Stunning 1972 Pontiac GTO Owned by the Same Family for 45 Years Hides Upgraded V8 Surprise

Let’s start with what makes the Pontiac GTO such a beast. Back in the early 60s, GM banned its divisions from getting involved in motorsport (they didn’t have much of a choice), which in turn forced Pontiac’s marketing team to focus more on street performance rather than genuine racing, which is how they used to market their products beforehand.

In order to make the GTO, Pontiac took the second-generation Tempest and turned it into more of a sporty vehicle, featuring a larger 389 ci (6.4-liter) V8 engine like the one that powered the Grand Prix hardtop coupe. They did this so they could appeal to younger buyers.

The first-ever Pontiac GTO went into production in 1963 as a 64MY car. Just one year later, the GTO was restyled to feature more length, heavy-duty shocks, a stronger front antisway bar and a new dashboard design. More things changed when the second generation was introduced in 1968, with GM deciding in favor of a more curvaceous, fastback-like design.

Meanwhile, overall size was decreased, and Pontiac ditched the vertically-stacked headlights in favor of a horizontal layout – some variants even had concealed headlights, which were available as an optional extra.

Fast-forward to 1971, when the GTO underwent a new facelift featuring wire mesh grilles, horizontal bumper bars, different headlights, and a new hood with the dual scoops having moved further towards the front. It’s an already iconic design, arguably a lot more aggressive than that of pre-71 second-gen models.

Now, as luck would have it, we’ve just found one such car and it’s in need of a new owner. What’s really interesting is that it’s been in the same family for 45 years, according to the ad, showing just 212 miles on its 400 ci V8 engine – although total chassis mileage is unknown.

Aesthetically, this GTO used to be blue but was repainted red under current ownership. Other visual highlights include the Ram Air hood, chrome trim, dual sport mirrors, quad exhaust pipes, and Rallye II-style 15-inch wheels with BFGoodrich Racial T/A tires.

Inside, the bench seats were reupholstered in white vinyl, to match the headliner and door panels. We also can’t ignore the woodgrain trim accents, power windows, and three-spoke steering wheel – by the way, this car features factory-standard power steering, power-assisted front disc brakes, as well as an aftermarket exhaust.

As for the engine, the 400ci V8 is said to have been rebuilt where it now comes with electronic fuel injection, although the factory four-barrel carburetor is also included in the sale. However much power this V8 is making, everything gets sent to the rear wheels via a three-speed automatic gearbox. Something tells us this is not a slow car.