The Pontiac dealer sales brochure for 1969 is quoted as saying, “For people who think driving should be fun…”. The craigslist ad for this particular GTO says “1969 GTO, real- Not a Clone.” The catchphrase at the time was “The Great One,” and you certainly cannot argue that the 1969 GTO was right up there with the other muscle cars of the day. This body-off restoration is now available here on craigslist in Olympia, Washington, for $44,200. Thank you, Curvette, for this great Pontiac tip!
The engine in this real GTO is the original 400 cubic inch with later-model 6X heads, allowing it to run on unleaded fuel. Rebuilt in 2009, the engine has approximately 5,000 miles on it. The ad lists a large number of drivetrain parts that were replaced. In its day, the GTO 400 produced 350 horsepower and tire-burning 445 ft.-lbs of torque. Transmission duties are handled by a TH 400. The car has factory air conditioning, but the seller admits it is not working due to a leaking pneumatic heat valve under the dash. According to Summit.com, it looks to be an inexpensive part if that is all that is wrong with the AC.
The yellow paint seemed off to me. After reviewing the pictured body tag and checking a few sites to verify, I found that it should have originally been a 53 Warwick Blue Poly. Personally, if that were the case, I think the car would look much better in that color. The seller says the paint is a 7/10. The black interior is classic muscle-car style, with refurbished buckets, new carpet, a new armrest, and a dash cover. Entertainment is via a newer AM/FM-DVD and rear speakers. Body part replacements are also plentiful, including a new windshield, door window seals and rollers, rear bumper, light lenses and housings, wiper arms, mirrors inside and out, rocker panels, and chrome fender trim.
It seems that, mechanically, this car is in a very complete and refurbished state. If I am correct about the paint, it may just be a paint job away from being back to original? The modifications listed throughout appear to be mostly replacements, with few aftermarket parts. The bad news is that Hagerty says a #3 “good” condition ’69 GTO coupe has a range from $27,000 to $36,833. Looking further, I see that classiccarsarena.com shows the median price of $40,995 for a sold driver. All that said, is this a GTO that you would be interested in? Solid muscle that could bring up to $58,000 in concours-quality condition, or a drive-in or car show standout just the way it is?
Not really a top end resto, IMO. Is that chicken wire over cowl air openings?
To be original the firewall and core support should be satin black, only if that is important to the next buyer
What an unfortunate pinstriping decision …
The color, the pinstripes, the non working a/c (cheap to fix) could all be helpful to someone wanting to make an offer. No, the yellow is not even close to a stock color, a personal decision by the seller, no criticism here. Overall a nice car, but not something I’d pay what they are asking.