This TREMEC-equipped 1969 Pontiac GTO restomod stays true to its muscle car roots while being revitalized with modern power and handling capability. By the time the 1969 model year rolled around, the muscle car market was packed with offerings from the Big Three and AMC. This included the highest amount of horsepower the lawyers would allow stuffed into various models combined with better brakes and suspension to give new-car buyers the most driving excitement they could afford. But the muscle-car genre all started with the GTO, and every muscle car that came afterwards owes its existence to Pontiac chief John DeLorean.
Luca Pollachella has owned his 1969 GTO since he was 19, tearing up the roads in Canada driving the wheels off the hideaway headlight Pontiac. In 1983 he tore the car apart for a restoration, but it remained in fairly stock form. In 2021 the GTO once again needed a rebuild. But this time it was a major transformation that would take three years, converting it to a modern pro touring muscle car with modern handling capability and power. For this second restoration Luca was going to get something he’d been wanting for a long time.
Luca explains, “I originally saw this color back in 1982 (Candy Brandwine) but when I restored the car the first time my painter refused to spray this color because it was so hard to do.”
Fast forward 40 years and this time the GTO has had its body panels sprayed in the glimmering candy hue. Not wanting to mess with perfection, Luca left the body pretty much stock except for some minor massaging and tweaking for better panel and bumper fitment. The original frame was yanked and a pro touring Roadster Shop chassis with massive 14-inch Wilwood disc brakes at all four corners and the ability to handle any driving challenge Luca can find.
The original Pontiac V8 and transmission were retired. For horsepower a Chevrolet Performance LS3 crate engine was dropped between the frame rails with a Holley intake and EFI system. It breathes through a Ram Air style air cleaner connected to the GTO scoops. The Pontiac-style coil covers help keep it true to the car’s original looks.
Routing all of that engine power to the ground is a TREMEC Magnum 6-speed transmission. Luca says he doesn’t get to use sixth gear that often unless he’s on the interstate, but he likes having it there when needed.
From the beginning Luca wanted to keep the GTO’s original styling while modernizing and updating the car. The original hideaway headlights were upgraded from vacuum actuation to electric, a Vintage Air climate system was installed to for year-round comfort, and Dakota Digital gauges keep tabs on everything. The interior was stitched up by Vlad at Nesic Upholstery including the custom waterfall center console. JH Restorations tallied 4,000 hours across three years transforming the GTO, with the final result being the eye-catching Poncho you see here.
