One of the challenges with project builds is knowing when the time is right to plow on relentlessly, and when to wave the white flag. That will undoubtedly sit in the back of the minds of many of our readers as they assess this 1969 Pontiac GTO. The first owner equipped this classic nicely, selecting the Ram Air III option for added Tabasco. However, time hasn’t treated this classic kindly, and I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Mitchell G. for spotting the GTO listed here on eBay in Conway, South Carolina. This Pontiac has generated plenty of spectator interest, but the seller hasn’t received a single bid since their auction opened at $7,500.

The production cycle for the Second Generation GTO spanned the years when the muscle car sector shrank, and The Malaise Era began. It was a sad time to be a performance enthusiast, although things were still rosy when our feature GTO rolled off the line in 1969. Its first owner ordered the car in Midnight Green, and with the car also sporting Rally II wheels, it would have turned heads wherever it went. Sadly, those days are well behind it, and someone faces a veritable automotive Mount Everest if they intend to drag it back from the brink. The ravaged paint and surface corrosion are only the beginning because there is plenty of penetrating rust requiring attention. The trunk pan, floors, radiator support, windshield channel, and rear package tray have all succumbed. The frame has a couple of bends that the seller feels are repairable with a hammer and some judicious pulling. The windshield is gone, but the remaining tinted glass is intact.

The seller supplies no clear interior shots but confirms that the first owner selected Gold vinyl trim, a console, a Rally clock, air conditioning, and factory mats. Most of these items are intact, although the A/C compressor and mats are history. They describe the interior as rough, meaning that anyone contemplating this build faces the cost and effort of an interior retrim. However, given the level of deterioration elsewhere, that could be the cheapest part of the restoration.

The first owner had a wonderful time with their pen on the Order Form when selecting this GTO’s mechanical specifications. They elected to slot the Ram Air III version of the 400ci V8 under the hood, teaming this brutal powerplant with a three-speed Turbo Hydramatic transmission and power-assisted steering and front disc brakes. The Ram Air III (as it has become known) delivered 366hp and 445 ft/lbs of torque, allowing this classic to dispatch the ¼-mile in 14.3 seconds. The seller states that the original engine and transmission are long gone, but that the crucial components for the Ram Air III setup are present. The health of the existing engine is unknown, although the heavy visible corrosion suggests that adding rebuild costs to any restoration budget would be wise.

This 1969 Pontiac GTO’s listing has attracted an incredible 720 views in the past day, with forty-one people adding it to their Watch List. That begs the question of whether these individuals are genuinely interested, or if they possess a curious nature, and will be interested to discover whether the car will find a new home. I am typically an optimist, but bringing this GTO back from the brink will be a tall order. Its cause isn’t helped by the loss of some major mechanical components that prevent the vehicle from achieving numbers-matching status. Do you think someone will throw caution to the wind, or are its best days a distant memory for this GTO?