1965 Pontiac GTO

- Hardtop Coupe
- Red over Black
- 389 V8
- 4 Speed Manual
- Wood Dash and Steering Wheel
- Cragar SS Wheels
- PHS Documents

(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 1965 Pontiac GTO on a website other than our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of the car due to third-party website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 165 photographs, as well as a short start-up and walk-around video, please go to our main website: Garage Kept Motors.)

“The Great One: Pontiac's -and America's- Legendary GTO” – Hagerty Media, May 2014

Hagerty captured why early GTOs are classics: “… Pontiac's GTO remains at the very top of the muscle car pantheon because it was the first: the car that gave birth to the genre. Truth be told, muscle cars were an invention of marketing, not of technology, and the GTO was the first car to offer muscle to Baby Boomers.”

On how it came to be, despite GM's performance mandates: “Conceiving, naming and developing the GTO was easy; the hard part was getting corporate approval. GM limited cars to 10 pounds per cubic inch, which meant that the largest permissible power plant for the 3,400-pound Tempest would displace 340 cubic inches. But the committee overseeing displacement to- weight ratios only scrutinized new models and didn't inspect option packages, so Pontiac made the GTO an option package for the two-door LeMans version of the Tempest. Pontiac sales staff generated 5,000 orders before GM management found out. And with 5,000 customers expecting cars, GM management couldn't easily kill the GTO.”

And on the GTO's signature power: “The 389-cubic-inch GTO engine was the biggest V-8 mounted in a mid-size GM car up until that point.”

On the few changes for '65: “Pontiac gave the GTO a few styling tweaks for 1965. The front end received stacked headlights, echoing those used on Pontiac's full-size cars, and the twin fake hood scoops gave way to a single center-mounted faux scoop.”

Offered here is a 1965 Pontiac GTO coupe in red over black under a black vinyl top. With its refreshed exterior paint, mild upgrades, original power, and largely stock presentation, this GTO is an excellent representation of the historic model. Its power combination of a 389 V8 and 4-speed manual transmission was highly desirable back in the day and remains so now.

The non-metallic, red exterior paint was properly refreshed. Door sides, door sills and jambs, the underside of the trunk lid, and hood were all properly sprayed. The color shade was a good choice for a stand-out performance car. Body panels are free of dings, dents, or other damage, and panel alignment is proper. (To best assess the quality of the paint and trim finishes, please be sure to view the close-up photographs of the car in the accompanying gallery.) The car's black vinyl top is free of damage. The chrome finish on the bumpers and other trim has been well-maintained with minimal patina. Factory badging includes the Pontiac logo emblem between the two grille segments, “GTO” emblems (in the front-left grille, on the rear fenders, and rear trunk lid), “GTO 6.5 Litre” engine badges (showing light patina) to the rear of the front wheel wells, and P-O-N-T-I-A-C chrome letters on the rear panel center insert. Cabin glass and lighting lenses are clear and free of damage. Period-correct Cragar SS® chrome, 5-spoke wheels are mounted with BFGoodrich® Radial T/A raised-white-letter tires.

Inside, the black theme shows extremely well on virtually all stock components. The GTO-specific-design, black vinyl upholstery (with angled pleats and Pontiac logos in the material) is virtually flawless. Rear-cabin side walls and door trim employ the same materials in square-pattern design with “GTO 6.5 Litre” emblems on the door panels. Front bucket seats are separated by a chrome-trimmed black console with storage compartment. Black cabin carpeting—protected by Pontiac-branded rubber floor mats in all seating positions—has been well-kept. A wood-riveted-rim, 3-spoke, brushed-metal-trimmed sport steering wheel with Pontiac-logo center emblem frames the four-opening instrument array set in wood. The analog instruments include a 120-mph speedometer, 8,000-rpm tachometer, and engine-monitoring gauges. All instrument lenses are clear. The original Pontiac-branded push-button AM radio remains in place. The shift lever for the 4-speed manual transmission, topped with a cue-ball-style shift knob—is mounted on the console. Another GTO emblem is located alongside the passenger-side grab-handle.

Under the hood, the 389-cubic-inch V8—its engine block properly painted Pontiac metallic blue—commands a very clean and orderly engine bay. An open-sided chrome air-cleaner cover and chrome, Moroso®-embossed valve covers add flair. Viewed from below, the chassis is complete, straight, and undamaged. Light surface rust is present on untreated metal. The full-length dual-exhaust system with chrome tips is an obvious visual focal point.

The GTO's original build and identification tags remain as mounted at the factory.

While the more than 165 high-definition photographs and the short walk-around-and-startup video available on the GarageKeptMotors website showcase this '65 GTO in detail from every angle, including from below, we expect and encourage in-person inspections at our Grand Rapids, Michigan showroom. Please call to arrange an appointment in advance as our showroom is not open to the public. And feel free to get in touch anytime by phone or email if you have questions.

If you graduated from high school in 1965, you wanted this to be the gift you'd get from your parents. (It probably didn't happen.) If you were over 21 in 1965 and starting your career, you dreamed of owning this car. (It probably didn't happen.) Thereafter, as you began a family, the dream didn't ever go away entirely, but your '65 GTO still didn't happen.

Now may be the best time to…

Make it happen.