1965 Pontiac GTO Convertible
Posted by David Kinney
The 1965 Pontiac GTO is the prodigy of the American muscle car family, and one of the most significant postwar Pontiacs built. And it is all thanks to a fairly straightforward recipe. Take a midsized body and pop in a big engine. Give the car a simple name, one with a nod and a wink to a European sports car of great repute, but don’t bother to explain what it means. Add a few badges. Beef up the chassis. Make sure it has bucket seats, a floor-mounted shifter (preferably a 4-speed), and be sure to include a tach.
Sell the dealers on the idea before the cars are even available, then tell them they’re only available in limited quantities. Give the buyers a wide choice of options, from go-fast add-ons to creature comforts.
Promote, promote, promote - but not just through the usual channels. Spend money at the races, the drag strips, and park a few cars at nightclubs and hot spots. Get a song written about it.
For the 1964 and 1965 model years, the GTO was only an option package on the Pontiac Tempest, but it kicked off the muscle car revolution and helped instigate the horsepower race. Coke bottle styling, a big 389-c.i. V8, and an available drop top continue to make the 1965 Pontiac GTO a favorite among collectors.
(Portions of this article are from the July 2005 issue of Sports Car Market magazine.)