Only 16,000 Original Miles - The 1965 Royal Bobcat Pontiac GTO from our Private Collection

The Throttlestop keeps a handful of special vehicles in our private collection. Never intended to be sold - they are maintained and driven - sometimes quite enthusiastically around the beautiful roads near Wisconsin's Kettle-Moraines. Its not particularly rare or in mind-blowingly amazing condition or even modified now in such a way that makes it worth interest. Yet a combination of such low mileage, of racy options, and mechanical perfection form to make, as Mike says "a home run!"
Take a peak at our little rundown with shop friend Mike Janotta on this beautiful teal '65 Tri-Power GTO with the Royal Bobcat package.

[@FrankBrocato]

I was 17 in 1965, worked as an apprentice to front end Man at a Pontiac dealer. I was told Ford Mtr. Company wanted a 3 speed manual transmission design that was by GM so they did some kind of deal to trade the stacked headlight design for the transmission. I,(with the help of my Father) ordered a new 1965 GTO, I was able to own and drive it almost a year before I got a notice from Uncle Sam to join the party in S.E. Asia when I returned home my Dad had paid off the car and my Mom drove it for years. Great memories for sure and the bonus has always been I made it home to meet my great grand daughter. Thank you for making an old Mans day.

[@thethrottlestop]

What a great story! Thanks for watching!

[@fortyshooter1]

Summer of 1965. Neighbor bought a new red GTO convertible with the Tri Power 360 engine. I was 11 at the time and the rides in that thing with the sound of the carbs opening up and the great sounding exhaust changed me forever . Always had a muscle car and even to this day !

[@layneannen]

I saved all my babysitting money in 1969 this was my 1st car I ever bought. Mine was burgundy and had the 389 tri power. It was so quick!! It got 8 miles to the gallon so I had to sell it. 65 was definitely the most gorgeous!

[@gmc8810]

Oh my goodness, 8mpg ! 😂 I had a 66 Mustang 289 Manuela 4 speed. It is nothing like this beauty, but I know I got over 18 mpg ! I actually never checked. I was 16 and saved for 3 years to find one in California. Good memories.

[@layneannen]

@@gmc8810 how ironic! I loved the 66 mustang! What's ironic is your name is GMC. I sold my 65GTO because of the horrible gas mileage and bought a 1958 GMC to replace it!! Lol

[@BuzzLOLOL]

GTOs averaged 17 MPG in easy driving...

[@layneannen]

17 mpg!! Not mine.

[@thomasthurston6656]

​@layneannen I wouldn't want to drive it much in Socal lol my 14 Challenger gets 13 city and 16 freeway if I am lucky. The gas is almost 7 dollars a gallon.

[@TheMediocreMinuteman]

Blown away for sure. Wow. A 65 Royal Bobcat GTO. Dream car indeed. Man this made my day!

[@onebadapple83]

Great video!! Great memories as my first car at sixteen, 1975, was a rusty ‘65 GTO 4 speed and a tired 389. Spun bearing and thrown rod shortly as kids will do. Knew of a 421 in a wrecked ‘66 2+2 and sorta did my own Royal Bobcat upgrade. Lotta fast cars around here at that time and the only one I lost to was a 440 six pack Charger…….barely!

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Oh yeah, looks like the color of my old '65 GTO convertible, black top and interior, tripower, 4 speed... No need to pop the clutch, just ease the exhilarator pedal down in 1st gear and the rear tires come loose... when in good tune...

[@lennartpettersson9159]

The '65 A-body's really got things goding for Pontiac in Sweden as the GTO's were seen around Stockholm a whole lot from now on. We have some sold new in 1965 still here among enthusiasts with variations of engines and transmissions. Even loaded ones with exeptions of AC, not seen on any sold new here. We have one in the garage, delivered 1965 to Stockholm in Blue Mist Slate!

[@ricksidenstricker2144]

The sound of that tri-power induction is intoxicating, and addictive. Lol......sound deadner delete......a very wise option choice.

[@HeavyHaul51]

The 65 was the best looking of all GTOs especially if you bought it cheap because it had picture window in the side of the block. Replaced the 389 w/ one quad with a 69 L88 427/425 out of a totaled vette

[@BuzzLOLOL]

L88 was 427" and '430' HP rating... actually 560 HP...

