Vehicle Description
1965 Pontiac GTO - Hardtop Coupe - Red over Black - 389 V8 - 4
Speed Manual - Wood Dash and Steering Wheel - Cragar SS Wheels -
PHS Documents (Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 1965
Pontiac GTO on a website other than our Garage Kept Motors site,
it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of
the car due to third-party website limitations. To be sure you
access all the more than 165 photographs, as well as a short
start-up and walk-around video, please go to our main website:
Garage Kept Motors.) The Great One: Pontiac's -and America's-
Legendary GTO �€" Hagerty Media, May 2014 Hagerty captured why
early GTOs are classics: ... Pontiac's GTO remains at the very top
of the muscle car pantheon because it was the first: the car that
gave birth to the genre. Truth be told, muscle cars were an
invention of marketing, not of technology, and the GTO was the
first car to offer muscle to Baby Boomers. On how it came to be,
despite GM's performance mandates: Conceiving, naming and
developing the GTO was easy; the hard part was getting corporate
approval. GM limited cars to 10 pounds per cubic inch, which meant
that the largest permissible power plant for the 3,400-pound
Tempest would displace 340 cubic inches. But the committee
overseeing displacement to- weight ratios only scrutinized new
models and didn't inspect option packages, so Pontiac made the GTO
an option package for the two-door LeMans version of the Tempest.
Pontiac sales staff generated 5,000 orders before GM management
found out. And with 5,000 customers expecting cars, GM management
couldn't easily kill the GTO. And on the GTO's signature power: The
389-cubic-inch GTO engine was the biggest V-8 mounted in a mid-size
GM car up until that point. On the few changes for '65: Pontiac
gave the GTO a few styling tweaks for 1965. The front end received
stacked headlights, echoing those used on Pontiac's full-size cars,
and the twin fake hood scoops gave way to a single center-mounted
faux scoop. Offered here is a 1965 Pontiac GTO coupe in red over
black under a black vinyl top. With its refreshed exterior paint,
mild upgrades, original power, and largely stock presentation, this
GTO is an excellent representation of the historic model. Its power
combination of a 389 V8 and 4-speed manual transmission was highly
desirable back in the day and remains so now. The non-metallic, red
exterior paint was properly refreshed. Door sides, door sills and
jambs, the underside of the trunk lid, and hood were all properly
sprayed. The color shade was a good choice for a stand-out
performance car. Body panels are free of dings, dents, or other
damage, and panel alignment is proper. (To best assess the quality
of the paint and trim finishes, please be sure to view the close-up
photographs of the car in the accompanying gallery.) The car's
black vinyl top is free of damage. The chrome finish on the bumpers
and other trim has been well-maintained with minimal patina.
Factory badging includes the Pontiac logo emblem between the two
grille segments, GTO emblems (in the front-left grille, on the rear
fenders, and rear trunk lid), GTO 6.5 Litre engine badges (showing
light patina) to the rear of the front wheel wells, and
P-O-N-T-I-A-C chrome letters on the rear panel center insert. Cabin
glass and lighting lenses are clear and free of damage.
Period-correct Cragar SS® chrome, 5-spoke wheels are mounted with
BFGoodrich® Radial T/A raised-white-letter tires. Inside, the black
theme shows extremely well on virtually all stock components. The
GTO-specific-design, black vinyl upholstery (with angled pleats and
Pontiac logos in the material) is virtually flawless. Rear-cabin
side walls and door trim employ the same materials in
square-pattern design with GTO 6.5 Litre emblems on the door
panels. Front bucket seats are separated by a chrome-trimmed black
console with storage compartment. Black cabin carpeting-protected
by Pontiac-branded r
