Deep Cardinal Red paint in the setting desert sun sets off this shiny 1972 Pontiac GTO. The Phoenix Arizona classic comes to market here on eBay, where the seller says the “jump in and go driver” enjoyed garage storage. A claimed original 400 V8 and four-speed manual transmission “pulls strong,” according to the listing. The $39,999 asking price buys a “super-clean” driver offered as a genuine “factory W62 GTO,” and you’ll find photographs of documentation in the listing.

While the mirror joystick’s gone missing, everything looks shiny and ready for action. The U30 Rally Gauge Cluster with Tachometer should keep you apprised of this GTO’s vital signs, and the M20 four-speed manual transmission with Hurst shifter puts you firmly in control of the potent V8.

These Honeycomb wheels replaced the original N98 Rally II wheels at some point. A slight forward rake looks perfect on this Pontiac, originally sold by Bogel Pontiac in Bayonne, New Jersey according to the documentation.

Someone’s kept things tidy in here, and the GTO-base four-barrel 400 cid (6.6 L) V8 shows no signs of leakage or neglect. Check out that aftermarket chrome boosted brake master cylinder! An aluminum intake, chrome air cleaner cover, and silver valve covers differ from the original Pontiac colors, but represent common under-hood jewelry added before anyone cared about originality. Pontiac brochures didn’t even list horsepower in 1972 as the government-mandated switch from gross to more realistic net ratings meant falling number (on paper) across the board. Suffice to say the 400, close ratio four-speed, and companion 3.55 rear-end gears will get those 14 inch wheels turning in no time. Thanks to the library of brochures at lov2xlr8 for some details.

The molded Endura front bumper leaves the front unencumbered by heavy chrome, freeing Pontiac’s designers to craft this sporty, aggressive snout with quad air intakes above and below the center-divided grille. Would you change anything about this sporty ’70s GTO?