After being its own separate model in the Pontiac lineup since 1966, it was a sign of the times back in ’72 when the GTO returned to an option package on the LeMans. By this period, the muscle car market was dwindling, with many consumers shifting their focus to practical and economical transportation. Fortunately, for those still seeking something more, the GTO remained a capable performer, especially when equipped with the optional 455 under the hood, such as this 1972 Pontiac GTO here on Craigslist. This one’s a project that’s been off the road for a dozen years, and while some work will be needed, the goat seems pretty solid overall. It’s currently sitting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with the owner aiming for $15,500. Mitchell G., thanks a lot for sending in the tip here!
The seller tells us he’s owned this GTO for the past 33 years, stating that the car had no problems when he last drove it 12 years ago. There’s no information on why it hasn’t been started since, but he does mention that the engine got a complete rebuild before, with approximately 7,000 miles of use since the overhaul. It’s unknown if it will fire up without any attention first, but the owner is hesitant to try due to the age of the gas in the tank. There’s also no confirmation that the 455 is original to the car, and no details are provided about the 4-speed manual transmission, either.
To have been out of commission for such a long period, the storage conditions must have been favorable, as the body appears straight and solid from what I can tell. The owner states that the Pontiac was painted in 1991, and if I did the math correctly, that was one year before his acquisition. It’s not specified if any sheet metal or other exterior repairs were made before the respray, but unless there’s an excessive amount of filler present, this one may be OK for a while as-is on the outside.
If you’re a fan of aftermarket interior products, this one’s got you well covered. Those seats would look more at home in a Bradley GT if you ask me, but to each his own, and at least there’s a fire extinguisher between the buckets in case of emergency. However, the worst news inside by far is that mice have entered, so it’s probably going to need to be gutted anyway. Even with some negatives, this one seems desirable overall, and perhaps at a decent point to take over sans rodent damage. If it doesn’t sell before then, the seller says he will be taking the goat to the Jefferson Auto Swap Meet & Car Show in Wisconsin later this month, which would be a good opportunity to see it up close. Is this 1972 Pontiac GTO one you’d be interested in getting back on the road?
Looks like the goat got adopted as the listing is deleted !
Maybe the rodent residents decided their best bet was to buy it with the rising rents and home purchase prices today.
Hi Jeff,
Wow! That must have happened within the last hour, as this GTO was still for sale this morning when that post was made. It had been up for three days on Craigslist. I guess somebody liked what they saw, and the goat is headed to a new farm! Wonder if the seller got his full asking price?
Too many unanswered questions.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but my seat won’t fit in that bucket. Maybe that’s why the seller parked it.
whats the deal with 2 shifters?
It’s a verti-gate. The tall handle with the hurst t-knob controls 1-4, the short handle with the black knob is just used to engage/disegage reverse. Those shifters are very fast and work great as long as they’re kept clean and lubed.
I had a tri five 55 hardtop with a 327 and 340 pony Vette engine with a mr Gasket inline shifter with reverse lockout similar.
It was fun to race and throw hard shifts back in the day.
Fyi
I agree on maintenance to make the shifter work best
lol
IDK, I still prefer the Looks of the 66-67 or the looks and power of the 68-69 . The 69 Judge package with the HO 400 blew away most of the Competition ( as did the Optltional 455 , just before the 70’s rolled out )
The 455 was not available in the GTO until 1970.
The 400 was a great motor and 1970 it was more than plenty. This 72 is a hack,
What they did to the interior is like a guy job. I say they ordered everything out of a JC Whitney catalog.
Brett, that looks like a Hone-o-drive (overdrive) shifter. It was quite popular in the ’60s. A girl friends father’s 427 Chevelle had one just like this. The new naveof the company is gear vendors. They use an electric shifter these days. I worked for a Pontiac store starting in late 1971 and a red 1972 GTO 455 4 speed was my first “demo” . I miss that car. But after that I drove what ever fit my autocross needs for that weekend. (TransAm, Corvette, etc.) But they were never as much fun as the Honda Civic that we campaigned in 1974.
It looks like it was modified in the 1980’s possibly early-1990’s. The shifter is either a Mr. Gasket V-gate or Hurst Ram Rod, which are functionally the same and sell on eBay typically sell for $700-800 plus another $300-400 if you can find an NOS shift boot. The Mallory ignition, gold Moroso valve covers, gauges and seats, which are unsafe, are also from that timeframe. This isn’t something that likely would have seen much, if any track time, but was more of a street racer.
It’s no wonder this car sold quickly, any desirable car near a population center that’s had potential will immediately draw attention, three days is plenty of time for someone to go see it and leave a deposit and get the money from a bank. Serious buyers don’t mess around, that’s why you often see good deals on this site sell around the featured write up goes live.
This car has been modified, but doesn’t look to be butchered. Any 69-72 A-body bucket seat cores will work, the aftermarket gauges can be removed in an hour or two. The biggest issue would be potential rust, which any in person inspection will sort out.
If it is a factory 455HO GTO and not rusted to death the asking price is cheap and good deals don’t last.
Steve R
Steve R, you are probably right. The Hone-O-Drive lever was usually on the right side of the transmission tunnel.
I’m pretty familiar with them, I had a couple of friends with them and rode shotgun in their cars many times. I recently bought one, I’d been looking for a good deal on a complete shifter with linkage for a couple of years and finally found one.
Steve R
It’s not a 455 ho. Center exhaust ports are standard d ports, not ho round ports.
Owned for 33 years and not driven for the past 12. Hope the owner had a reason for that, sounds unfortunate to leave this parked in a garage for so long.
The posting was deleted before I could view it.