC sells a "Sierra" pickup truck in the US.

If you follow Dakar, you might notice that the Mitsu "Pajero" they run in Dakar is called the "Montero" in the US (and Spain) and the "Shogun" in the UK. (Rumor has it that "pajero" is slang for "wanker" in spanish.)

And, I heard that "Red Hat" calls its China division "Red Flag".

Trademarks have market scope. Local stores in Oregon and Ohio could use the same slogans without confusion or conflict. If one were to go national, then there'd be more work for the lawyers.

But I don't think it's trademark protection that leads manufacturers to dilute their own marks, such as when Alfa reused the "GTA" label for their lame FWD machine, or Ford went retro with the T-bird.

The Ford "GT" couldn't reuse the original "GT40" name, because after Ford abandoned it, someone else registered it. Ford looked into buying it back, but the price was higher than they wanted to spend.

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What's in a name? GTO? What is GTO? It is not wheel, nor block, nor headers, nor any other part belonging to a car. That which we call a GTO, were it by another name called, would run as fast.
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But a name does have some effect: I never even looked at the Dodge "Stealth" because of that stupid gimmick name. Only after it went out of production did I find out that it was the Diamond-Star version of the Mitsu GTO.

 

And it was said that Chevy had trouble selling the Nova in Latin America because, in Spanish, "no va" means "it doesn't go"!

 

FYI.....The Pontiac GTO was never a factory backed race car; GM banned all factory racing programs in 63. The name was borrowed from Ferrari to sell cars, period. In 64 and 65, as well as 72-74, GTO was an option package on the LeMans, including drivetrain, suspension, and trim. 66-71, GTO was a stand alone model, although still built on the very same platform ( GM's A-body platform, to include the Buick Skylark, Olds Cutlass, and Chevy Chevelle).

The 64 GTO used in the Car and Driver article was, before testing, prepped at Royal Pontiac in Michigan, at the behest of Jim Wangers (one of Pontiac's marketing gurus) and included a warmed over 421 engine swap, which was NOT available from the factory. Yup, they cheated! GM allowed no engine larger than 400 CI in the A-body until 1970.

Yes, I'm a bit of a GTO freak, both Ferrari and Pontiac. Unfortunately, I dont own any Ferrari GTOs.

The Holden/Pontiac GTO is done, and has been since last year. 04-06 model years only. And yes, I think it's a pretty good value, performance-wise. Too bad it looks like a Cavalier.

Oh, and my apologies for the sloppy writing style, I'm at work and heavily distracted!

 

Per Jim Wangers, the 421 went in at the factory (in Engineering). Was a bone stock big car HO motor (not SD as some have claimed). Then went to Royal for the basic Bobcat dose (jetting, progressive throttle linkage, re-curve dist., thin head gaskets for a bit more compression and blocked heat risers, and a type of rocker arm retaining nut that allowed the hydraulics to rev like solids). As you say, they cheated!