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There is a certain appeal about owning a classic muscle car. There is even more appeal that goes along with owning one with a numbers-matching engine. Recently, an individual won an eBay lot complete with a ’71 GTO convertible with a numbers-matching engine. However, the engine was no longer in the car. In fact, a larger engine had been swapped into the GTO, giving the new owner a car he doesn’t have to be afraid to drive while preserving the original engine.
The GTO was bought by the current owner with the numbers-matching 400cui, YS engine. However, in 2007, the owner swapped a 455cui HO motor into the car. While many people wouldn’t swap out a numbers-matching engine, the owner wanted a bigger engine. He purchased a fully rebuilt 455 engine with a casting date only 8 days after the shipping date of the GTO from Jim Taylor Engine Service for the car. Only 337 miles have been put on the car since 2007 when the engine swap was done. In addition to the rebuilt engine, the GTO was being sold with a ‘71 HO carburetor, intake and crossover, as well as non-ported 197 HO heads.
In addition to the rebuilt big-block, the GTO came with a rebuilt transmission and rearend. The fenders, quarters and trunk floor were all original except for a small steel patch on the driver‘s side. The upholstery was also original and in immaculate condition. New carpet was added to the car, as well as new ball joints and shocks. There were only a few problems with this car listed in the information. These included the air conditioner and clock not working, as well as the original radio having a lot of static and a couple of paint cracks.
While the original engine was not in the car, it was still sold with car. The engine had been stored in a climate-controlled garage in a crate since it was pulled out of the car. The GTO itself was also stored in a climate-controlled garage since it was bought in 2001.
Someone got the best of both worlds when they won this eBay lot on June 7th. Not only did they get a beautiful pro-touring GTO convertible, they also received the original numbers-matching engine. For such a great find, a mere $25,000 bought this car. We congratulate the new owner of this car and hope that they will keep it in as good of a condition as they bought it in.
