One of numerous innovations from the Pontiac Motor Division in the 1960s was the hood-mounted tachometer, which was conceived by GM designer Ron Hill as a charismatic cure for the overly congested instrument panel of the full-size cars. In The Definitive Firebird and Trans Am Guide 1967-1969 by Rocky Rotella, Hill stated, "While I was in the Pontiac studio, I came up with the idea of placing it outside the vehicle on the hood and designed its shape. The GM patent was issued in my name."

The hood tach was first offered as a dealer-installed accessory in 1967, before its availability expanded to a factory-installed option during the model year. It featured a smooth, rounded housing, and the face had a 180-degree needle sweep, an 8,000-rpm limit, and marks at 200-rpm increments. "Pontiac" lettering and "RPM X 100" were also present, as was a redline that began at 5,100 rpm with V-8s or 6,500 rpm with the OHC-6 engine. According to the GTO Recognition Guide by Paul Zazarine, the GTOs and full-size Pontiacs used a steel-blue background with white characters, but the Firebird employed a black background with green characters. The unit was lit by a single bulb, making it somewhat dim.

A main selling point was that the tach was positioned right in the driver's line of vision, so there would be less eye movement required to read it—and, of course, it just looked cool. Detractors pointed out that the delicate electronic instrument was mounted outside in the elements and would be subjected to additional shocks each time the hood was closed. Another concern was theft, but by using pop rivets for two of the four fasteners (the other two were studs and nuts) the unit was more difficult to steal.

The hood tach remained available through 1972, but from the dealer only in its last year. Reproductions of the tall 1967 and the shorter 1968-and-up versions are currently available and generally feature upgrades over the originals. Pontiac's unique take on this tachometer's design and placement helped advance its performance image, and it remains a venerated option from the muscle car era.