[@yogiguitar1]

sweet looking car !

[@joequillun7790]

I agree Mike, the 65 looks the best from all angles, compared to the other yrs. (Not that I'ld kick a 64 outta bed), and the 66-67 looked longer, 68 on up, totally changed with the "French S" styling. I like them all, but this car is super special. I also like the photo of it wheels up, in its heyday. So tell us, is it really a 421? :)

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Looks like the color of my old '65 GTO convertible, black top and interior, tripower, 4 speed... No need to pop the clutch, just ease the exhilarator pedal down in 1st gear and the rear tires come loose... when in good tune...

[@tyrefryingoat7068]

I love the 65 front clip and 64 rear clip. i have a 64 tri 4gear. love the 421 comment!

[@ammoalamo6485]

In the late 70s my boss drove a 65 GTO. Ever since then I have thought then it is the most beautiful of all GTO model years. But watching this one 'float' under power down a two-lane blacktop reminds me why I prefer much newer cars for my daily driver. There have been so many advances in vehicle power, safety, handling, and crash survivability as to make those older cars useful only on very controlled surfaces.

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Except later cars ride too rough for long drives... because of the car magazines asking for that...

[@mikejanotta752]

1965 gto was an option on the lemans. That's why the vin starts with 237 on 1966 and up thru 1971 the gto was its own line and carried the 242 as the first 3 digits of the vin.

[@jameswoffinden9215]

‘65 GTOs came out STANDARD with a 4-speed.

[@thethrottlestop]

Sure did! Thanks for watchin!

[@V8Deuce]

No they didn't. Keep researching pal. You're the type of guys that posts stuff without any knowledge

[@thethrottlestop]

Saying someone is wrong and not posting what is right is a little like holding TP with your left hand while wiping with your right.

[@stevephillips7793]

Well said user

[@packrcch]

a friend of mine had one of these back in '65. he had the heads shaved to increase compression. probably didn't tell any of his competition about it though...

[@haroldhprittjr7007]

That kicks ass ! Yeah the 65 and 66 my favs of the GTO’s ! What a privilege to just get down the road in a car like that The Beach Boys should be playing or Roy Orbison , Rolling Stones , James brown , buck owens with I got a tiger by the tail ! Yeah fantabulous fantastic and fabulous at the same time !

[@frankhoffer3504]

They should of put the chrome splitters on the rear, would of looked stunning

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Never see those where they belong any more, right behind the rear tire in the wheel well...

[@tsmartin]

I had a 65 GTO back in the mid 70's and I kick myself every day for selling it.

[@Michael-zz2pf]

Had a 65 Lemans, with a G.T.O. hood & emblems but it was only a 326 with a thrush muffler. Dam good lookin car though. White with blue interior. Man I miss that car

[@thethrottlestop]

Sharp car! Thanks for watching!

[@DaveTurnerBassGuitar]

You can see very similar wrap around taillights on the 1966 Chrysler 300. Both cars have a similar shape and profile as well, but I like the Pontiac just a tad bit more.

[@paulotoole989]

Actually it was 1968 that side marker lights or reflectors were required front and rear. All 1968 Pontiacs used wraparound front parking lamps that worked as side marker lights. All models except Grand Prix and station wagons used the Pontiac arrow as the rear side marker light.

[@BuzzLOLOL]

'68 models first came out in late summer of '67...

[@rajcam80]

Stunning!

[@paulspeelman5619]

Oil rings or valve guides leaking. Everytime you back off then hit it exhaust smokes. Had one like it in ‘67, turnout being valve guides.

[@David-up7rv]

THAT IS COOL

[@David-up7rv]

A GOOD MAN!

[@David-up7rv]

THATS WHAT I THOUGHT, DAM HE WAS A GOOD

[@ricksanders9415]

What Happened To The Duel - Chrome Tipped Exhaust On Both Sides ... 😢

[@thethrottlestop]

I'll have to check, thanks for the comment!

[@artkazyak3242]

I WANT THIS CAR HOW MUCH ARE YOU ASKING AND WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED SIR

[@dq7143]

"I live my life a quarter mile at a time..."

[@thethrottlestop]

"The buster brought me back!"

[@88427rat]

Talking about this Ken Wilson guy

[@peterhogan9537]

safety standards didn;t require side lights until 1968. not 1967.

