Auction Pick of the Week: 1970 Pontiac GTO Ram Air III

If this 1970 Pontiac GTO could talk, oh the stories it might tell. Drive-ins and date nights, cruises and wrenching sessions … perhaps even some street racing on Woodward Avenue. A one-owner car for 51 years, it finally changed hands in 2021, and its second Detroit-area owner has given it a new lease on life. Perhaps its next home will be yours.

Offered on Hagerty Marketplace, the iconic GTO is powered by its original, numbers-matching, 366-horsepower, 400-cubic-inch V-8, mated to a four-speed manual transmission with Hurst shifter. 

Far from living a pampered life, the nearly all-original Ram Air III survivor has almost 100,000 miles on the odometer and some visible flaws, but over the last two years, it has received second-owner upgrades like rebuilt cylinder heads and new exhaust system, replacement floor, carpet, and vinyl roof.

As for that GTO swagger, that’s been there all along.

The Gran Turismo Omologato was born when Pontiac engineers John DeLorean, Bill Collins, and Russ Gee inserted a 389 engine into a 1964 LeMans and created what is generally considered the first muscle car. Offered as an optional package on the LeMans in 1964 and ’65, the GTO became a separate Pontiac model in 1966 and sold nearly 100,000 units that year. After the GTO averaged almost 85,000 in sales from ’66-69, the market began to move away from muscle machines and toward smaller cars—think Plymouth Duster, Dodge Dart, and Ford Maverick—and 1970 GTO sales plummeted to 40,149, just over half as many as the previous year.

The ’70 GTO, which received a slight facelift over the previous year’s model, had a base price of $3267 for the hardtop and $3492 for the convertible, equivalent to $25,854 and $27,635 in today’s money. 

The standard engine was the 350-horsepower 400-cubic-inch V-8, paired with a floor-shifted three-speed manual gearbox. The legendary Judge package added an extra $337.02 ($2667 today), and the most popular engine upgrade was the Ram Air III, which could be had for an additional $168.51 ($1334). A total of 2380 buyers selected the RA III with an optional four-speed manual, which added $143.50 ($1136) to the bottom line. One of those 2380 was the original owner of today’s featured car.

According to the build sheet, the Granada Gold-over-brown GTO (chassis/VIN 242370P173928) was purchased on December 28, 1969, from Red Holman Pontiac in Wayne, Michigan. With options that included a Cordova top, 14-inch Rallye wheels, and power-assisted front disc brakes, it carried a retail price of $4199.58 ($33,234).

Among the car’s features: a three-spoke steering wheel, power steering, dual bucket seats, adjustable headrests, frameless doors, aluminum door sills, manually-operated windows, center console, AM radio, 140-mph speedometer, cigarette lighter, heater, fog lights, and hood pins.

While the bodywork retains large portions of its original paintwork, it has multiple imperfections and some minor retouching. Other known flaws are a cracked dash, wear on the driver’s seat, and minor rust on the inside bottom of the doors.

The sale includes the original build order sheet, a copy of the original window sticker, and Pontiac Historical Society documentation. The car has a clean title.

With just under two weeks remaining in the auction, bidding has reached $16,000. Considering the GTO’s iconic roots, classic design, and legendary performance—plus its documented ownership from new—this 1970 Pontiac GTO Ram Air III should draw a lot of interest before the auction closes on Wednesday, December 27 at 3 p.m. EST. Could its third owner be you?