Pure Pontiac Power Pushes ’65 GTO To Streetable 8-Second ETs

There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who think the Pontiac division died along with the 301 V8 in 1981 and those who think its cars should be in production and that GM should have killed Buick instead in 2010. We think the former will love Rich Guido’s pure Pontiac power 1965 GTO, a staple of Sick Week, and a low 8-second performer sporting 525 inches of iron Indian under the louvered factory hood. But anyone who has an appreciation for outrageous street muscle will dig it. 

The Pontiac V8, which debuted for the 1955 model year, has now been out of production longer than it was in production — something that is hard to fathom for those in a certain age bracket, including this author. It left its mark in NASCAR, NHRA drag racing, and certainly on the street. Thanks to Burt Reynolds and a certain black Trans Am, people are still getting hooked on the magnificent automobiles from this long-gone brand. Pure Pontiac Power is like a mating call for the hardcore fans.

These are the folks whose blood pressure goes into the danger zone at the mere thought of this recent feature car, a ‘63 LeMans with LS power (even though LS engines were installed in Pontiacs for years starting in 1998, and on until the very end of the brand). To them, ”Corporate V8” means small-block Chevy. Lots of Pontiac mills got LS designations in the ’70s, such as the ’71 455 H.O., but that only adds fuel to the fire. To bolster their feelings, Rich has been quoted as saying, ”I don’t want to slow down. There’s no point of putting an LS in it.”

For those who are afraid to push their collector cars further than the nearest Dairy Queen, Rich has driven this car over 200,000 miles since he rescued it from a junkyard

Pure Pontiac People: We have found your hero. Not only has the GTO run a best of 8.28 at 174 mph (because of the roll cage, he is limited to 8.50s at the track), but it does it with a real Pontiac engine and a stick.

So, for the Pure Pontiac Power purists we present this remarkable car. Guido (pronounced Gheeto) hails from Red Deer, Alberta — that’s Canada, sports fans — and he cruised down to Florida for Sick Week with his father riding shotgun, a friend in the backseat, and pulling a trailer full of necessities. Roundtrip was nearly 7,000 miles. Race weight is a less-than-svelte 4,090 pounds and it’s a few hundred more with the trailer in tow. Hey, those Pontiac engines were always known as torquey beasts. 

For those who are afraid to push their collector cars further than the nearest Dairy Queen, Rich has covered over 200,000 miles in the Goat since he rescued it from a junkyard and turned it into a Drag & Drive star.

This engine is a lot of Pontiac, but moreso. The block is an Indian Adventures II aftermarket piece, the aluminum cylinder heads are from Edelbrock (does these aftermath parts make it less pure?), and it is fuel injected. 

Like many Drag & Drive competitors, this GTO runs on ordinary pump gas on the highway, then switches to C16 race gas for its all-out 8-second banzai runs.

Thanks to all those cubes and a single 94 mm Garrett turbo/Chiseled air-to-water intercooler pairing, total output is a stunning 1,527 wheel horsepower and 1,488 lb-ft of torque. 

The transmission is a G-Force Racing Transmissions T56 with a trick: Full-throttle upshifts can be performed without using the clutch. Tipping the shift handle sends a signal to the computer to cut ignition and fuel delivery for 0.12 seconds, which allows Richard to perform clutchless powershifts at 6,800 rpm.

A Moser rear with 3.25:1 gears makes those 7,000 mile roundtrips a lot more palatable. Just slip the trans into Sixth gear and the rpm is positively 21st century comfortable. The interior is a combination of classic Pontiac and modern NHRA safety compliance. Power windows make grabbing those 8-second time slips from the booth attendant a little easier.

At this year’s Sick Week, Guido averaged 8.5673 over several days (the Bradenton portion was rained out), making his car the quickest Pontiac in the event.

Pure Pontiac Power forever!