1966 Pontiac GTO

1966 Pontiac GTO

Born of the brainchild of John DeLorean, the initial concept was to upgrade the Tempest, morphing it into an early version of the muscle car, which was the up-and-coming trend in a niche market of buyers who were hungry to go fast. The name, which was DeLorean's idea, was inspired by the Ferrari 250 GTO, the successful race car. It is an Italian abbreviation for Gran Turismo Omologato ("grand tourer homologated"), which means officially certified for racing in the grand tourer class. But in reality, the Pontiac GTO was never really a certified Grand Tourer race car. Internally, it was initially called the "Grand Tempest Option", one of many automobiles in the Pontiac line up with a 'Grand' in it. Despite these things, the GTO is one of the fastest cars ever manufactured by Pontiac.

If you're a fan of style, speed and comfort, you simply can't go wrong with the storied Pontiac GTO. The 'goat' practically defined the golden age of Detroit, and by the time its first production run was over, it had become the best-selling muscle car of all time. Not surprisingly, demand for these cornerstone classics continues to be strong. Check out the upgrades, marketing provenance, and sheer power on this "goat".

ExteriorThis writer's favorite version of the venerable GTO, the Pontiac division got it right this year. Stacked dual headlights framed with pristine mirror-like bezels flank black egg crate style grilles with signal lights and GTO badging, and a lower bumper with nary a mark or dimple on it. Looking down the line towards the rear we can see only straight steel, well minded gaps, and miles of Saturn Red paint covered by a lower stainless rocker cover again with the GTO 6.5 Liter badge up front next to the wheel well and a chrome and black GTO call out on the rear quarter panel. A long straight scooped hood backs up to clean glass all around all framed by shiny polished trim. Moving to the back a long laser straight trunk lid curves downward to the threesome of horizontal thin rear taillight clusters, and more gorgeous framing of chromed trim and a snappy rear bumper. Lest we forget a perfect vinyl top in black covers the roof and you've gotta love those flying buttress B pillars that frame the rear glass deep set within them. 17-inch American Racing Pontiac Rally II style wheels are all around and wrapped in low profile rubber.

InteriorYou can take this interior to the bank in black vinyl with all beautifully preserved and pristine. Door panels and the rear bench are like new, while the front seats were recovered. A ribbed chrome panel covers the center console which races through the front buckets making room for a Hurst shifter and goes forward hiding under the original dash and sitting below a trio of AutoMeter gauges. Clean wood appliqu for the gauge cluster, and center panel which houses the airflow levers and an AM/FM/Cassette radio. To add more wood, an aftermarket wood rimmed steering wheel fronts the appliqu. Black carpet floods the floors, a crack free padded dash top in black and whitey tighty headliner floats perfectly above all this interior beauty.

Drivetrain389ci bored .030 over of muscle putting out a whopping consignor stated 400hp and is fed by a 1965 Tri-Power setup. Bolted to the back of the mill is a Muncie M20 4-speed manual transmission circa 1965. Putting the power to the pavement is a Chevrolet 12-bolt rear axle with 4.10 gears and Positraction. A mild cam, aluminum radiator and MSD ignition were added during the rebuild for more power and better reliability.

UndercarriageAbsolutely a beautiful thing as it is extremely clean, and wonderfully rust free and shows in a combination of black and body color paint. Independent coil spring front suspension coupled with a 4 link with coil spring rear suspension provide the ride. Power drum brakes are noted on all 4 corners and power steering makes the turns that much easier. Spent fossils are exhaled through coated headers then Flowmaster mufflers before hitting the atmosphere.

Drive-AbilityAs mentioned, myself and my decoder/muscle car expert/all around good guy were clamoring to take it for a test and it certainly did not disappoint. This baby lit right up, has an awesome exhaust tune, and runs just fab! It handled nicely, had great acceleration, and all functions are functioning as they should. It was worth the fight to get in!

A true highlight and if you are even a lukewarm fan of the GTO a must see when visiting the ever-changing halls of the expansive and very impressive Classic Auto Mall. One of the nicest paint jobs in our halls, and a well buttoned up restoration with around 1000 miles clocked since finished and worth its weight in muscle car gold...although it's Saturn Red!

VIN DECODE242176G1129772-Pontiac42-GTO17-2 Door Hardtop6-1966G-Framingham, MA Assy Plant112977-Sequential Unit Number

TRIM TAG04D-4th Week April BuildST 66 24217-1966 GTO 2 Door HardtopBDY FRA3618-Framingham Body #TR 223B-Black Vinyl BucketsPNT NN-Burgundy2L-4 Speed G-Console R-Rear Seat5Y-Custom Seat Belts

Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 650 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display.This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.