Don’t let appearances fool you. Below that tired and baked exterior lies a genuine, PHS documented 1965 Pontiac GTO. It is a solid car, and in its prime, it would have been a stunning and pretty potent classic. It has fallen on hard times, but it is ready for the right person to come along and return it to its former glory. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, you will find the GTO listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding on the Pontiac has been very lively, and has now reached $3,400 in a No Reserve auction. It is a car that has generated plenty of interest, with 184 people currently watching the listing.

As you gaze upon the baked exterior, it is hard to believe that the GTO rolled off the line finished in Bluemist Slate. The Arizona sun has well and truly cooked it, but at least the body appears to be complete. The original hood is missing, but it looks like a good genuine replacement is included in the sale. As far as rust issues are concerned, the owner states that there is some in the trunk, and I get the impression that a new trunk pan might be on the agenda. Beyond that, any rust appears to be little more than the dry surface corrosion that is a common feature of classics from this region. There is a noticeable dent in the rear quarter panel on the driver’s side, but the rest of the panels seem to be straight. It appears as though all of the chrome and trim is present, although pieces like the rocker trim on the passenger side are damaged.

With the exterior finished in Bluemist Slate, an interior trimmed in Dark Aqua would have made for a truly classy color combination. Sadly, the Arizona climate that has preserved the body had to exact a toll somewhere, and the interior trim has borne the brunt of the harsh UV rays. The seats are present and the dash is largely complete, but there is no hiding the fact that the interior will require nothing short of a full restoration. The starting point will almost certainly be something like a trim kit, and complete kits including all of the fiddly and often forgotten little pieces can be found for around the $2,800 mark. Unfortunately, what is missing is the original 389ci V8 and the 4-speed manual transmission. The 389 was the “base” version, pumping out 335hp. I guess that as far as what could be considered to be base specifications are concerned, that sounds like a pretty decent place to start. In combination with the 4-speed transmission, this could push the GTO through the ¼ mile in a sizzling 14.6 seconds. It isn’t clear when the engine and transmission disappeared, but judging by the Pontiac’s current location, there might be the chance of scoring replacements for either or both items through the seller.

The owner of this ’65 GTO floats the idea of using the vehicle as the base for a project or utilizing it as a parts car. I fully appreciate that any restoration is going to be a pretty major undertaking, but given the fact that this started life as a genuine GTO, dismantling it for parts would seem to be a crying shame. Unless some sort of miracle occurs, this will never again be a numbers-matching car. However, if this vehicle was restored to a high standard and was fitted with a date-correct engine and transmission, it still has the potential to command a value or sale price of around $40,000. This could potentially creep slightly higher if the owner gets all of the little details factory-correct. That makes this a classic that appears to be well worth the time and effort.