[@thethrottlestop]

Thanks for the correction!

[@BlacktopTV]

Proper burnout. Not a brakelight in site!

[@M21L35]

What's up w/the wheels being other than the body color? BTW, the tri-power motor had 421 heads (bigger valves) & used the "068" cam.

[@sjd7188]

421 snd GTO motors shared the same heads with 77 casting number and same valve sizes. Yes the 068 cam is correct and one of the best poncho street grinds out there

[@HeavyHaul51]

The 421 was a pig motor like the 409 and sometimes the 454

[@M21L35]

@@HeavyHaul51 You need to put the doobie down....& step away!

[@detroit19531]

I thought a game of 425 horsepower

[@thethrottlestop]

Thanks for watchin

[@platinumoregon1148]

My '66 GTO (Purchased' Dec. '65 For $ 3200) was a Hell of a lot better looking !!

[@88427rat]

This guy doesnt know what he is talking about. Never have seen so much misinformation within a couple paragraphs. I am 75 and bought a 64, a 65 and a 66 brand new . This is a real gto.

[@carllavell8673]

👀...👍🔥😎🔥👍

[@user-vn6vx6rf7d]

Beating on a 16K original mile GTO, revving it WAY to high. Sorry guys, NO respect. Sell it to someone who will take care of it and respect it before you send a rod or two through the lifter gally.

[@thethrottlestop]

Cars are meant to be driven... Everyone can do what they want though.

[@richardgrant418]

They’re noisy engines In the video what rpm do you think they are doing?

[@dclipper8052]

Uhh... The mail order Bobcat kit is the equivalent of a Yenko Camaro?? Even for salesman talk, that's pushing it.

[@dclipper8052]

Bring us one of the Wangers 1964 421 ringer cars and then you can compare it to Yenkos all day long.

[@mr.blackhawk142]

My dad's new 1965 Parisienne was a similar BORING colour!

[@thethrottlestop]

We don't think its too boring! ... Okay its kind of boring...

[@RobertHernandez-h1b]

Mike do me a favor easy on the music please . Don't play it at all you lose fans

[@thethrottlestop]

Thanks for watching! Definitely can hear the car good in this one!

[@terryrussell5140]

Drive it like you stole it...

[@thethrottlestop]

Thanks for watchin!

[@jackmehoff4613]

This car is NOT a GTO. It is a LeMans cloned to be a GTO. The first 3 numbers in the VIN are 237 which is LeMans. GTO would be 242. Additionally, it is not a full Bobcat. The full Bobcat package from Royal would have been a swap to a 421 crate engine, that was then massaged further by Royal. The full dealer installed Bobcat package was in the $650 range. The 389 in this car has one of Royal's entry level mail order "kits", which included head gaskets, carb jets, different springs and weights for the distributor, and a few decals. Other kits were more expensive but came with additional goodies. You can also tell it's not a full Bobcat because the full monty included exhaust crossover blockoffs. This car clearly still has functioning exhaust crossover as evidenced by the burned intake manifold. Nice car, but shame on Throttlestop for representing as a GTO.

[@joequillun7790]

LOL. Funny guy. Mr. Know-it-all. Of course you already knew that "all" 64-65 Goats were options, until 66. (242). But you were just testing...right?

[@mikeyshouseofbrakes8463]

@@joequillun7790 It is a real '65 GTO, Meloff. I know it is because I own one. The 242 code started in 1966 when the GTO became a separate model instead of an option on a LeMans.

[@martybgood62]

I have a 65 GTO hardtop and my vin starts with 237375K... and it is real, not a clone!

[@rickykey1175]

The 65 is 237 gtp I am working on one the 242 came later 66 67 when I got the car I had it checked because I gave to much for it either way still working on it long ways. Away yet going all the way eyes bigger then pocket book they're real

[@sjd7188]

No not correct in 64-65 gto was an option on the lemans before it got its own vin number…but you should know that as it is pedestrian info. Get your info correct before pontificating … for others out there best to get PHS certification of your vin to conclusively know lemans or GTO… and know what the proper vin tag and cowl tag rivets look like

[@markr5132]

Those aren't original hoses hoses. More like reproduction + the intake manifold have been painted and carbs replaced etc... Still a nice car but no surviver after whats been done.

[@thethrottlestop]

Real deal survivor here! Thanks for the watch!