Extremely rare 1965 Pontiac GTO Tri-Power has a secret hiding in plain sight

This 1965 Pontiac GTO Tri-Power is a desirable car as it is but a few examples came with something else.

The 1960s classic was available with a coveted optional extra that gave it the sporting credentials it deserved.

With this optional extra, a rally gauge cluster, the GTO came with a totally different flavor to it.

Yet – surprisingly – it’s kind of difficult to find a GTO with said cluster.

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A 1960s icon

The GTO is one of the greatest 1960s icons.

It’s also a reliable icon.

A while back, somebody discovered a Pontiac GTO that had sat unused for every 50 years and, amazingly, it still worked.

This particular example, a 1965 model, is powered by Pontiac’s 389-cubic-inch ‘uni-block’ engine.

Here’s another fun fact.

Back then, American automakers would sometimes use British spelling, which is why the 389 is sometimes known as 6.5-litre, as opposed to 6.5-liter.

The story behind the Pontiac GTO

So far, there have been five generations of GTO.

First unveiled in 1963 and produced from 1964, the first four generations all look like a proper piece of Americana.

By contrast, the fifth-generation GTO, launched in 2004, looked a lot different, halfway between a European and a Japanese sports car.

Part of the reason why that’s the case is back in the early 2000s, Pontiac shared its platforms with Holden in Australia and Vauxhall in the UK.

The first generation is the one people generally look for.

Partly because it’s the one that symbolizes the brand and model, but also because there are so many great stories that come with it.

Not long ago, a son bought the very same GTO his dad used to drive when he was his age.