1965 Pontiac GTO Tri-Power Hardtop

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From the dark corners of my Private Collection comes this Survivor 65 Tri Power GTO, which I have often caught dreaming of its days terrorizing the streets back in the day in the Detroit area...

I purchased this car in 2005 from the son of its original owner. Specially ordered when new as strictly a weekend street and strip toy, the original owner had contacts at Pontiac that told him just how to order the meanest '65 GTO available. Boxes were checked for a Tri Power 389, M21 Close Ratio 4 Speed, Transistorized Ignition (TI), Metallic HD Competition Brakes, Factory Undercoat and Sound Deadener DELETE, and a 3.90:1 HD Posi. What is more important is what was NOT ordered - no gauges, no console, no fancy wire hubcaps or sissy shiny bits. Just pure, no BS, built to race go-fast stuff!

With just 15,000 original miles from new, it is as new as you would expect a car to be that was parked in a heated garage in the early 1970's. I have the original factory window sticker and all docs from new including the cancelled checks written to the dealer to buy the car in 1965- 1 for the deposit upon placing the order, and one to pay the balance when the car was delivered some months later! This beauty is even still on its original 1965 Michigan title. 100% original, amazing paint and flawless interior. The best part is it has real documentation showing a Royal Bobcat kit getting installed in August of 1965, shortly after the owner purchased the car. How many REAL Royal Bobcat cars have you ever seen?

When I purchased the car, I sent it directly to Scott Tiemann for detailing and to rebuild the original motor as a safety precaution after its many decade nap. Needless to say, after being scrubbed up and mechanically freshened by the best in the business this is one impressive GTO and one of my favorites. I love the history, the incredible factory high performance options, the color combination, and the fact that it has never seen a paint gun or any cosmetic restoration whatsoever. You just don't see high performance GTO's that have stood the test of time like this one.

This car can also be seen prominently featured in the awesome new GTO book entitled "GTO: The Great One" by Darwin Holmstrom with photography by David Newhardt. If you like GTO's (and have a very sturdy coffee table) I strongly suggest picking up a copy of this impressive book.

This is without question one of the finest original GTO's in existence, not to mention one of the best equipped and documented ones as well. Yes, there are any number of "restored" 65's out there, but if you are like me and feel that a car's originality and story are the most important reason we collect them, then this is a car that will excite you. You are welcome to come take a look at this factory-fresh survivor to see the difference!

$115,000