1966 Pontiac GTO

1966 Pontiac GTO Hardtop 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. Internally, it was initially called the Grand Tempest Option, one of many automobiles in the Pontiac line up with a 'Grand' in it. In 1966, GTO became a separate model and no longer just an option package.   For consignment, a 1966 Pontiac GTO hardtop with a title verified 101,286 actual miles. This car was delivered to Jones Pontiac in nearby Lancaster, Pennsylvania and was $3,389 out the door back in '66.  How do we know? The original window sticker and build sheet come with the car along with the PHS documentation. Exterior The Goat still clings to the single stage Cameo Ivory exterior and while not perfect, it still looks good from 20 feet. Stacked quad headlights flank the split grille which house the marker lights and our driver's side light is slightly askew, almost like a wink. The arrowhead is in line with the hood scoop and from the front, the asymmetric profile is due to the single side mirror, as was typical for the time. The tail lights are extra special, a series of nine slits on each side that form a single unit with plenty of white space in between at the end of a long decklid. Our wheels here are Pontiac Rally II's and they carry 70 series tires with a mid 2024 date code. Imperfections begin on the door corner where some uneven filler is found, there's bubbling in spots especially at the rocker panel, cracking paint, and general patina.  Interior Red vinyl is the choice here and while it appears clean and intact on the door panels, the driver's seat is torn and compressed, and the passenger side has a tear. Conversely, the rear bench looks as if no one has been back there. Red covers the steering wheel and dash surround while wood veneer backs the instrument cluster fronted by the tachometer on the column and this wood shows some age. The AM radio and fan controls appear as they did in 1966 and a pair of more modern gauges are added under the dash to monitor oil and water. A Hurst shifter is offset in the center console to cater to the driver and look original while semi plush red carpet floods the floor, showing a touch of age and the headliner is in great shape, also red. The trunk is clean and contains a period plaid mat and spare tire.   Drivetrain Pontiac Blue colors the block of the 350ci V8 under the hood topped by legendary Tri-Power carburetors and backed by a numbers matching Muncie M20 4-speed manual transmission. Power is sent to the 10 bolt rear axle with 3.55 gears and the optioned Safe-T-Track differential. All four hubs are equipped with drum brakes.  Undercarriage Mainly clean underneath with some driver quality elements including some surface rust on the exhaust and driveshaft and some oil on the rear differential. The pans are dry and the knuckles are clear. Dual exhaust runs through glasspack style mufflers before finding an exit via steel pipes out back. Coil spring suspension occupies the front independent system while a 4 link with coil springs is equipped out back.  Drive-Ability We almost bow in respect before entering this relic from the origins of the muscle car movement. A prime of the gas delivery system and a turn of the key and we were off onto the test loop where many GTO's have come before. This one performs with no surprises, delivering good power, confident tracking, and decent handling for a relatively large car. We note the radio, heater blower, and reverse lights are not working but all other features work as they should. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.  1966 saw more GTO's leave the factory than any other year, nearly 100,000 in total