1964 Pontiac GTO - First Year American Muscle Car Legend

1964 Pontiac GTO

"You know, John, with the engine mounts being the same, we could slip a 389 in this thing in about twenty minutes."

So said a Pontiac engineer to Chief Engineer John DeLorean one Saturday while they were studying a 1964 pre-production Tempest. "Let's build one up and try it," Delorean answered, and a lightweight two-door hardtop with a big engine and blazing performance was born. As an underdog. It exceeded GM's policy of 10 lbs weight per cubic inch of engine. And Management bet the car wouldn't fetch 500 orders. They were wrong. The surprising new GTO filled 5,000 orders within days. The GTO (Delorean, enamored of European motor sports, turned Gran Turismo Omologato into the acronym GTO) would go on to win fame with its robust performance and be celebrated as the original mid-size rocket of the Muscle Car era.

The GTO on offer here was built at GM's Fremont, California plant and it is sold with a copy of the build sheet from Pontiac Historic Services to prove it. Originally Gulfstream Aqua with a black Cordova top and a Dark Aqua interior, the car was refinished in stunning Vermillion with a contrasting black vinyl top that enhances its sharp yet understated lines. The immaculate high-quality interior is redone in all black. The restored gauges include the factory's optional tachometer for the 1964 model year. Mileage on the odometer reads 35,551, very likely once around.

Provenance: The first owner purchased the car new at Century Pontiac in Beaverton, Oregon, and it has remained an Oregon car since. The second owner bought the car in 1997 and it then underwent a methodical 10 year restoration during which everything on the car was replaced, rebuilt, replated, repainted or renewed. The car then ended up at Bridgeport Classic Cars in Tigard, OR where the third and current owner purchased it fully restored.

The 389 motor, four-speed transmission and 3.23 rear axle ratio are all numbers matching original components and date-code correct. The date-code correct Tri-power triple carburetors replaced the factory four-barrel during the restoration. The dual exhaust system has a crossover that goes Pontiac's original system one better, with a growl from the tailpipes that borders on ferocious. The car's distinct GTO badging displays another of Delorean's European touches -- the front fender emblem announcing "6.5 Litres". It was the first time an American car wore an emblem showing engine displacement in metric numbers.

VIN 824F17976 certifies this is an eight cylinder LeMans, year 1964, built March 21, 1964 at the Fremont plant. The 78xw code stamped on the front block indicates the car was assembled with a 10:75 compression ratio and a four-barrel 389 producing 325 hp with a wide-ratio four speed transmission. The addition of factory GTO Tri power brought horsepower up to 348. The axle code K indicates a sturdy 3.23 rear end. The most important thing the car's build sheet lists is the W-62 GTO option – everything that transformed the basic LeMans into a rumbling high-powered street-slayer that ignited the need to own one.

For a civilized ride, before the interior was redone dynamat was installed on the floors, door panels, rear quarter panels, kick panels and parcel shelf. A Custom Sound Radio with trunk mounted CD player provides music if you get tired of the tunes coming from the triple-throated engine. Custom Torque Thrust 15"x6" wheels are matched to fat little BFG T/A tires. The sale comes with clear Oregon title, past ownership documentation, a souvenir copy of the original 1965 Oregon Certificate of Title, the 1964 Pontiac Owner's Guide for the Tempest, Lemans and Custom, photos of various stages of the restoration, and a folder filled with restoration and maintenance receipts spanning several decades.

This car is done and ready to run. The 1964 Pontiac GTO is an historic and trend-setting high-performance vehicle that will always resonate with collectors of significant American iron. Buy this spectacular GTO now for $35,000, or the next closest bid. Shipping arranged across the continent or across the ocean.