When searching for a muscle car project, buyers often have to face the bad with the good, and that’s certainly the case regarding this 1966 Pontiac GTO. The biggest negative is that the original engine and transmission are no longer present, but the pedigree is positive and something to get excited about, as this one left the factory with the tri-power setup and a 4-speed manual. There are a couple of other fun factors to consider here as well, so if you’ve been in the market for an early muscular project, this ’66 GTO might be worth looking into. This one is in Antioch, Illinois, and can be found here on eBay, with the current bid of $6,655 already high enough for this Goat to exchange hands.
The seller reports that this was a special-order GTO in the rare color of Tiger Gold, and it’s also believed to be a Thom McAn promotional car, which is an interesting story in and of itself. One of the marketing forces who sang the praises of the GTO was the late Jim Wangers, who led an ad campaign involving the Thom McAn shoe company. At the time, the brand’s shoes were popular among the car’s targeted audience of young males, and a unique design was created that featured a GTO emblem inside the sole. Jim also implemented a sweepstakes in early 1966 where 50 GTOs would be given away, one for each state, and eager participants flocked to Thom McAn stores and Pontiac dealers to enter. The owner of this GTO thinks this was originally one of these contest cars!
There are a few areas that will require some repairs before the body is ready for a fresh coat of gold, but fortunately, it’s mostly complete outside. Several scrapes, scratches, and blemishes are present, along with some visible rust in a few areas. An experienced bodyman will probably be able to straighten out and fix the corrosion on most of the existing panels, although it might make more sense to replace the driver’s quarter.
Most of the interior appears to be circa 1966 GTO, but the shifter took the same route as the transmission when that component was removed. To be unrestored, the interior doesn’t look all that bad overall, and I’m guessing the buckets may still be structurally sound enough to just recover. A new dash pad will be needed, along with a restoration of the instrument cluster, but perhaps the gauges will clean up well enough to be saved.
It’d be great if there weren’t this vacancy in the engine compartment, and it’s also sad to know that this one has lost its chance to remain a numbers-matching tri-power GTO. Hopefully, the void in the bay will be filled soon, and this one will receive the quality restoration it deserves and become a fun driver again, regardless of what powerplant the next owner installs. Is this 1966 Pontiac GTO the project you’ve been waiting for?
Without a protecto plate or VIN stamp on the engine block which didn’t begin for a few more years, future buyers will need to rely on the date codes and seller’s honesty, or lack there of, to determine if its numbers matching. Technically, there are no numbers to match. Hopefully, going forward, even though dates may work, sellers are honest about it not being the original born with engine. With continually climbing values however, we can never be sure.
I can imagine why they gutted the drive train. There isn’t much left to hold it in. For instance that transmission tunnel looks a lot bigger than it used to be. Since this car likely spent all of nearly 60 years in the Rust Belt it is very likely that it’s little more than a parts mule. And one question..why advertise it as a tri-power 4 speed when said setup has long since flown the coop?
What do you know…An extremely rare car with the extremely rare parts missing.
hey, another tri power poncho. haven seen 1 of these in about a week. rare gold for sure but with everything else MIA all you have is 67 gto body that needs at least 60k to retore and will never be as born. this will sell for stupid money
I bet it goes for under $15k……I wouldn’t restore it, leave it original, drop a fresh 389 Tri-Power in it and cruise it!
Yippee! A four-speed, tri-power! Except there’s no four-speed and no tri-power. What a sick joke.
WOW missing drivetrain and all the under hood important components. Its also a A/C car.
WOW missing drivetrain and all the under hood important components. Its also a A/C car. Wonder where all the components went?
Man so many people whining about the drive train being gone! Put what you want in it, you’re going to get a pedigree’d rare GTO…….pretty sure the Thom McCaan promotional car is legit! Though I don’t know if the PHS helps on that. Google 66 Tiger Gold Thom McCaan GTO…….they wore those exact R1’s painted black. I’d drop a 389 Tri-Power in it and cruise it as is!
Perfect resto mod candidate! 455, 5 speed, modern suspension, build something to DRIVE, not a polished trailer queen.
According to Hot Rod Magazine and Jim Wangers, the 50 winners of the Fall, 1966 Thom McAn contest weren’t announced until after the ’66 production run had ended. Winners were then given a voucher to order a Tiger Gold 1967 GTO.
They could order a 4-speed or automatic with a white or black interior. All these cars had black vinyl tops, an AM radio, Rally I wheels, and a few other options.
The contest was so popular that Thom McAn did it again in 1967, but only gave away 22 cars in the second drawing.
So where did this seller find a ’66 model GTO that’s a “Thom McAn GTO?
Here’s a link to the Hot Rod article: https://www.hotrod.com/features/hppp-0712-1967-pontiac-gto-thom-mcan
According to Wangers, about 200 ’66 GTOs were built for display outside Thom McAn stores during the Spring and Summer of 1966. These cars weren’t Tiger Gold; they were painted a Pontiac standard shade of gold. They had black vinyl tops, 4-speeds, power steering/brakes, gauge packages, and Tri-Power set-ups. These cars were NOT given away in the contest.
He also said the contest winners received credit vouchers that could be used at any Pontiac dealership toward any model. Huh?
After reading more about the initial contest, I believe there were also about 200 ’66 model GTOs built to sit outside free-standing Thom McAn stores during the Spring and Summer of 1966.
These ’66 models were painted a standard gold color offer by Pontiac, not Tiger Gold. However, each did have a black vinyl top, a black interior, a 4-speed, the Tri-Power set-up, the gauge package, Rally wheels, power steering, and power brakes. These display cars weren’t given away.
“believed to be a Thom McAn promotional car” is sales speak for no proof is being offered.
When I hear Thom McAn, all I can think of are those ugly square toed “earth” shoes that were the big rage in the 70’s.
Sold on 11/27/2025 for a high bid of $12,250, there were 12 bidders and 27 bids.
Steve R
This will be a very beautiful, but wicked expensive, GTO if it gets fully restored.