Often credited for having kickstarted the muscle car craze (which isn’t necessarily true), the first-generation Pontiac GTO is one of the coolest and most desirable classics out there. The Goat has it all: good looks, plenty of power, and an iconic name. But you know what’s even better than a first-generation GTO? A Goat with custom paint and a souped-up engine.
This 1965 hardtop may look like a standard GTO from a distance, but it has quite a few features that set it apart from a standard model. The color is the first that catches the eye. While Pontiac offered a Capri Gold hue for the GTO in 1965, this color is different. That’s because it’s a custom three-stage paint called Goldmine Pearl. It’s more of a light copper than gold, and it’s pretty stunning in direct sunlight.
GTO aficionados will immediately spot the unusual front parking lights. Larger than the stock units and mounted in the grille instead of the bumper, these are actually 1966 Grand Prix lights. Finally, there’s the wheels. Even though they look a lot like the optional Rallye wheels available at the time, these rollers are custom-made 15-inch replicas (the original rims are 14 inches).
Moving over into the cabin, we can see the custom Goldmine Pearl color adorning the dashboard. The owner went with Parchment door panels, seats, and floor mats for a striking (and tasteful, I might add) color combo. The lower door panel inserts and carpets are beige instead of the standard black and nicely round off the color combo. The instrument cluster also includes a few extra goodies.
But this GTO shines even more as a one-off custom under the hood. And here’s the cool part: while many classics get the restomod treatment with modern V8 engines, the owner kept this GTO true to its vintage roots. Yes, it packs a larger-than-usual engine with more oomph, but the mill is a true-blue Pontiac V8 from the era.
This GTO was born with a 389-cubic-inch (6.5-liter) powerplant with the Tri-Power carburetor setup. Rated at 360 horsepower when new, it was nothing to sneeze at. In fact, many purists would be upset to hear that the original mill is no longer under the hood. Well, the first good news is that the owner went with a 421-cubic-inch (6.9-liter) of the Pontiac variety. Sourced from a 1966 Pontiac (the 421 wasn’t available in the GTO), the big V8 also packs a Tri-Power setup.
It’s not exactly wild at 390 horsepower, but it packs a bit of extra power compared to the 421’s stock 376 horses. That’s also a notable increase of 30 horsepower over the stock 389 V8. And if you’re one of those purists getting mad about swaps, here’s the good news: the owner still has the original powerplant. He put it in storage for safekeeping alongside the matching four-speed manual gearbox.
The transplanted 421 V8 also relies on a four-speed to spin the rear wheels, so this Poncho is a three-pedal, row-your-own classic. And even though it was designed as a show car, the GTO is now getting driven regularly. After some 40 years, the owner is finally enjoying the vehicle.
While I’m also a fan of all-original classics, this 1965 GTO is one of the coolest Goats I’ve seen recently. It’s on par with the custom 1965 version I reported about in May 2024. Check it out in the video below, courtesy of vintage car enthusiast Lou Costabile. You might as well subscribe to his YouTube channel because it’s packed with awesome rigs.