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LS1-Powered 1965 Pontiac GTO Is Reinvented Old-School Muscle Flexing 514 HP

The original 1965 Pontiac GTO is already a genuine head-turner. Still, some people attempt to push the muscle concept even further with restomods that end up gifting the car with substantial power boosts and upgrades, eventually turning it into a show model.
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Photo: Classic Cars of Sarasota
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And the LS1-powered GTO that we have here is just the living proof in this regard, as the car has gone through a massive transformation mixing the old and the new for a custom build almost like none other.

First and foremost, the custom project started with a rust-free California GTO. Fhe folks over at Classic Cars of Sarasota, the garage in charge of finding a new owner for the car, claim that only the trunk floor has been replaced to get access to the fuel pump. Otherwise, it’s the GTO that we all know with the original metal.

Everything has been upgraded, starting with the suspension system, which now uses a Viking Performance double-adjustable setup with coil over shocks front and rear, tubular control arms on the front, and boxed control arms with adjustable uppers on the rear.

The engine under the hood is, as we said, a 5.7-liter LS1 unit that develops no less than 514 horsepower. To handle all this power, the GTO now sports upgraded brakes with a 4-wheel Wilwood disc brake system. The car rides on Nitto tires, 245/45/ZR17 front and 275/40/ZR17 rear.

The fuel system has also been upgraded with a Rock Valley stainless fuel tank, while the exhaust system uses Kooks long tube stainless headers and a Magna stainless exhaust.

And of course, the restomod brought plenty of goodies inside too, including a JVC sound system, new door panels, seats from a 2002 Pontiac Trans Am, and a vintage air conditioning system.

The full list of upgrades is the living proof this build took a lot of effort and time to complete and since it’s a GTO, it’s pretty clear you shouldn’t expect a low price tag. The garage asks $102,900 for the car, and some financing options are also available.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
Bogdan Popa profile photo

Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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