1965 Pontiac GTO Tempest Le Mans

This beautiful Fisher-bodied example of General Motors muscle was built in late July 1965 in Pontiac, Michigan - the northern suburb of Detroit that gave its name to the marque.

It is a LeMans 2-door hardtop, with a desirable manual transmission and factory power brakes and power steering. An accompanying Pontiac History Society report decoding the build plate - or cowl tag - confirms its authenticity as a GTO ex-factory.

Little is known of its first half-century stateside apart from it being bought by a “big car guy” who split his time between Kissimmee, Florida and the UK. He gave the GTO a frame-off restoration to sort any corrosion before importing it to the UK and registering it here in October 2015. After arriving in Blighty, further work was done on the body - including the delicious paint job - and a rebuild of the engine, which is not the original but a 455 cu-in (7.5-litre) V8 from 1973, mated to a contemporary Muncie 4-speed manual gearbox.

On leaving the factory this GTO was painted Fontaine Blue - a light metallic shade - but how glorious does it look now in Black Cherry metallic? At first sight it looks jet black but when the light catches it, you’re hit with a deep purpley-red tone.

The car was repainted this colour in 2015 and subsequently in 2019 had the arches and wings stripped back to metal to remove the filler, before being properly repaired and repainted. Consequently the exterior is in amazing, near perfect, condition with just the occasional blemish such as the cracks in the seams of the rear deck.

The brightwork too is in great order, from the front bumper and bezels around the double-decker headlamps - a 1965 model year styling change - to the window trims, door mirrors and handles, right the way to the very back where the light clusters hide behind chromed grilles and to where the rear bumper finishes things off.

Whilst alloy (or “mag”) wheels started being produced for racing at around the same time as the GTO, Pontiac couldn’t guarantee their durability so they produced wheels stamped from steel to mimic the styling.

This GTO wears 15-inch Pontiac Rally II steel wheels that were introduced with the 1967 model year GTO. They have a silver and grey two-tone finish and a five-spoke design reminiscent of period aftermarket alloys like the AR Torq-thrust or Cragar S/S. All four corners appear in good, unmarked condition with bright trim rings and chrome centre caps sporting the PMD (Pontiac Motor Division) logo.

The tyres fitted are of two different types front to rear but each has had the manufacturer’s lettering removed and a red line applied. The fronts look to be Mastercraft Avenger G/T tyres but we haven’t been able to identify those fitted to the rears, or to the spare. All of them appear in usable condition with good amounts of tread.

The originally blue interior has been fully re-trimmed in black leatherette with dark red inserts on the seat facings and door cards. All of which appears clean and undamaged.

The black and chrome instrument panel has a pleasingly retro look but the digital odometer betrays the dials as modern replacements from Auto Meter. Nonetheless, in no way do they feel out of place alongside the other controls and retro radio. Another modernity hiding behind the binnacle at the base of the windscreen is what looks like a retrofit heads-up display.

The deep-dished steering wheel is of the original Pontiac GTO style and, like everything else inside, looks as good as new. The “four on the floor” transmission sports a Hurst short-throw shifter, complete with an iconic cue-ball knob.

The black carpets are clean and tidy and the leatherette replacement headlining above is unmarked and free from sags.

Lift the bonnet (or hood, if you prefer) and you’re in for a treat. The big V8 looks amazing with the block and heads painted in the correct “Pontiac Blue” and the chrome rocker covers and Edelbrock inlet, carb and air filter looking in great shape. In fact, the whole engine bay and all the ancillaries are clean and tidy having been rebuilt or renewed in the last few years.

When it’s running - which it does beautifully smoothly by the way - the movement in the belt and March Performance pulleys harks back to a time when nothing was covered up by plastic shrouds like they are today. Blip the throttle and you see the linkage move and the mighty motor try and wrench itself free from its mounts, such is the torque it produces.

Having had a complete strip down and restoration to the chassis before coming to the UK, it appears completely solid underneath with no sign of anything more than the odd patch of surface rust either on the frame or the underbody panels. The suspension looks relatively new, as does the fuel tank and Magnaflow stainless exhaust system.

In the boot (Ok, trunk then) the carpet and linings are clean and tidy but the rubber seal around the opening is a little damaged in places which, given the condition of the rest of the car, would benefit from replacement. Inside sits a full size spare wheel fitted with brand new rubber; smoothed and red-lined to match the road tyres. There’s also a soft-feel, custom-fit indoor car cover in its bag and a spare fan belt.

The GTO has a current MOT valid until June 2023, which it passed with no advisories, as it has done at each UK MOT since its first in 2015.

The 455 engine is understood to have been rebuilt in 2015, where it was given new pistons, crank, mild cam, valves, rocker arms, pushrods, clutch and timing chain - as well as being uprated with a 750 cfm Edelbrock carb, Edelbrock performer inlet, tubular headers and the March Performance pulley system that sets off the engine bay so well.

Additionally a new alloy radiator was fitted along with an updated air conditioning system, power steering, power disc brakes all round, the 4 speed manual Muncie M21 close ratio gearbox, Hotchkis sport suspension with Gaz shocks, limited slip diff and Hurst line lock.

The history folder with the car includes the Pontiac Historic Society report, photos of the chassis restoration work and engine rebuild (with more on a USB stick), various technical documents and handbooks, as well as numerous invoices for work done from its first UK owner onwards.

The GTO starts well and runs smoothly and is really nice to drive with the power steering making a huge difference to what, by UK standards, is a big mid-size car.

While young and cool US car buyers were enjoying their Supercars and muscle cars in the mid-to-late sixties, their British contemporaries were “swinging” in their Minis, MGBs or E-types if they were lucky. In terms of performance variants of everyday saloons, the best on offer was probably the Ford Cortina Lotus Mk1.

With domestic comparisons not really stacking up, there’s clearly nothing quite like being able to admire and then get behind the wheel of some early American muscle. Of course it’s a left-hand-drive, but the tall glass houses and narrow pillars in cars from the sixties give great all round visibility, so it won’t be a problem once you get used to positioning on the road.

We think this Pontiac GTO, recently restored with period upgrades and sympathetic updates, and presented in a fabulous condition, will fetch between £30,000 and £35,000. At that kind of money - for such a legendary Supercar model that sits high on many an enthusiast’s wish-list - it’s got to be something of a steal.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.