With a production total nudging 100,000 in that electrifying 1966 model year, it goes without saying that not every GTO was outfitted as a street fighter, especially if one were ordering a convertible (12,798 produced). This beautiful “Palmetto Green” convertible, brought to us by Barn Finder Mitchell G., is just such a car. Ordered with the base 389 with an automatic and air conditioning, it represents the kind of GTO that so many people bought for its image, not for its actual muscle. It’s up for sale here on eBay in Lisle, Illinois, and its asking price is $53,800 (with a “Make Offer” option).

Just because a GTO may be a mild example does not mean that it’s weak, as even the base 389, shown here, was rated at 335 horsepower and 431 lb.-ft. of torque, more than enough for any owner to put some wind through their hair in a brisk fashion. This car appears to come with Pontiac Historical Services documents showing the selection of original options, which seem to match what we see in the pictures. For example, power steering and “Custom Air Conditioning” were ordered, although the missing drive belt implies that the system needs repairs. Nevertheless, air conditioning in a convertible was still somewhat uncommon in the mid-1960s, and it’s interesting to see it under the hood here.

One thing that the GTO did better than most of its muscle car contemporaries was its interior; instrumentation was simple but effective, with four round gauges as a sporty car should have. The woodgrain dashboard was handsome, and the GTO’s bucket seats and optional console rounded out the look. The GTO’s automatic transmission was a two-speed Super Turbine 300 (although Pontiac labeled it a “two-speed torque converter automatic” in its sales materials), which was not the same as Chevy’s Powerglide. The ST300 as used in the GTO did not, however, have the “switch-pitch” torque converter that its Oldsmobile and Buick counterparts used.

Something you may have noticed about the featured GTO that doesn’t mesh with the PHS documents is the wheel selection: the Pontiac Rally I. The original steel wheels and “Custom Wheel Discs” will come in the trunk, but even though they would give the car a not terribly common, period-correct look, I think the Rally I’s look a lot better.

Unfortunately, the seller doesn’t provide much historical or mechanical information about the car, so an in-person inspection would be a very good idea. Also, the seller’s YouTube video was posted well over a year ago, so the car has been up for sale for quite some time, it seems. So what’s the right price for this gutsy cruiser?