The 1965 GTO sits at the center of muscle car mythology, and its engine choice still fuels debate. Collectors weigh the bragging rights of the factory Tri-Power setup against the everyday usability of ...

The GTO wasn’t a car. It was a door kicked open. Pontiac detonated the muscle-car movement by ignoring GM’s “no big engines in mid-sizes” policy and stuffing a 389 into the polite little Tempest.

As Tri-Power 389s go, this one has about as good a story as they come. It was factory equipped in a new '65 GTO sold through the legendary Royal Pontiac in Royal Oak, Michigan, just a couple blocks ...

The early success of the GTO made Pontiac aspire for higher sales figures, and unsurprisingly, this objective was achieved in 1964. The demand for more powerful engines was rising in the mid-'60s, as ...