1971 Pontiac GTO

455 HO Coupe

8 - Cyl.

Manual

242371Z127106

Clear

Gasoline

Pontiac's 1971 GTO had a revised front end with new headlight and endura treatment that made the GTO look even more upscale. The 1971 GTO was still one of the fastest performance cars available in 1971, had best in class handling, and had fantastic looks. Unfortunately sales were not reflective of these facts. GTO sales like all its muscle car competitors had taken a massive nosedive. And the news got worse, 1971 would be the last year for the Judge option package and the convertible option (which had been with GTO since its birth). The high compression V8s offered on the 1970 GTO and Judge were gone for 1971 but high performance still remained. The low compression D-port 400 and 455 V8s (rated at 300 and 325 horsepower respectively) though lower in horsepower than their high compression 1970 counterparts, still did provide the performance GTO buyers were accustomed. If a buyer required a few more ponies under the hood there was a new for 1971 round-port 455 HO that was conservatively rated at 335 horsepower by Pontiac. Total production numbers for 4 speed 455 HO cars in 1971 were only 476 total! Then subtract 357 Judge Hard tops & 17 Convertibles, that makes 71 GTOs with manual trans and the whopping 455 HO production numbers most likely to be even lower than Judges, making this specific HO 4 speed Goat to be one very rare beast. Ask yourself how many are left in this kind of shape? This car is not just a cool Pontiac, it is in fact a great long term investment as only the truly rare cars go up in value, even in bad times. This car in particular is a true PHS documented 1971 455 HO 4 speed(M22) GTO. Ordered in 1971 with rally gauges, bucket seats, 8 track and no console. Only the important boxes were checked!! It is a NUMBERS MATCHING car with the original drivetrain currently out of the car. It was taken out with preservation in mind. Not many 455 HO motors out there. And blowing up a numbers matching engine would not be a good thing with a car like this. The complete engine (carb to pan) is sitting on an engine stand. It is NOT assembled and has been left this way so that the prospective buyer can see exactly what it is they are buying. The block was sent to a machine shop, sonic tested, and prepped for assembly. It was cleaned and bore size checked. This one is standard bore and ready to assemble. All internals (pistons, rods, caps) are on hand and go with the car. The original M22 4 speed has been completely rebuilt and also goes with the car. It is brand new and has not yet seen a drop of gear oil. Original carb has also been professionally rebuilt and plated. Sorry I dont have the distributor. So what is currently in the car?? A butler stroked 400 (now 462) with ported 13 heads and a cam with a duration of 253-253 and a lift of .525/.525. Exhaust is a 3" all the way from the headers to the stainless tips. Wild combination to most folks but this one has been tuned to perfection. Will idle all day long at 750 and not load up. No need to take it out of gear at stop lights. No bucking, no wild jerking. For what it is, this car is actually pretty friendly. Now one must have perspective of course. Fire this thing up and you WILL know you are not dealing with something ordinary. Step on the gas and you are quickly reminded of that very fact!! I dont really think there is a need to say this, but for those that may not understand the above...........this car is FAST. And not only fast......it is damn near bullitt proof and has seen 7 grand a few times with not a single issue. Any pontiac that can do that has some serious sh*t inside!!! 100% Balanced, blueprinted and smooth as silk at any rpm. Trans is currently a TH400 auto. Rear is original with 3:55 gears. The car itself is castillian bronze and gorgeous. Not an easy color to get right since it is a metallic, but you will be hard pressed to find flaws in this finish. Stunning!! Panels are arrow straight. No waves, no dimples, no creases. This car is straight as an arrow!! Front end has all new control arm bushings as well as all other components. Drives great with no noises, rattles, vibrations at any speed. Very tight driving car. Interior is beautiful as well. All new upholstery and foam. All gauges and signals work as they should. Radio works but there are no speakers in the car so is not used. I have thus not tested the 8 track player. All exterior lights and directionals work as they should. Bright and vivid. Now, in addition to getting the original 455HO engine and M22 4 speed with the car, the new owner will also get EVERYTHING needed to put this car back to a 4 speed. And when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING!! Down to the clutch(brand new) and every other little item required. I have it all, and it will go with the car!!! **IMPORTANT** There are over 200 pictures available of the car and parts so please take the time to look at them. All casting #'s are clearly visible in the photos so I see no point in listing them out here. There is also a video of the car running. Please take the time to look at that as well. The links are provided below this description. And most importantly....PLEASE DO NOT BID ON THIS CAR IF YOU HAVE NO INTENT TO BUY. You are not bidding for the opportunity to look at it. This is why there are so many pictures as well as video available. I will also answer any question you may have. So...if you dont have intent to buy, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT BID. Only mechanical issue I can think of is a leak at the rear main. Everything else is perfect. There was a small area in the trunk pan (directly behind the bumper about 3-4 inches wide) that was repaired at some point. Aside from that, there is no rot on this car. And also no undercoat......so what you see is what you get. Great opportunity to buy a REAL 455HO 4 speed that is 100% numbers matching!! And as a bonus...you get a screaming butler stroked 462 currently in the car and running. And we all know how much these cost to build. Here are the links to the pics and video. Please take the time to go through it all. Lots of things to see. AND PLEASE REMEMBER.....NO RESERVE AUCTION...BID TO OWN!!! Pictures.. http://public.fotki.com/im4darush/cars/71-gto/ Video.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3yJr5KLqKs