Vehicle Description
The product of a frame-off restoration, this 1970 Pontiac GTO
hardtop is finished in its original color combination of Cardinal
Red paint over Saddle upholstery. It is powered by the
matching-numbers 400ci Pontiac V8 engine, factory-rated at 350hp
and backed by a Heavy Duty 3-speed manual transmission stirred by a
Hurst T-Handle shifter. Bucket seats, a modern vintage-appearing
radio and hood-mounted tachometer are highlights of this car.
Documents supplied by Pontiac Historical Services (PHS) confirm the
factory data, features and options for this GTO. The 1970 Pontiac
GTO, dubbed "The Humbler" in Pontiac's ad copy, successfully
continued the popular GM A-Body-derived long hood, short deck body
design for a third highly successful year. It also retained the
innovative flexible body-color Endura nose treatment, which was now
attractively restyled with twin grille elements and four neatly
recessed headlamps. Inside, the standard bucket seats gained a new
breathable weave upholstery pattern, and both the console and dash
panel were covered with wood-grain applique, befiting the GTO's
premium road-car stature within the Pontiac model line. The GTO's
renowned handling and roadholding characteristics were upgraded
with a new rear anti-sway bar and computer-selected coil springs.
Speed-sensitive power steering varied the degree of power assist to
ease parking effort, while maintaining good road feel at speed,
further enhancing the GTO's prowess. In all, Pontiac built 40,150
GTOs for 1970, with 27,496 powered by the 350hp 400ci mill. Of
these, 9,348 were equipped with manual transmissions, including
this presented example, equipped with GM's heavy duty 3-speed
manual transmission. In addition to offering a lower cost,
selection of the standard 3-speed manual transmission was also
rewarded with lower premiums by insurance companies during the
early 1970s.
