This 2 owner 1972 Pontiac GTO classifies as a survivor. This GTO has only 68,000 miles and still sports its original Wilderness Green paint and tan interior. The car is located in Scipio, Indiana and can be seen here on eBay with a buy it now price of $24,900.
The 1972 GTO was similar to the 1971 model with the exception that the grill was recessed and the front fenders had functional air ducts behind the front wheels. Demand continued to decline from 40,149 GTOs in 1970 to 10,532 GTOS in 1971 to only 5,807 GTOs in 1972. Also, the 1972 GTO reverted back to an option package on the LeMans compared to a stand alone model.
Besides being a nice clean example, this car was optioned with a 4 speed manual transmission behind the base 400 cubic inch engine. In 1972, the 400 cubic inch V8 delivered 250 net horsepower and 325 ft-lbs of torque. A buyer could also option two different 455 cubic inch V8’s in 1972 including the HO455 that was standard in the Pontiac Trans Am. Pontiac equipped this GTO with 3:23 rear gears.
While the paint is a little faded, the car is well equipped with power steering, power brakes, and air conditioning. I own a 1972 GTO and it is a pleasure to drive. My friend with a 1972 Chevelle can’t believe how much better my car handles compared to his even though we have roughly the same size engines. This would make a great Christmas for somebody!
It looks like a nice car at a reasonable price. Rare to see a 4spd and AC. This is one I think you buy and drive, it would be a lot of fun.
Steve R
Agreed. Truly a turn key muscle car at an affordable price. Nice car
Nice original example, reasonably priced. Even has A/C!
Would make a great summer cruiser (or year round her in AZ…)
From 1964 to around 1984, my father and I got real good at spotting GM B intermediates like this on used car lots before they made it into the hands of some local hot-dogging youngster aiming to wrap the car around a tree or thrash the thing with all night partying. Pontiac seemed to get the performance aspect right with their design of the interior, things falling readily to the driver’s hand, etc. All told we bought and sold eight to ten stick shift Lemans, Cutlasses, Skylarks/Regals. Not to mention a few dozen Firebirds, Camaros and one Skyhawk. This would have fit right in. Nice find!
Agreed. BTW I assume you meant “GM A bodies”
Growing up my brother had a ’71 GTO and always wanted that car. Sadly haven’t seen that blue on blue coupe since he sold it here in the Philly suburbs back in 1987.
Yes. I thought I took out the “B” and replaced with the word intermediate. Guess not. I am a little off in my years of dealing in these too…1964 would have been the earliest A body my father owned but we horse traded through 1960s into the mid-1980s. I also forgot to add one 72 Monte Carlo that was an automatic but sold to someone who converted it nicely into a floor-shift manual. Not as hard as one might imagine with the Chevelle underpinnings.
I would need to see the PHS documents. It’s hard to tell in 1972 if you have Lemans or a real GTO.
And factory 8-Track!!!
The 8 track makes it, love that it has a/c, great cruiser
I didnt realize so few 72 gto were made, im almost shocked, i always do the math like this 5800 gtos divided by 50 states with 60 percent in the crusher leaving 50 Gtos per state? ( rough estimate) then you take 50 and divide up x amount of barns and,,,….
Everyone needs this hood, boy did these rot hard
Yep. The muscle car era was DONE by ’72. The quarterback who’d had the ’68 Goat had graduated, married the cheerleader, moved to the new town, and started a career. The wife was tired of ‘that noisy old car’ and she’d seen the Monte Carlo with the vinyl top and the foofy interior! ‘No more stick shifts if you know whats good for you…’
And…
DeLorean had gone to Chevrolet and his management replacements at Pontiac were clueless to the magic that brand had generated in the ’60s so Pontiac had changed paths. There were some bright spots with the GP but the changing market was a tough place.
That said, I’d be all over this thing if i didn’t have a move coming up in a few months.
Rick,
Personally I suspect the end of the supercar/musclecar era was mostly about insurance rates(and perhaps cultural changes to some extent), and I’m sure power-robbing emissions control systems did not help.
There is a myth that it was about those buyers aging out and moving on to family cars, but the baby boom did not hit its peak of annual births until 1957, which means that the majority of those kids weren’t even old enough to drive(much less buy a car) until the supercar/musclecar era was already over.
That’s fine, Steven. Certainly insurance issues had a lot to do with it too, but times they were a changin’.
As a ’50 vintage myself I saw it happen both in the Air Force and in college. There was an enthusiasm for the pre-safety-era cars that we also knew would come to an end soon with the advent of bumpercars ;starting in ’73.
