"If is ain't broke, don't fix it." Went right out the window for the 1965 GTO. The GTO was still an option on the LeMans series. The overall body lines were basically unchanged, but deviations abounded up front. The front end of the car had a totally new look with vertical headlights and a split, recessed grille. The hood came with a single, centrally located nonfunctional hood scoop. There were also new front fenders which seemed to give the car more of an aggressive look.

Minor changes to the rear end, with the chrome rolling around the body corners . Complementing the new wraparound taillights was a new rear panel, which ran the width of the rear. The name Pontiac was cast in the panel, which had six horizontal ribs (the regular Tempest panel had ten ribs). The six ribs on the GTO matched the ribs on the taillight lenses.

New optional Rally wheels were available. These were stamped steel wheels with five cooling slots painted in silver, and they came with a trim ring and a center cap. All wheels measured 14 x 6 in., but tires were increased to 7.75 x 14 Red Lines, with whitewalls a no-cost option. Still optional were the ten-rib Deluxe wheel covers, the Custom wheel covers with a simulated knock-off spinner and the wire wheel covers, but now with cooling slots for 1965.

The interior was revised only slightly. Instead of the engine-turned dash applique, a wood veneer was used. This could be either vinyl or real wood. Although the dash pad was similar to the 1964 version, the gray on it was different. The steering wheel was now sporting three bars. And for a bit of a sporty look, there was a grab bar above the GTO emblem on the glovebox door. The heater control panel was redesigned, with a movable vent located above it. An additional radio was made available: a mono AM/FM, which could be had with either the standard manual antenna or the optional electric antenna, which was mounted on the right rear quarter panel. A console was optional with either manual or automatic transmissions. It was the same unit used in 1964, but the areas between the chrome ribs were painted gloss-black. A small GTO 6.5 liter crest was mounted on the front top part of the door panels. The seat upholstery was changed to a diagonal rib pattern. The four-pod instrument cluster remained unchanged. However, a new Rally gauge cluster with different instruments was an option. In the far left pod, the fuel gauge was located on the top, with the battery indicator lamp on the bottom. In the left center pod was the 120 mph speedometer and the odometer, with a parking brake indicator light beneath the odometer optional. An unfurled checkered flag was located just above the center of the speedometer. In the right center pod was an 8000 rpm tachometer. Two types were made: the early cars came with a green band that swept from 0 to 8000 rpm, and later cars had the green turn to red from 5200 to 8000 rpm. The far right pod contained a O'F to 230'F water temperature gauge on the top and a 0-30-60 lbs oil pressure gauge. The Rally clock was optional with the standard instrument cluster.

Under the hood, the first look would mistakenly lead one to assume that no changes had been made. However, there were significant improvements that would provide additional ponies to the already potent package.

The standard 389 cid single 4-bbl V-8 was rated at 335 hp, a 10-horse increase.. The increased performance came from a higher-lift 288-degree cam, although the engine was still perking at the same 10.75:1 compression ratio. There were also minor changes in the head and intake port deck heights. A Carter AFB four-barrel was now the standard unit with this engine. The result was, in addition to the increased horsepower, a slight increase in torque to 431 foot-pounds.

The same three Rochester two-barrels were again in place for the Tri-Power version. Horsepower showed an increase of 12 to an impressive 360 figure. It also included the same changes just delineated for the standard version.

A late 1965 release was the dealer or owner-installed Air Scoop Package, which made the standard hood scoop functional. Tri-Power GTOs with manual transmission came with larger, 2.2 in. exhaust tailpipes, versus the 2 in. pipes used for all other GTOs. Exhaust resonators were built into the tailpipes, with exhaust splatters optional.

GTOs destined for California came with a positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) emission system. 4-bbl cars came with a black snorkel-type air cleaner with a chrome lid, whereas the forty-nine-state cars got an open pancake-type air cleaner. All engines came with chrome valve covers and a chrome oil filler cap.

Transmission availability was unchanged from that in 1964. Starting in March 1965, the three-speed was replaced by a Ford three-speed gearbox.

Total sales were far beyond the 25,000 units that Pontiac had estimated. Total output was over 75,000, three time what was expected.

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This Home Page was created Saturday, August 15, 1998
Most recent revision Friday, January, 31th, 2003