Show-Performer – Gary McKay’s 1965 Pontiac GTO
Almost everyone owned a car once that they’d like to have back. For some, it was a hand-me-down beater from a family member. For others it was a special muscle car that got away.
For Gary McKay, it was a 1965 Pontiac GTO hardtop, red with a black interior. It was totaled in a wreck, though. Ever since then he’s wanted another. He found one 14 years ago, and after a two-and-a-half-year build, it’s a show stopper that became our Snap-on Muscle Car of the Year finalist in Puyallup.
The Montero Red GTO is powered by a 365-horsepower, 389c.i. V8 topped by a Tri-Power carb setup and a functional Ram Air hood. A 10.75:11 compression ratio helps the engine generate 424 lb.-ft. of torque. The engine was rebuilt to factory stock specs by Auburn Auto Machine in Auburn, Washington. Stock exhaust manifolds feed waste gases through a stock dual exhaust system. A Hurst shifter controls the four-speed manual transmission. The stock rear axle contains 3.55 gears.
Like the powertrain, the GTO’s chassis has been restored to stock specifications. Features include power steering, drum brakes on all four corners, and original Rally 1 wheels wrapped in Uniroyal redline tires.
Gary relied on some street rod experts for assistance with the metal work, paint, and upholstery. The team at Wicked Fabrication got the sheet metal into better-than-new shape, while Byers Custom & Restoration performed the final bodywork and applied the fresh PPG paint. Black vinyl from Legendary Auto Interiors was installed by Stitches Custom Upholstery by Tony Miller in Poulsbo, Washington, and American Autowire provided the replacement wiring harness.
The Pontiac GTO is often credited with launching the muscle car era in the ’60s. Big horsepower V8s were offered only in full-size models before Pontiac created the GTO, stuffing a big-block V8 into the intermediate Tempest and LeMans models.
For 1964 and 1965 the GTO was an optional package before becoming a separate model in 1966. GTOs were offered in two-door hardtops, two-door sedans, and convertibles. The standard GTO engine featured a four-barrel carburetor, with the popular Tri-Power option utilizing three two-barrel carbs.
Pontiac heavily marketed the GTO to the emerging Baby Boomer market. A popular song Little GTO by Ronnie and the Daytonas hit number four on the Billboard charts in the fall of 1964, timed perfectly for the release of the new 1965 model.
The song’s lyric – “little GTO, you’re really looking fine” – fits Gary’s car so well that he has another 1965 Pontiac GTO – green with a black interior, but powered by a 455c.i. V8 and a five-speed manual. The green one is driven often while the red GTO is a car-show performer.
Photos by John Jackson
