Vehicle Description
1965 Pontiac GTO Hardtop
In early 1963 a team of engineers and designers got together at
Pontiac, and decided to focus more on street racing and power. The
Tempest had been in production for a bit, and a more "muscular"
powerful car was needed. Hence the acronym GTO or Grand Tempest
Option became the code for the secret new development that would
take place. John DeLorean actually claims the GTO came from the
Italian Gran Turismo Omologato or Grand Touring Homologated,
(certified), which in reality the car was never meant for grand
touring, but to be the fastest straight line Pontiac produced.
For consignment, an original engine muscle car with a later model
WT stamped block, a non-original tri-power intake, stacked front
headlights, the unique Pontiac "beak" up front on the split grille
and bathed in nicely applied and finished Charcoal Blue. Inside a
Hurst shifter and a factory correct dark blue interior. All
finished off with American Racing wheels, new steering components,
a fresh oil change and tune up, and PHS documentation...time to get
your classic "Goat" groove on.
Exterior
Stacked dual headlights, a split horizontal grille, a small "beak"
in front, GTO badging, nice chrome bumper, scooped hood, straight
steel side slabs nicely straightened and aligned, then all bathed
in the factory correct Charcoal Blue paint best describes the
beginnings of this car. Some inclusions, touch ups, chips and
bubbling is noted throughout the body with the worst being the
lower sections of the doors, but still not detracting from the
overall beauty of the car. Carrying on, nice trimmings for the
glass and a pristine metal roofline. Side slabs are well aligned
and sport nicely minded gaps. Bringing up the rear are the
horizontal ribbed bezel tail lights in the flared at the edges rear
vertical deck that are just below the trunk lid which is covering
is a NYC 2-bedroom apartment sized trunk. Another pristine chromed
bumper below, and on all 4 corners 15-inch American Racing Torque
Thrust wheels with deep dish trim are wrapped in BF Goodrich Radial
TA rubber. Overall slight scratches and the usual wear for the
paint, but it remains beautiful and presenting very nicely.
Interior
Inside blue Strato bucket seats in vinyl are installed. These have
tuck and roll inserts with angled blue inserts which are embossed
in and have the Pontiac arrowhead logo embossed in the centers of
the backs of all seats. Smooth bolsters and blue piping as a border
with some chromed side trimmings for the hinges are noted. The rear
bench stretches across the back of the car and offers up plenty of
pristine seating for 3 adults. A tall Hurst shifter with a white
knob topper reaches for the driver's hand and sits within the
center hump covering console. This console is dressed to the nines
with highly polished chrome, ribbed aluminum for the insert, and
clean blue plastic. The dash front is the original wood applique
background and has an aftermarket tachometer now inserted to the
right of the trio of optional gauges. An original blue plastic
steering wheel with a half round horn ring in the center fronts
this dash. Blue carpeting is the floor covering and is very clean.
Also hanging below the dash are more gauges for the monitoring of
the healthy mill.
Drivetrain
Under the hood is a fully restored, painted in a beautiful
turquoise engine block showing up at 400 cubes, and is of the 1969
variety, (9790071 casting number and WT stamping). It is rated at
350hp and on top is a tri power setup for the carbs so the ponies
may be higher. Chrome valve covers flank the trio of round air
cleaners atop the carbs and deep black and red supple wiring is fab
for the engine. A circa 1964 Muncie 4-speed manual transmission is
now on back with a 10-bolt rear axle weighing in with a 3.23 ratio.
Our consignor notes that a fresh oil change was completed along
with a tune up, new engine mounts and a new battery being
installed.
Undercarriage
Virtually no surface rust is on the suspension parts or anywhere.
All is very structurally sound with no invasive rust, solid
framing, good rockers and floor pans as well as a trunk pan and
fuel tank. Independent coil springs for the front with power drum
brakes, and a 4 link with coil springs for the rear with power
drums are on this car. Seen also is a clean stainless steel dual
exhaust with Magnaflow mufflers for that perfect muscle sound. Our
consignor notes that all new steering linking was installed and a
front end alignment was performed so things will track straight and
true.
Drive-Ability
A wonderful experience as described by our decoder and test driver.
She handled great, accelerated like a 350hp car should, and had
strong bias free brakes on the panic stop. The interior is fully
functional, and all buttoned up the seating and surfaces. New
aftermarket gauges are a plus for sure! Plenty of get up and
go.
All is looking just fine for the exterior, interior, and drivetrain
which is very special under that long hood. A great design year as
Pontiac was just coming into its own on the muscle car front. All
boxes are checked in this classic, just turn the key and point the
beak nose front end towards home.
237375P374766
2-Pontiac
37-Lemans
37-2 Door Hardtop Sport Coupe
5-1965
P-Pontiac, MI Assy Plant
374766-Sequential Unit Number
TRIM TAG
08B-2nd Week August
ST 65 23737-1965 Lemans 2 Door Hardtop Sport Coupe, GTO Option
BDY PON54336-Pontiac Body #
TR 217B-Dark Blue Vinyl
PNT BB-Blue Charcoal
W-Tinted Glass, All
2L-4 Speed
G-Console
P-Am Radio
5N-GTO Option
W-Retractable Seatbelts
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 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.