Featured on AutoHunter, the online auction platform driven by ClassicCars.com, is this restored 1964 Pontiac GTO.
Why is the Pontiac GTO, especially the first year 1964 model, so well regarded and such an icon to car collectors? Well, to start the GTO was the first true muscle car ever produced. It was the brainchild of Pontiac executive John DeLorean who was aware of the custom and modified car scene, he saw the GTO as a way for GM to create a factory built, high performance custom car. The history of the car is also interesting, as it basically broke the rules. You see in the 1960s GM had an official ban on racing and this limited the engines that they could put in their intermediate size cars to 330ci. DeLorean and the rest of the GTO team discovered a loophole in the company policy which did not restrict the offering of large engines as an option, which allowed the GTO. In its first two years it was only an option package for the Pontiac Tempest, to shoehorn a 389ci engine in the car. With this loophole a legend was born.
The 1964 Pontiac GTO featured here is said to have gone through an inside-and-out restoration that was completed in 2018. The car is powered by a rebuilt, fuel-injected 389cid V8 mated to a Super Turbine 300 two-speed automatic transmission and a Safe-T-Track rear end. Equipment includes a center console, power steering, a radio, power brakes, and a quad-outlet exhaust system. The car is painted in a stunning two-tone exterior that was refinished in Alamo Beige (code R) with a Singapore Gold top (code T) and is offered by the selling dealer with receipts, a manifest document, a build sheet, the removed original radio, and a clear title.
The car rides on correct chrome 14-inch wheels with spinner-style center caps wrapped in tires that were replaced during the restoration process.
The interior of this GTO is fitted with Light Saddle (code 216) bucket seats up front, a bench in the rear, and complementary materials for the door panels, padded dash, headliner, center console, seat belts, and carpeting. Features include visor vanity mirrors, power steering, Soft Ray tinted glass, and a newer retro-look radio.
The car features full instrumentation housed within an engine-turned aluminum bezel that include a 120-mph speedometer, tachometer, gauges for the fuel level, coolant temperature, and a super cool console mounted manifold vacuum gauge. The five-digit mechanical odometer reads 22,295 miles, but the true mileage on the chassis is unknown.
Under the hood lies a correct rebuilt 389cid V8 while the four-barrel carburetor has been replaced with a fuel injection system which adds quite a bit to the drivability of this car. When new, this engine produced 325 horsepower and 428 lb-ft of torque. Power is directed to the back wheels via a console-shifted Super Turbine 300 two-speed automatic transmission and a Safe-T-Track rear differential with 3.23:1 gearing.
So if you want to own a great example of the car that represents the beginning of the muscle car era, this 1964 Pontiac GTO would be one to seriously consider bidding on.
The auction for this 1964 Pontiac GTO ends Monday, November 6, 2023, at 11:15 a.m. (PDT)
Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and photo gallery
Source: www.classiccars.com