Vehicle Description
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".
Exterior
This 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.
Interior
You 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 applique 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
applique. Black carpet floods the floors, a crack free padded dash
top in black and whitey tighty headliner floats perfectly above all
this interior beauty.
Drivetrain
389ci 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.
Undercarriage
Absolutely 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-Ability
As 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 DECODE
242176G112977
2-Pontiac
42-GTO
17-2 Door Hardtop
6-1966
G-Framingham, MA Assy Plant
112977-Sequential Unit Number
TRIM TAG
04D-4th Week April Build
ST 66 24217-1966 GTO 2 Door Hardtop
BDY FRA3618-Framingham Body #
TR 223B-Black Vinyl Buckets
PNT NN-Burgundy
2L-4 Speed
G-Console
R-Rear Seat
5Y-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.
