The 1966 model run would be a watershed year for the Pontiac GTO. Not only did it become a series of its own (instead of an option), but it would also set a sales record of nearly 100,000 units. This ’66 GTO, which suffered some front-end damage many years ago, is being sold to settle an estate – and comes with a garage full of parts. From Fall River, Massachusetts, this interesting project is available without reserve here on eBay where just one bid of $12,000 has been cast for all of it. Our thanks to Taylor Potter for this nostalgic tip!
When the GTO debuted in 1964 as a performance option on the mid-size Tempest/LeMans, Pontiac executives grossly underestimated demand. Instead of selling 5,000 GTOs in the first year, they sold 32,500. The upward trajectory would continue through 1966 and then hold its own for the balance of the decade. But, alas, the muscle car market went into decline in the early 1970s thanks to rising insurance costs and – eventually – increasing fuel prices. The GTO’s last year came in 1974 when it became a variant of the compact Ventura.
The GTO or “GOAT” got a facelift in 1966 along with the rest of the A-bodied GM automobiles. Though the car looked like a Tempest or LeMans, it featured louvered covers over the taillights which those other Pontiacs did not have. The 389 cubic-inch V8 remained the powerplant of choice, but it was no longer available with optional Tri-Power (3×2-barrel carburetors) – Ram Air had arrived to take its place. But the “regular” 389 was plenty powerful at 335 hp.
As we understand it, the owner of this ’66 GTO acquired the car in the late 1990s after it had been in an accident. He spent the next two decades gathering up parts, more than you’d need to fix and restore this Pontiac. But before he could get around to doing the work, he passed away, leaving the car and a garage full of this and that to be sold for someone else to complete. We’re told many of the pieces are NOS.
While there is some rust, the seller says it’s minimal and that the body is in generally good shape except for the bang-up to the front clip. It’s wearing Starlight Black paint which is offset by a Parchment vinyl interior. The key pieces under the hood are original and numbers-matching, including the 2-speed automatic transmission. Some paperwork follows the car to its next home, including the Protect-O-Plate and owner’s manual. This looks like an opportunity where you could sell off the excess pieces after completing a restoration.
“Dude, can I drive your cool Goat?”, little brother asked. “Okay, but be careful”,,,front end damage almost always admits fault, doesn’t stop so well at 100, does it? A very common theme back then, drum brakes and bias ply tires did not work well for the novice with fast accelerating cars. They didn’t stop near as well as they went, and proof right here. Usually finding that out too late. 1 bid, ( the sellers) indicates nobody is doing this anymore. The restoration just pads too many pockets today, with prices changing hourly, most with money, just attend an auction, pay whatever, and get it over with, PLUS, they are driving their new treasure home that very day and someone else took the restoration in the shorts.
Great observations! Someone’s little brother or something probably buried the front end of this into the back of an ice cream truck or something.
Agree with you on most of your points, except buying a restoration. Restoration shops do pad their pockets, and there are too many bad ones. And so many reproduction parts are made in China, and not necessarily to the OEM’s specifications either. Even a car restored by the best shop is likely chock full of those things. But it is true that you can buy a restored GTO for much less than this is likely to cost to complete. Personally, at the prices these are going for, I’d hold out for an original car with all of its factory parts.
As everyone is saying, the Tri-Power was indeed still available in ’66. It was discontinued for 1967 when the 400 came out. If you ask me, that was for the best. 19,045 1966 GTOs came with the Tri-Power, versus 77,901 with the 4-bbl.
This would be a good project for someone with auto interior detailing/sheet metal/mechanical skills, a lot of spare time and was highly motivated to rebuild an iconic Poncho from scratch.
Other than that it’ll just slowly molder away as it has been for some time.
Will the 2004-2006 GTO’s get this much attention in generations to come?
One error… Tripower WAS still available for 1966. It went away for 1967.
your so right Mark mine had 3-2’s 389 but mine was a 4-speed. wish i still had it.
Tri-Power GTO 64-66. Quadrajet 4 barrel in 67.
The 2004-06 GTO will not get this kind of attention, no.
Looks like most everything is there to fix it and get it back on the road, then sell off the extra parts and get some of your investment back.
What parts I seen was basically junk hub caps curb damaged pure scrape metal.not with it buy one fixed you’ll wish you did
Really? Because I see a easy $7,000 + in just parts alone
Poor guy, he tried, wish he or a family member could finish it, but Wow, that’s a lot of hubcaps worth good money!
The parts are probably worth $12,000.
Factory starlight black with a painted cameo white roof must have been a striking combination when this GTO was new. Unlike the Marti report, PHS does not track the number of cars that produced in any configuration. I doubt there could have been too many like this made.
I don’t see much value here, just a lot of hard work.
This car doesn’t have enough desirable factory options to make it very valuable even when fully restored. As for all the loose parts you get with it… other than the sheet metal, I see mostly a bunch of $5 to $10 items.
Rust repairs are enormously time-consuming and expensive to do correctly. I think anyone who wants to own a nice ’66 GTO would be better off to start with a better car.
I dont see the value here. The frame is also bent and crusty
Tbone, I’m curious as to how you can determine the frame is bent with the pictures that are provided? Not questioning you, just want to know what you’re looking at in the pictures to come to that conclusion.
Ive got $5k or a trade.
Frame looks beyond help, then it won’t be numbers matching.
I would never trust buying a car from back east. What they call low rust, we call a total rust bucket out west.
I learned that the hard way when I sold an east coast Toyota Tacoma in California. What would not have raised an eyebrow on the east coast alarmed several potential buyers in San Luis Obsispo.
Well I think this goat is worth restoring put it on a frame rake looks like you have all the parts
Frame straightening is a dying art. Used to be every body shop was set up to pull frames back into shape. Now everybody just throws away the any bent parts. Sad.
THis is really a matter of the right person deciding they want this to be a project of theirs.
Like a ton of cars sitting around waiting for the boomer owners to pass on, they aren’t going to be worth a professional restoration, for a variety of reasons.
Yet, there seems to be a lot of folks willing to do just this. I find at least five YouTube channels of people resurrecting especially old american iron as cheap as possible and then just enjoying it.
This GTO already has somebody’s confidence into five figures. Go figure.
Looking forward to seeing it on the other end, and for all those who think its only about the numbers, I think you may be missing out on a lot of enjoyment by putting that template on your car hobby.
Looks like if the bidding goes no higher, somebody with body, paint, and mechanical skills, could do alright. Looks like most everything needed to put the front-end right is there. The frame on these could be patched up, but I’d put a new one under with more modern suspension, so that’s not an issue. The Quarters should at a minimum have some patch panels burned in. But I’m pretty sure, by the looks of things, the wheel houses, quarters, and trunk floor would need to be replaced. If I was 10 years younger, I’d be all over it. It will make someone a nice driver at the very least.
Cool car. There is no frame damage visible in those pictures. Not saying there isn’t a little tweak to the psgr side at the two curves behind the front wheel, since all 64-67 A-bodies will bend a little there with a hard enough hit on the nose. But the horns out front look just like they should. And the part behind the wheel is an easy fix, even for a frame guy not experienced with old cars like this.
This car is a prime pile. I
Is this Barn Find or Junkyard find?
First and only bid at $12K? Sure.
I would like to bid on the 66 GTO,how do I go about doing so
Tri-Power was still available in 1966 up until mid model year.
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