When Pontiac executives rolled out the mid-size GTO in 1964, they expected to sell 5,000 copies. Well, more than 32,000 orders were taken, and production would top out at 97,000 units in 1966. To say they had a hit on their hands would be an understatement. The convertible is perhaps the hardest to find today, and the seller has owned this 1964 GOAT for nearly five decades. It’s an older restoration with an engine transplant, though the original comes with the car. Located in West Chicago, Illinois, this Skyline Blue drop-top is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $48,000. “tim961” is the Barn Finder source for this tip!
For its first two years, the GTO was an option package on the LeMans. Seeing that they had a tiger by the tail, Pontiac made the GTO a separate series in its third year, and the car held that status through 1971. In 1964, the GTO option set you back an extra $300 (per the MSRP replica provided by the seller). That got you a 389 cubic inch V8 (4-barrel carburetor; Tri-Power added more to the cost), dual exhaust, and wider tires. Besides the 389, the seller’s machine came with a 2-speed automatic transmission.
Since restoring this convertible in the late 1990s, the seller has only driven it about 300 miles a year (probably to shows). So, it’s time for someone else to become its caretaker and also enjoy it. He pulled the 389 and replaced it with a rebuilt 428 V8 from 1968, and it now has a TH-400 tranny. But the original equipment will also go with the sale, plus extra gearing and another transmission. So, you can keep it as it is or go back to factory and be numbers matching.
Just 6,644 GOAT ragtops were built in 1964, so the average attrition rate suggests only a few hundred or a thousand might be left. This car is said to perform nicely and looks good overall, though there are a few scratches, as you might expect, and a small hole in the trunk. With power steering and brakes, the sticker price for this Poncho in 1964 was $3,600 and change.
Oh my what we tore up in our youth. A friend paid 400 dollars for a dark blue soft top , interior whas white and it smoked a bit when he got it. Smoked a lot when he got rid of it. Had to put a set of Thrush glass packs on it. Wheel covers had to go, it was an auto, not a turbo 400! We were 16 and it didn’t take all that much to get boys excited.