1965 GTO Hardtop
 

Need help determining when the Pontiac Motor Division started producing the 1965 GTO in 1964. I know Dick Jesse took position of 5 white special GTO's around the middle of august 1964. Does anyone know if they were produced in July 1964 and what week. Thank you in advance.:naughty:

Gunnell's "Standard Catalog of Pontiac" shows a start date of 8/24/64 for 1965 model year production. I assume that is for the "home" plant in Pontiac Michigan with the other satellite locations coming on board in succession after that.

GTO production started right away. My Pontiac built '65 GTO was completed on September 18th with a body build of 09A. The earliest cars I have in my notes have body builds of 08A.

It is not known when the white cars were produced, and if they were regular production or preproduction units.

May I ask where you heard about these white cars?

K

I heard about these cars in an article you wrote 1965 Pontiac GTO Lightweight. I referenced them thinking you might respond. I am looking for a 1965 GTO Nightwatch Blue 4bbl 4 spd purchased around August 17th 1964 Wauseon Ohio. Looking for any help locating the car.


Cecil

1965 PONTIAC GTO Factory Lightweight- Keith Seymore

http://www.oneownercollectorcar.com/...-keith-seymore

----What a great article! Have never seen it before. And,,,What a car of course...….Bill S

Thank you. Just wondering if you had a difference source or if the info has come full circle.

8/17/64 is a really early purchase date.

My understanding is that the official introduction date was 8/21/64 and that cars were not to be sold to regular commerce before that date. The invoice date on my car is 8/21 even though we picked it up earlier than that.

K

Thanks guys -

Here is another article, that I wrote myself (a little different spin):

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/clas...NnY?li=BBnb4R5

Those are great...thanks for sharing Keith! :)

The information I provide is based on my memory of roughly 55 years ago, could have been later in the month, just recall being around the middle of August. The info you have provided will help me narrow the time line down. Are their any Dealer records available that you are aware of.


Thanks again
Cecil

Cool car.....better history!

No. I am sure there are no dealer records remaining.

K

K,
I read an article GTO Original Drag car Featuring Your Dad's 1965 GTO listing Body Build date 09A Pon 1563 with a vin number 237375P110731, is that a correct Vin number seams high. Reason I ask setting up a time line, also found a car with body build date 08A Pon 285 with a vin number of 237375P101422. Do you know the average body Build Production.

Avg production was about 60 units per hour on the final line. Body shop would be slightly faster, like 70 per hour, in order to keep the accumulators full and provide a buffer in the event of a breakdown. Production in that era was two or three production shifts per day, five or six days per week.

But - that's after regular product is well underway. They would ramp up slowly. There is no way to know that ramp schedule unless you were there at the time.

The numbers you have shown for my car are correct.

K

Also – cars were not necessarily built in exact VIN order.

Pontiac had an eight lane body accumulator so that builds could be shuffled to manage downstream workload (ie, Can't have too many AC cars in a row, can't have too many tripower cars in a row, can't have too many four-speed cars in a row) or to handle a problem with part availability.

Bodies could also be stored in the aisleway if they were waiting a low running engine or some other part.

Shuffling of these early early production cars would be very common.

K

Thanks for the information.Were the production numbers for all the assembly plants the same quantities or different for the others. My understanding from PHS the Tempest Lemans model was the only car produced until 9/21. Do you know when they started shipping to dealer show rooms. If I may ask did you or your dad ever run at Norwalk Raceway.

Thanks again Cecil

Each final assembly location was unique, counting up independently based on their own line rate, number of productive shifts and work stoppages.

The comment about only producing Tempest until 9/21 cannot be correct as evidenced by the cars we've talked about here. There were also big cars intermingled in there. Cars were shipped so that there would be a full supply at dealers when they could begin selling on 9/21.

I don't recall ever running the GTO at Norwalk but I run there a couple times every year with my Chevelle and will, in fact, be there next weekend with the NMCA.

K

Should it be of interest timeline-wise re: '65 production ...

Per Jim Wangers, the '64 was made available when his '65 arrived, at which point he alerted Bill Sherman, who had been waiting to purchase the car - so it likely didn't take long to transact - per Royal invoice (and photobucket) circa 08/21/64 ...