Find of the Day: You Won’t be Judged for Loving This 455 V8-Powered 1970 Pontiac GTO
06/03/2023
The beginnings of Pontiac’s A-body platform were restricted by a corporate policy that limited the maximum engine size. The restriction first maxed out at 330 cubic inches in 1964, then it was lifted to 400 cubic inches for 1965. It wasn’t until 1970 that General Motors removed the limit entirely. The result? A Pontiac GTO stuffed with a bragworthy 455 HO V8 long-stroke engine like the one seen here.
GM’s L75 455 engine was built to please performance-minded muscle car fanatics. When optioned with the four-barrel 455, the 1970 Pontiac GTO was modestly rated for 360 horsepower at 4,300 rpm. The jaw-dropping statistic was its torque, which could reach a ground-pounding 500 ft.-lbs. at 2,700 rpm. Car and Driver once tested a heavily optioned factory four-speed 455 GTO and recorded a quarter-mile time of 15-seconds with a trap speed of 96.5 mph.
Pontiac built only 4,146 GTO muscle cars equipped with the 455 for 1970. Just 1,761 non-Judge 455-equipped Goats were built with the close-ratio four-speed transmission. This car, listed on Hemmings Auctions, is one of them.
According to the seller, this muscle car still retains its numbers-matching engine. “It runs excellent,” he reports. The well-maintained Goat is mainly stock except for an interior color change from green to black, and minor details like a new steering wheel and gauges. Cruise to the auction listing for more details.
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