Vehicle Description
Vehicle to be offered for Auction sale January 19th - 22nd, 2017 at Russo and Steele's 17th Annual Scottsdale Arizona Auction at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Please contact us for more information.
Dubbed The Humbler in Pontiac's provocative ad copy, the 1970 Pontiac GTO continued the popular long hood, short deck design introduced for GM's 1968 A-body lineup for a third and very successful year. It retained the innovative flexible body-color Endura nose treatment, now attractively restyled with twin grille elements and four neatly recessed headlamps. The GTO's standard bucket-seat interior was also updated for improved comfort, befitting the GTO's premium road-car stature within the Pontiac model line.
The powerful 400 cubic-inch V-8 engine continued in several levels of tune, including the 366-horsepower Ram Air III and 370-horsepower Ram Air IV, supplemented by the mid-year debut of the new L75 455 V-8 packing 360 rated horsepower and 500 pounds-feet torque. Handling was upgraded with a new rear anti-sway bar and a set of 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 overall prowess. In all, Pontiac built 40,149 GTOs for 1970. Of them, just 399 were L75 455-powered GTO convertibles - 241 equipped with the high-performance M40 Turbo-Hydramatic automatic transmission.
This 455-powered 1970 Pontiac GTO Convertible is one of those very rare M40-equipped cars and fewer still remaining today. It is also quite likely one of the well-equipped examples, with the build sheet listing 35 individual options. Among them is a G80 Positraction rear end with 3.07 gears yielding high-speed potential. The disc brakes, door locks, driver's seat, steering, convertible top, windows, and door locks are all power-operated. All-weather comfort is provided by factory air conditioning. Other outstanding features and options include full courtesy lights, Rally gauges, floor console with floor shift, tilt steering column with Sport steering wheel, tinted glass, and Black deluxe upholstery with a matching convertible top.
After assembly, the GTO was shipped to Texas and sold to the original owner there in El Paso, remaining under single-family ownership and care through 2003, during which time the car was located in Texas, California, and then Utah. A restoration returned the GTO to virtual as-new condition, including the car's rare factory-original Mint Turquoise paint finish. Incredible documents fill two binders, including the original build sheet, Protect-O-Plate, shipping order, owner/registration history, restoration photos and receipts, and more. As offered, this 1970 Pontiac GTO convertible is simply one of the most highly-equipped, best-documented, and visually striking vehicles of its kind.
