[rwinkles]

I first met my 1970 GTO in the fall of 1972. I was a typical 16-year-old teenager mostly interested in sports but soon to become a certified car nut. I was working at the local grocery store bagging and stocking shelves (for a whopping $5.00/hour which was pretty good back then!) when one of the other baggers told me to check out his brother’s car which he had driven to work that night. Later, while on break we went to the parking lot to check out the 1970 GTO. His brother had bought the car new from a dealer in Clarkston Michigan and was the original owner. He had never driven it in the winter and the car was like new. Not knowing a great deal about cars at that time, about the only thing I remember was thinking how cool the hood scoops were, with a cable to open them when needed and that I had never seen a hood tach before. I drove home later that night in my ‘66 Mustang (6 cylinder, 3 speed on the floor rust bucket) not knowing or caring about that GTO’s future.

A year later the Mustang was long gone in favor of a ‘69 Camaro (327, 3-speed on the floor). The Camaro gave me “the need for speed” and I became much more interested in cars. Later that year after saving my money I wanted a new car and settled on that year’s “Performance Car of the Year”, the new 1974 Z-28 Camaro. I took the Z-28 home in October of 1973 and have had it ever since (now with 31,000 original miles, paint, interior etc.).

The Z-28 really gave me the car bug. I now lived, ate and drank fast cars. The 1970 GTO that I first saw a few years earlier now belonged to another co-worker and friend at the grocery store. His treatment of the car however was far different than that of the original owner. He drove it year round while I bought a $75 non-running ’68 Opel station wagon as a driver to save my Z the terrors of Michigan winters. He also did some strange things to that car. To keep the GTO as rust free as possible he would spray or pour oil into the trunk, wheel wells, cowl and anywhere else he could get it. This made for a bit of a mess later in life but must have been fairly effective as I would find out! He also had several “off-road” excursions with the car. It was really too much car for him (a 20 year old goof ball), no power steering or brakes and 370 HP! He also liked to modify the car. Gone were the Ram Air exhaust manifolds in favor of headers and cherry bombs. Also gone was the Ram Air hood baffle and air cleaner in favor of an open element aftermarket air cleaner. The rally wheels disappeared and were replaced by Crager mags and air shocks were added to clear the fat M/T tires in the rear. I often helped him work on the car from time to time and still thought it was a very cool car. He married in 1977 and a short time later with a baby on the way the GTO had to go. I talked my best friend into buying the car to use some of the engine parts to make his 1976 Trans Am a little faster.

My buddy (now the third owner) paid $2000 for the car and kept it for four years during which he married. In that time he thankfully never “butchered” the car as was intended. He put some money into it to try and restore its former glory but never had quite enough time or money to really do it right. In that time he drove the car almost daily and had it painted once after a minor rear-end accident. After he married, cars became secondary and in the end the GTO sat for several months with a bad clutch and flywheel.

In 1981, again with a baby on the way my buddy told me he was going to get rid of the “hulk” sitting in his driveway. I asked “How much?”, thinking with a few minor repairs it could be sold for a tidy profit because of those little RAM AIR IV decals and the WW engine under the hood. A day later and $1000 lighter I towed the car home. The odometer showed 61,000 miles and was broken so I didn’t really know the actual mileage. I had it running in a few days and began the job to clean it up for sale. The body was still all original and very solid with only two small rust holes in the rear quarters above the taillights. I contacted the second owner to see if he still had any of the original Ram Air parts or wheels, but he only had the exhaust manifolds, which I got. I spent months cleaning and painting and began to really love the car and eventually found I couldn’t part with it (although I did put for sale signs on it a few times to test the water). I had it repainted in 1984 and through the years returned it to near stock condition. Most numbers match and I have added a few cosmetic items because I liked the look. I bought a running cardinal red 1970 Judge parts car in 84’ with my brother in-law for a mere $700. He took the drive train, a RA III and 3.55:1 posi to replace the standard 350 HP engine and open diff in his car, a ‘67 GTO. I got the spoilers, some moldings, a console and other odds and ends and then we re-sold the remainder for $700 – a good deal (but I wish I had kept that car now!).

I finally did a frame off on my GTO in 2002 and won a coucours gold at the GTOAA Nationals in Columbus in 2003. Little did I know way back in 1972 when I first saw the GTO that it would ultimately spend so many years with me and be a big part of my life some 34 years later and counting. I still see the original owner from time to time and he always asks if I still have it. When I tell him yes he just shakes his head for ever selling it in the first place. Definitely the best $1000 I ever spent!