Gorgeous fresh restoration in fantastic colors. Correct YS-code 389 V8, automatic transmission, power top, power brakes and steering. Documented, restoration receipts, and rare Hurst alloy wheels. What a pretty car!
Code Y Candlelight Cream is this car’s original color and the fellow who ordered it new exhibited impressive taste. Not necessarily built to be a brawler, this car nevertheless carries itself with attitude, as if it knows it’s the top of the 1966 food chain. Part of the reason why the paint pops the way it does is because it’s a bold cream, and sadly, it’s tough to duplicate in photos—it’s a bit more yellow than it looks and the overall look isn’t cream but isn’t yellow, either. Add in the bright red pinstripe for some contrast and you get a car that’s simply striking in person. There’s also plenty of restored brightwork and there has to be a rather hefty bill from the chrome shop in the inch-thick stack of receipts that accompany the car. Details like the ‘6.5 LITRE’ badges are crisply rendered and it carries correct T3 headlights in all four positions, a nice detail that often goes unnoticed but costs $1200 to get right. Clearly this wasn’t a budget restoration.
The black interior is also how it was originally spec’d and it, too, is beautifully restored. Twin bucket seats flank a woodgrained center console, suggesting once again that Pontiac knew its customers wanted a bit of luxury with their performance. There’s also a gorgeous woodgrained wheel to match along with a full set of Rally gauges, including a tachometer, all of which are operational. For 1966, an AM/FM radio was still a somewhat unusual feature, and it works like it should, too. The minimalist shifter for the automatic transmission underneath is nevertheless easy to manage and it drops right into gear as if it’s anxious to get going. Almost everything you can touch or see inside this car is new and it has a crispness that’s hard to restore back into a car. With fresh weather seals, the windows slide into place and the doors close securely, and the black power convertible top stows easily under a matching black boot. This is a big car, so that means there’s a big trunk out back, correctly outfitted with a reproduction mat, full-sized spare tire, and a full jack assembly.
1966 was the final year for the venerable 389 in the GTO, with this car carrying its original YS-coded V8 rated at a rather stout 335 horsepower. Rebuilt to stock specs, there’s a 4-barrrel carburetor living under the familiar louvered air cleaner, matching chrome valve covers, and correct Pontiac Turquoise engine enamel. And unlike so many other fresh restorations and trailer queens, this car starts almost instantly, idles beautifully hot or cold, and drives superbly with all the bugs already worked out. That’s not cheap nor easy and it proves someone was sweating the details when this car went together. Power steering and power brakes mean that anyone can get comfortable behind the wheel. It’s pretty enough to show but works so well, you’ll have a hard time resisting the call of the open road.
The chassis is no less well finished. The transmission was rebuilt, the brakes are new, and the suspension was rebuilt with fresh shocks all around. Solid floors appear to be original equipment, so no patches or wholesale replacement and that pays off in a car that feels tight and offers great panel fit. The exhaust is new and has just the right sound, aggressive but not obnoxious. There’s more factory-style overspray on the rockers and balancing marks on the driveshaft. Note the super solid inner rockers and body mounts, the new gas tanking hanging out back, and new hardware throughout. Adding to the car’s gorgeous good looks are those ultra-rare Hurst alloy wheels, which carry right-sized 225/70/14 redline radials that look fantastic against the yellow paint.
Documentation includes full PHS paperwork that verifies everything I’ve just told you, a reproduction window sticker, and a huge stack of restoration receipts.
We love this car for all the right reasons. We were smitten from the start by its gorgeous good looks, but when it turned out to be more than just a pretty face. For an icon, this one is pretty easy to live with. Just get in and have fun. Call today!
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Harwood Motors always recommends and welcomes personal or professional inspections of any vehicle in our inventory prior to purchase.
