400 HO/4-Speed: 1967 Pontiac GTO

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If you could rewind the clock to 1967 and you walked into a Pontiac dealership with money burning a hole in your pocket, this GTO was about as good as it got. The original owner ticked many of the best boxes on the Order Form, including fitting the car with the firebreathing 400ci “HO” V8 and a 4-speed manual transmission. The GTO is now a sad sight, but it is a classic that still manages to produce a surprise or two for potential buyers. It seems that the current owner might have more projects than he knows what to do with, so he has listed this one for sale here on eBay. It is located in Grand Junction, Colorado, and the bidding has sailed past the reserve to sit at $6,575.

I suspect that this GTO has led a life of adventure, with the panels and paint showing the ravages of time. The original owner ordered the car finished in Signet Gold with a Black vinyl top. Both features are now a distant memory, although you can see traces of the original paint in several locations. The panels have copped a few dings and dents, and a couple of them are beauties. The driver’s door and rocker are probably the worst, but the owner includes replacements for both to help get the restoration ball rolling. The passenger side rear quarter panel is also pretty bad, but with replacement skins available for around $200, this shouldn’t present a huge challenge for the buyer. Some of the trim and chrome could be salvaged, but the buyer will probably need to compile a long list of replacement parts if the exterior is to present at its best. They will need to add a windshield because while most of the Soft Ray tinted glass looks good, the windshield is badly cracked. We’ve now reached the point where we need to consider the question of rust issues. I’ve tried to save the best until last because the news appears to be pretty positive. The panels and rockers look remarkably clean, but the floors and trunk pan are the stars of the show. Both carry some significant surface corrosion, and the GTO will probably require a trip to a media blaster. However, I can’t spot any significant penetrating rust, which could mean that the only cutting and welding required on this Pontiac is to address the exterior dings and dents. It is worth noting that the freshly restored Rally wheels that the car rolls on aren’t included in the sale. The owner has a set of replacements to go on the car, but these aren’t holding air. The successful bidder could take away the Rally wheels and new tires, but they will add a further $1,000 to the sale price.

The “nose-up” attitude in the exterior shots has probably given you a clue as to how things look under the hood of the GTO. Sadly, there is nothing in the engine bay but a lot of fresh air. This is a shame because the drivetrain was something pretty special. The original owner ordered the car with the 400ci “HO” V8 that churned out an incredible 360hp. He chose to hook a 4-speed manual transmission to this brute, which fed all of those horses to a 3.55 Safe-T-Track rear end. He also selected the Ride & Handling Package, which brought improved springs and shock along with a stabilizer bar. There was no questioning this classic’s performance credential because it would’ve been capable of blitzing the ¼ mile in 14.2 seconds. With the engine and transmission now a distant memory, this Pontiac can never be a numbers-matching classic. However, this fact hasn’t deterred potential buyers because forty bids have already been submitted on this GTO.

When the original owner ordered this Pontiac, he didn’t focus solely on its performance potential. He looked long and hard at the Order Sheet and then wielded his pen to make the interior pretty special. He started by specifying Parchment vinyl trim and then added bucket seats, a console, the Rally Gauge Cluster and tachometer, sports steering wheel, remote outside mirror, door edge guards, a vanity mirror, and a pushbutton AM radio with rear speaker. That would’ve made this interior a pleasant place to clock up the miles, but once again, things have gone downhill over the past 54-years. It appears that some of those original features, like the driver’s mirror, gauge cluster, and radio, are intact. However, the console is missing, and the trim and upholstery have deteriorated beyond help. This interior will require a total restoration, and the buyer will need to choose how they would tackle this. The easiest and most cost-effective solution would be to secure a trim kit because these will include everything required to return the interior to its best. Depending on the supplier, these can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $2,600. I know that some readers aren’t fans of these kits because they aren’t genuine Pontiac components and that they undermine the car’s originality. I understand that sentiment, and there are many cases where I would support that stance entirely. I will say that since this GTO can never be numbers-matching, it also means that it can also never be 100% original. In that case, I believe that the buyer would be justified in choosing non-genuine trim.

