Insanely Cool 1966 Pontiac GTO Sells for $156,000, Massachusetts Dealer Makes a Killing
The 1966 model year was very special for the Pontiac GTO, because that’s when the switch was made from an options package to a separate model. The styling also changed, while the length grew just a tiny bit.
These first-gen models were available as hardtops (with no B-pillars) and convertibles, and nearly 100,000 people (about the seating capacity of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum) bought them that year. Fun fact, 1966 was also the year in which people started calling these cars “Goats”, which I’m not sure Pontiac really appreciated at first.
Fast-forward to 2024 and here we are looking at a heavily customized ‘66 GTO hardtop model, which just sold at auction for a whopping $156,000. The seller, a dealership out of Seekonk, Massachusetts, cashed in big – although they also contributed to the build, seeing as how the vehicle was acquired as an unfinished project a few years back.
Let’s dive into all the mods, starting with mechanicals and visuals. The body was straightened, and there’s new glass too. Meanwhile, the pieces of trim were shaved and the bumpers tucked in. Other highlights include the hood scoop, stacked LED headlights, LED taillights, the carbon fiber side mirrors, and a set of 19” and 20” custom wheels with bronze centers and two different types of rubber (Pirelli P Zeros at the back).
It’s also worth noting that the car features Ridetech suspension with a four-link rear setup, plus some serious stopping power thanks to the Baer calipers over 13” front and 11” rear slotted/drilled rotors.
Moving on to the interior, we’ve got tan and black leather front and rear bucket seats, red and white LED ambient lighting, billet aluminum knobs, custom push-button start, power windows, a Lokar shifter, Restomod climate control, a custom touchscreen infotainment system, a Billet Specialties steering wheel, and a OneGauge digital panel with a configurable instrument cluster.
Of course, under the hood is where the real magic happens, courtesy of a 6.0-liter LS-style V8, rocking an iron block, forged connecting rods, custom pistons, a COMP Cams hydraulic roller camshaft, L92-style cylinder heads with dual valve springs, a FiTech electronic fuel injection system, Griffin aluminum radiator with dual fans, plus quite a few other bits and pieces.
According to the seller, this thing is putting down no less than 616 horsepower, with everything being routed to the rear wheels via a PerformaBuilt Pro Race 4L60E four-speed automatic transmission with a TCI torque converter.
Is this peak GTO?
As far as tuned first-generation models are concerned, I think this is quite close to the top. For example, we showed you this 1965 GTO a couple of weeks back, rocking a 455 ci V8 in place of its factory-standard 389 ci V8 unit. We can’t be sure how much power it was putting down, but it meant business and it still sold for just $40,000. It kind of puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?
These first-gen models were available as hardtops (with no B-pillars) and convertibles, and nearly 100,000 people (about the seating capacity of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum) bought them that year. Fun fact, 1966 was also the year in which people started calling these cars “Goats”, which I’m not sure Pontiac really appreciated at first.
Fast-forward to 2024 and here we are looking at a heavily customized ‘66 GTO hardtop model, which just sold at auction for a whopping $156,000. The seller, a dealership out of Seekonk, Massachusetts, cashed in big – although they also contributed to the build, seeing as how the vehicle was acquired as an unfinished project a few years back.
Let’s dive into all the mods, starting with mechanicals and visuals. The body was straightened, and there’s new glass too. Meanwhile, the pieces of trim were shaved and the bumpers tucked in. Other highlights include the hood scoop, stacked LED headlights, LED taillights, the carbon fiber side mirrors, and a set of 19” and 20” custom wheels with bronze centers and two different types of rubber (Pirelli P Zeros at the back).
It’s also worth noting that the car features Ridetech suspension with a four-link rear setup, plus some serious stopping power thanks to the Baer calipers over 13” front and 11” rear slotted/drilled rotors.
Moving on to the interior, we’ve got tan and black leather front and rear bucket seats, red and white LED ambient lighting, billet aluminum knobs, custom push-button start, power windows, a Lokar shifter, Restomod climate control, a custom touchscreen infotainment system, a Billet Specialties steering wheel, and a OneGauge digital panel with a configurable instrument cluster.
Of course, under the hood is where the real magic happens, courtesy of a 6.0-liter LS-style V8, rocking an iron block, forged connecting rods, custom pistons, a COMP Cams hydraulic roller camshaft, L92-style cylinder heads with dual valve springs, a FiTech electronic fuel injection system, Griffin aluminum radiator with dual fans, plus quite a few other bits and pieces.
According to the seller, this thing is putting down no less than 616 horsepower, with everything being routed to the rear wheels via a PerformaBuilt Pro Race 4L60E four-speed automatic transmission with a TCI torque converter.
Is this peak GTO?
As far as tuned first-generation models are concerned, I think this is quite close to the top. For example, we showed you this 1965 GTO a couple of weeks back, rocking a 455 ci V8 in place of its factory-standard 389 ci V8 unit. We can’t be sure how much power it was putting down, but it meant business and it still sold for just $40,000. It kind of puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?