John, you've heard this story before, and anyone who's taken the time to read the intro to my book has also heard this tale.
The year was 1973, and I am on my way to my first year of college. Not having a car of my own, I was dependent on purchasing rides to and from the 100+ mile-distant institution of higher learning. Cost me $2 one-way for the two-hour trip. One of the most consistant commuter drivers, and certainly piloting the most impressive mode of transportation, was Dave and his '68 GTO 4-speed convertible.
Dave's car with Rally One's.
Although Dave and I had graduated high school together, we were not real close friends. Dave was a farmer's son, and as such didn't spend too much time on afterschool activities. He did own one of the best cars in our senior class, and I spent many 4-hour round trips in that Goat during our first year of college. This car was extra impressive since it was the first genuine muscle car I had ever ridden in.
My father was not a gearhead, and none of my immediate relatives, of which I had almost too many to count, were drivers of any sort of high performance machinery. At the time my family's daily driver was a 4-door sedan '69 Catalina. The Pontiac was my dad's first new-car purchase, and it never gave him a day's worth of trouble the entire time he owned it. Dad also had a '63 Ford F150 camper special (heavy duty half ton) which he drove back and forth to work on a daily basis. I learned to drive a stick in that pickup.
With those facts in place, I started looking for my first car in 1977. Since I was still a year from finishing with my college experience, I would have to borrow the purchase funds from my parents. A muscle car was out of the question (not reliable enough). The closest I got to any sort of performance car was a Bucanneer Red '74 GTO, but at $3,000, that was a little out of my price range. I settled on a very base '74 Ventura with less miles, less engine, and most importantly, for less cash.
I've done a few upgrades to the Ventura over the last 29 years. Still own this car.
When I finally got a real job, one of the first big dollar purchases I made was for a '67 GTO convertible. It was painted resale red (originally Linden Green) and had a TH400. After replacing the timing chain in the parking lot of a Minnesota apartment complex during a snowy March weekend, I had that car running pretty good. What I really wanted was a '67 ragtop 4-speed, so in 1982 I sold the red Goat and purchased a black 4-speed convert that appeared to be in much better condition.
Still have this one too.
After a restoration in 1985, the black GTO returned to Signet Gold and received a few non-original options.