1966 Pontiac GTO

Owner(s): Dave and Candace Bair

City / State: Des Moines, IA

Club(s): ISRA, GoodGuys

Builder: Myself and Mike’s Corvette and Auto

Engine Details: Original 389 Cubic In. Pontiac bult to factory specifications

Carburetor: Original factory Tri-Power with original intake and carburetors

Headers: Factory exhaust manifolds

Exhaust / Mufflers: Factory exhaust and mufflers

Transmission: Muncie M-20 wide ratio 4-speed

Rear-end / Ratio: Factory original 3.55 Safe T Track

Front Suspension: Factory original

Front Brakes: Factory original drum style

Rear Suspension: Factory original coil springs

Rear Brakes: Factory original drum style

Wheels: Factory original Rally 1

Body Modifications: None

Hood: Stock

Paint Type / Color: Dupont / Marina Turquoise (factory original color)

Gauges: Factory rally gauges

Interior Goodies: Factory original options include reverb radio, deluxe seatbelts

Custom Pieces: None

Awards:

Cool Story: I purchased this car in 1981 from the second owner. This GTO was sold new in Des Moines at Sumner Pontiac. When I bought the car, it came with all the factory original equipment and included the original dealer’s invoice and Protect O Plate warranty documentation.

From 1981 until 2013, the car was driven regularly in good weather and proved to be very dependable. Early in 2013, while on a drive to “blow out the carbon”, a valve decided to break. No real engine damage but the car sat for a while until I decided to get it back on the road.

Getting it back on the road turned into a full frame off rotisserie restoration. During this process, I determined that it was truly a “Numbers Matching” car with everything correct down to the original carburetors, alternator, engine, transmission, rear end, etc. From Pontiac Historical Services I obtained documentation which authenticates the originality of this car.

I am not one to be overly concerned about a car being “numbers matching” but to find a 1960’s vintage Muscle car with all its original equipment is somewhat unique. Because of this, I chose to keep this car in factory as built configuration.

This 1966 GTO is fun to drive and brings back memories of driving new Muscle cars back in the 1960s. I graduated from High School in 1966.