By 1970, the bloom was off the muscle car flower. The “leader of the pack,” the Pontiac GTO, saw its sales drop by 45% from the year before (and would keep falling until the end in 1974). Saturated demand and rising insurance premiums were to blame (to be followed soon by tightening emissions controls). This 1970 GTO is a mere shell of its former self, though living in the desert has helped to keep the rust bug at bay. Located near Tucson, Arizona, this project will require deep pockets, especially for a new engine. This Poncho is available here on craigslist for $8,500 OBO.

GTOs could be had with more than a 400 cubic inch V8 in 1970. The potent 455 was now on the market, but we don’t know which once lived under the hood of this forlorn Pontiac. The seller has decoded the car for us from PHS documentation and tells us it was once “tripe black” – black paint, vinyl roof, and interior. But a previous owner may not have been a fan and repainted it green, which is no longer viable. We’re not privy to the condition of the interior in terms of photos.

The odometer reading is 64,000, which doesn’t mean a lot at this point. Though the motor is MIA, we’re told the TH automatic transmission is still around but not in the vehicle. The car was not light on options, but hardware such as factory A/C, power steering, and power brakes have all been picked clean. 40,000 GTO were assembled in 1970 compared to 72,000 in 1969. Demand was in the toilet in 1971, after which Pontiac quit carrying the GTO as a separate series.

The good news is there is a lot of good sheet metal here. That includes the floorboards, rocker panels, fenders, doors, rear quarter panels, and trunk – they all look to be corrosion-free. If you have a good 400 or 455 V8 that needs a home, does this GTO seem worthy of a restoration?