It was fun while it lasted
To a point I have to agree on insurance being a factor in the demise of the muscle car, but it IMO was only one aspect. You had the rise in insurance which put a crimp on a drivers budget. You also needed to factor in the influence of OPEC and the sometimes lack of fuel and increase in price of a gallon of gas. Add to that the emissions changes that the government put out and the decrease in performance and gas mileage of the cars. Cars ran like crap and did terrible on fuel on a good day. Add to that the continued increase in car prices and decrease in quality, and the manufacturers changing from real performance to plastic parts and decals presentation instead, these all IMO had an effect on killing off the muscle car. I saw the advent of the muscle car and it’s death, it was a sad time in history. Electronics have restored much of the lost performance but it comes with a price and I don’t thing most of the newer cars will be around in 20 years.
A real muscle car look and with that much torque, good 72 performance.
I could drive that daily ( after the seat repair), that I can do.
I just spent a weekend with my 70 Mach 1, and enjoyed every minute.
Compared to my daily modern car, it is so special to drive without air con, the windows open, the breeze blowing and the exhaust rumbling.
Oh its 30 degree C summer here.
Extremely nice example.
Were there not 3 different 400 motors offered on 72 ?
NADA says average cond up to 40 grand.
This is way nicer than average.
Good deal again today 😎
Del, there were 3 engines:
400
455 (auto only)
455HO
The 1972 was supposed to be the new Colonnade A-body, but it was delayed and came out as a ’73. Thus the ’72 is essentially a carry-over ’71.
And that was a GOOD thing. The ’73 Pontiac A-body was to me the ugliest of the four brands offered and made the pre-73s look great by comparison.
I saw a bright green ’71 Judge sitting by a back fence at the GM dealer in Anchorage in the fall of ’72 after the ’73s came out, found out it had never sold. Same car was bought decades later by the Surf City Garage outfit and restored, beautifully. Sold at Mecum not long ago. The ’71 and ’72s were IMO the last real Goats.
No. I meant 3 different 400 motor options
Del, only one 400 engine was offered, the L78, which was standard in the GTO w/3sp. manual(M-13) std. and close(M-22) and wide ratio(M-20) 4-speeds and the THM400 auto. optional. Optional engines were the L75 D-port 455 with auto. trans only and the round port LS5 455 HO w/ M-22 4-sp. or auto.
My first car was a 72 gto. I really like this car. If I didn’t a few Chevelles I would be very tempted to contact the seller and work out a deal. Nice car.
gee dee this thing is super tempting as presented and priced!
Nice find Bruce. I believe there was only 1 455 engine offered in ’71 and ’72; the 455 HO, pls correct me if I’m wrong?
A non HO 455 d port head gto was available in 71 and 72 gto’s with automatic trans only. Two 455’s were available d port head and round port head. If you wanted a 455 with a 4 speed you got the 455 ho.
I really like the looks of this one!
A neighbor of mine in the mid 90’s had a mustard colored ’72 GTO with the same 400/4 speed combo. He bought it new. I tried for several years to buy it off of him but he wouldn’t sell.
I’m not much of a fan of the 71-72 front end treatment, but… a real goat (PHS) with a 4 speed, AC and other desirable options makes it hard not to like. The only GTO’s I have not had were a 72, 73, and a 74. Still have a 65 convertible 4 speed Tri Power. Loved my 2006, but sold it to help finance my new garage.
Nice car without a doubt, plenty to like here. The sales numbers don’t surprise me really all that much.
The sixties were over and new trends for the people that follow, looked for something else. The mini car trend!! Haha.
Run this green machine through the gears and tell me the truth, it ended in ’70 didn’t it.
This is a really nice car and the last of the breed. While not the screamer like some previous editions, 250hp is enough for today’s roads. It’s well equipped and in great shape, just get in and drive. I’ve always thought the ’70 – ’72 models were the best looking GTOs and even though I’d like to have a ’66 GTO like the one I had years ago, I’d certainly love to have this one.
8.2 to 1 compression 325 ft lbs of torque
Might run on regular gas!
Got a 400 four speed Gee Tee Oh? Be a lot cooler if you did.
the ’68 chrome bumber gto is the best.
What’s a bumber?
A bumper with part of it upside down! :-)
A bumper is a structure attached to or integrated with the front and rear ends of a motor vehicle, to absorb impact in a minor collision, ideally minimizing repair costs. … Bumpers ideally minimize height mismatches between vehicles and protect pedestrians from injury.
A bumber is a typo.
Nice to see that hog leg sticking through the floor!!! If I had the money it would be mine!!! Great car great price!!!