When the Pontiac GTO first appeared on the market in 1964, it set the benchmark by which future muscle cars would be measured. In the ensuing years, these 1st Generation examples have become revered, which is reflected in their performance in the classic market. Today, you will struggle to find a good numbers-matching example for under $50,000, while a meticulously restored example with the same drivetrain configuration that this one possessed could threaten six-figure territory on a good day. This one can never be numbers-matching, but there is no reason why a buyer couldn’t recapture its former glory with a date-coded engine and transmission. I hope somebody does because this car doesn’t deserve to be left in its current state.

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Comments

  1. gaspumpchas

    Love a 67 goat. No mill or tranny. Wheels not included. I’d bet this spent a lot of time out in the desert on the ground. Look it over good, if it fits your needs, go for it. Depending what level you want to take it to. Colo climate is kinder to sheet metal than most states. Good luck and happy bidding.
    Cheers
    GPC

    Like 5
    • PatrickM

      Couldn’t agree more. Yes, no engine or tranny just completely leaves me out of the game. I love the lines of a ’67 GTO but, even as less harsh on a car body that Colorado is, I would not fork over $6,5xx.xx for a car in this condition. The interior needs a ton of work done to it. It needs to be gone through from front bumper to the rear. Like CPC said, GLWTS.

      Like 0
  2. Terrry

    If this GTO still had its numbers matching drive train (even if not running) it might be worth the bid price. It goes to show, you don’t have to have a brain to use eBay.

    Like 5
  3. erik j

    Looks like a great starting base. It looks like the rust issue is very little,thats always a big plus. Ebay will raise the bill so lets see what the ending $$$ will be. Hope it gets a good home.

    Like 2
  4. Bick Banter

    Might be worth it to a Boomer who’s got a big 401K and doesn’t plan to take it with him. He can throw the (big) money at it to restore it and then relive the days when maybe he did some things in the back sear that he remembers fondly and maybe exaggerates a bit these days

    For most others? Probably not. You can get a lot of car for what you would spend to get it even roadworthy, and I don’t think the long term values of this era musclecars are gonna hold up to the level they are now.

    Like 3
    • Mike P

      As a Boomer, I agree with both of your comments :)

      Like 2
    • Eddie Dee

      I’ve been saying the prices won’t hold up now for about ten years! Up and up and up they keep a goin though

      Like 6
  5. BA

    Let’s face the facts 14.2 1/4 mile will put a smile on a generation X age person or anyone else regardless of age and is a fantastic muscle car from the legendary late 60s. I don’t see cars from this generation falling from lofty prices or desirability like Hudson hornets or Model Ts because it’s just too bad ass to forget. My nephew wants a GTO of course my grandfather was a dealer & tall tales breed young people who want a piece of the action 14.2 quarter mile action & be the stop light drag strip hero all over again. Cool fast cars never die or want for drivers IMHO.

    Like 3
  6. Johnny C.

    These are great cars… perfect size & weight. They handle very well. This one is a bit over priced for what is offered, but if you’ve got the money, what the heck?
    My Mom had a ’66 LeMans with a 326/4-speed that I took my 1st driver’s license test in. When she was done with it, I bought it off of her, sold the engine and put a Chevy 396 in it.
    I delivered pizza on Saturday nights to get $$ to go to the track on Sundays… I got 13.20’s out of it with street tires on the drag strip & that was good enough for me in those days.

    Like 2
  7. george mattar

    About 10 to 15 years from now, nobody will want these cars. Today, anyone say from 18 to 40, wants nothing to do with this old junk. They want Acuras, VWs and other stupid cars. We boomers are approaching our 70s. I have been in this hobby for 45 years. Yes, some cars bring huge prices because there is more wealth than ever. But if you track prices, as I do, cars on eBay are stupid high. The same cars keep get relisted because it is a very limited market for a 50 year year old muscle car. Take 1967 Corvettes with a 435 hp engine for example. These reached $100,000 in 1988. I still have the Motor Trend issue to prove it. Today, they are still $100,000. I was at Corvettes at Carlisle last week. Attendance way down from past years, many empty spots on the field. My wife and I saw everything in about 4 hours. In past years, it was packed. Don’t blame covid or high gas prices. And looking at windshields with signs for sale, the prices were reduced two and three times. And guys selling parts were like the guy selling beer at a baseball game begging me to stop and buy something. To prove my point, there are more and more electric scooters at these events with fat guys riding in them. Time marches on.

    Like 0

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