1968 Pontiac GTO Coupe

There are many words you could use to describe this fabulous car.

‘Inconspicuous’ isn’t one of them. Neither is ‘subtle’.

This 550bhp Hemi Orange beast couldn’t be more Good Ol’ Boy if it was smuggling moonshine from Kentucky to Tennessee, playing the banjo in a sinister way and looking in two directions at once.

Fire it up and the cacophony that ensues is simply extraordinary. You’d be forgiven for thinking that you’d somehow triggered a rock fall in a canyon.

Actually, you probably could trigger a rock fall in a canyon with this.

It sounds like 10,000 bison stampeding through a Travis Perkins warehouse.

Streuth.

But it doesn’t just sound like thunder. It goes like it, too.

We’ve driven this monster and can attest to its fire-breathing, dragon-slaying fury.

Everything about this car seems properly up to the task of handling all that power. The gearbox, clutch, suspension and mechanicals all feel like they’ve been over-engineered to comfortably cope with the tyre-shredding grunt this thing has on tap.

It starts, goes, handles and stops with confidence-boosting competence.

Rest assured, people who see it coming will stop and stare.

People who hear it at the last minute will dive headlong into the nearest hedge.

It’s really not for the faint hearted.

This car has been resident in the UK for several decades. Around about 2006/7, the then owner decided to embark upon the resto-mod makeover he felt it deserved.

This phase saw the car given a full rotisserie bodywork restoration and a custom built, uprated engine – among much other work.

The second phase, just finished, saw the current vendor (an expert restorer of classic cars) finish the job, make good on all the previous work and replace, refurbish, fettle and tweak absolutely anything and everything that needed looking at.

Highlights of all this top-class resto-mod work include:

* new 550HP Butler performance engine

* new five speed Richmond gearbox

* new Strange rear axle with Detroit locker

* new Hotchkiss suspension and front and rear heavy duty anti-roll bars

* new serpentine belt with alloy pulleys

* 20" billet alloys shod with Pirelli P7 tyres,

* new six-pot stainless steel Baer brakes with ventilated and cross drilled discs

* new FIA built removable roll cage

* new pressurised fuel system

* new Mallory Disi & MSD

* new everything electrical, including custom built wiring loom

* new custom-built stainless steel exhaust with ceramic headers.

The engine is so unused it’s effectively still being run in.

This car has had over £110,000 spent on it and, today, would cost in excess of £200,000 to build.

All of which makes it both very rare and a very good deal for the next owner.

Looking at this loud orange beast is like getting a slap round the face from the big lad in the Tango commercials.

And that’s a good thing, we think.

You really can’t hide a car this massive and loud, so why try?

The Hemi Orange paintwork has plenty of shine and lustre to it. It gleams like it’s been freshly painted. Which it has.

The sensuous panels are smooth and even. The doors close with a satisfyingly precise thunk.

The chrome work is unmarked and in top condition.

The huge wheels are a work of art in their own right and are just dripping with muscle car attitude. There are one or two small black scuff marks on the o/s/r wheel.

The tyres clearly haven’t tried to put all 550bhp on the floor at once – there’s plenty of tread left.

Unsurprisingly, there’s no rust visible anywhere.

There’s a tiny bit of paint beginning to lift on the n/s edge of the exterior, bonnet-mounted rev counter.

Yes, you read that right – a bonnet-mounted rev counter.

Marvellous.

The good news continues on the inside, which is a simple, functional place in which to focus your mind on the job in hand: driving this beast.

Once you’ve slid in over the roll cage bar and clipped yourself into the Sabelt harness, you’ll find the black bucket seats supportive and comfortable. The rear seats look fine but are rendered out of bounds by the roll cage.

Like everything else about this car, the Grant GT steering wheel is engineered to the max and looks like it could withstand a nuclear attack. Even the indicator stalk needs a satisfyingly firm push to click it home.

The door cards are in pristine condition, as is the authentic veneer-effect dashboard.

The carpets and mats are as new.

As far as we’re aware, all dials, switches, knobs, levers, toggles and buttons do exactly what they’re supposed to do.

The gear lever is, to say the least, a substantial bit of kit.

We’ve seen flimsier sledgehammers.

Just behind it are three additional dials – volts, water temperature and oil pressure – in a minimalist, no-nonsense array that perfectly suits the rest of the interior.

Naturally, the pedals are bigger and meaner looking than you’d get in an ordinary vehicle. No need to worry about having big feet here.

You could drive this huge car wearing ski boots.

In fact, you could probably drive it wearing skis.

Best not to though – 550bhp and all that.

The headlining is mostly fine, although it’s worked a little loose and baggy at the rear on the driver’s side.

The boot is cavernous and unlined, but we understand that there is a custom made Hydura boot mat available with the car.

As elsewhere, there are no signs of rust or anything else to worry about.

The undersides of this car are immaculate and home to some seriously impressive engineering. Everything is big, solid, tough and good to go.

Most of what you’re looking at is either brand new, refurbished or repaired.

And it’s done to a spec that wouldn’t disappoint the Chief Engineer on an aircraft carrier, let alone the bloke at your local MoT shop.

And then there’s the engine bay.

The gleaming Butler 550bhp engine fills the whole space and implores you to fire it up and just bathe your senses in the visceral experience of this spitting, roaring, popping, barking, howling monster.

It’s as beautiful to look at as it is to hear and drive.

It’s quite a thing.

This car comes with more history than Hampton Court Palace.

No, it doesn’t have service books and ownership records going back to 1968.

But it does have photographic and documentary evidence of pretty much everything that’s been done to it on its journey towards becoming the magnificent machine you see before you today.

There are bills, invoices, receipts and old MoT certificates galore. There are sheets of technical data for the Butler engine.

There are eye-watering tallies of expenditure.

There is a list of recent work done by the current vendor, Alan Carrington, including a service just prior to delivery to us at our Abingdon HQ.

The car has an MoT certificate, with no advisories, valid until 22.5.22.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

This amazing car is 53 years old…..and it’s effectively brand new.

When it first hit the road in 1968, Steve McQueen was tearing up the streets of San Francisco as Bullitt (in a much less powerful car) and Dustin Hoffman was beginning to suspect that Mrs. Robinson’s interest in him wasn’t entirely innocent.

Today, this fearsomely powerful work of art is far quicker, more driveable, safer and more reliable than it was in 1968.

In the words of our gum-chewing, gun-toting, ass-whoopin’ cousins from across the pond, it’s been ‘built to the hilt’.

And it really has.

This is a totally uncompromised, no expense spared homage to larger-than-life power, engineering and aesthetics.

It’s in a class of its own and has to be seen, heard and driven to be believed.

We’re just glad we got the chance to experience such a superb example of the icon from which all other muscle cars took their cue.

We’re happy to offer this exceptional, one-of-a-kind vehicle for auction with an estimate in the range of £47,500 – £70,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.