In 1980 at the age of 15. A girl I knew had a 68 Vedero Green LeMans with a GTO Nose, taillights and a blacked-out grill. I just loved the sheet metal design. Not long after that, I bought Albert Drakes Big Little GTO book. I knew I had to have a 68 or 69 or even a 70 GTO!
A couple of years later, I went to purchase my first goat. The first car I looked at was a red on red 68 with his/hers shifter, rally gauges, and all original drivetrain. The guy was asking $2500, I offered $2300 and was refused. I was crushed! But I did move on. Six months later, I would find my first GTO. It was a 69 Vedero Green, green interior, automatic, hide away headlights, and a Ram Air III! This was July 1985, the car belonged to the original owner, and this time I paid out the $2500 asking price! What a car, 84,000 on the clock, everything was there and untouched except the foam around the breather! Also, just for note, this car had an emissions decal on the radiator support, I have the old instamatic pictures as proof!
Anyway, time moved on, I (regretfully) sold the car a few years later. The fever never did leave though. After owning a few z-cars, vettes, even a Donzi Classic, I bought a 69 Carousel Red, RA III, 4-speed Judge. This is the greatest car I have ever owned. I still see my old GTO a local cruises and shows...I wonder if the guy (5th owner) would sell it back to me?
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