About 1981 when I was 12 I was drawing cars, trucks, planes, anything that moved really. Carried a sketch book around school with me, always drawing something if I had free time. My cousin had a 69 Camaro that he drag raced, he started it up and let me rev it one night. I guess my reaction was enough to make sure I was a gear head. About a month later, my cousin stops by with a trunkload of car magazines. Mostly HotRod and Car Craft, but a few show car rags as well.
I knew nothing about GTOs at that point, my dad was into Mopar and Ford and hadnt had a hotrod since my older brother was born in 67. He sold his 426 wedge 64 Sport Fury that year. Anyway, while looking through one of those show car compilations, I spotted a dark blue custom 66 GTO. That right there was the start, just the way it looked with Cragar SS wheels and the blue metallic paint was enough to hook me.
A year later I had some money I made selling sweet corn in town, I was a farm kid, so with my $600 in had we went looking for a car. Some of the cars I found were laughable, and most of the GTOs were either way to expensive or seriously wrecked and used up. There was a 68 that backed hard into a pole, but was otherwise mint for $800! A 69 Judge RA IV 4 speed for $1200. A 70 455 Convertible for $1000 but it had a ton of bondo covered rust. If only I had the resources I have now. I saw hundreds of Camaros, Mustangs, and a few Mopars that my dad went nuts over.
I couldnt swing the GTOs even though that is what I wanted. So I went back and got the first car we had looked at, a 67 Cougar with a 289 2 barrel auto, at least it was red with a black interior and disc brakes. I still have this car, its in the shop right now getting a ground up rebuild, I almost have the paint rubbed out.
When I turned 17 I was driving past the tourist trap in town (junkyard) and saw a gold Pontiac that had hit a parked car. It had the bent 71-72 hood, one headlight bucket and no bumper on it. It didnt say LeMans on it, nor did it say Sport, but it had all the GTO stuff except for a 350 in it, no rear swaybar, and single exhaust. $175, so on my 17th birthday I went and bought it with more money I had made working for neighbors. Drove it home like that and waited ten years to find the front end parts I needed for it.
Still not a GTO. I enlisted in the USAF back in 88, went to Germany, then Charleston, got to play in the fun in the sun 90-91 liberating Kuwait. Got a piece of Berlin Wall about a month after it came down, and resolved to get a GTO when I got back to the states no matter what. I had bought a 79 Formula while I was over there, and had a bunch of other Pontiacs, but I NEEDED a GTO.
Working for Dana Corp making piston rings and doing cnc machine work put me in touch with a friend who has a 70 455 HO 4 speed GTO, numbers matching etc. He had a spare that he found in a barn in 93, and he would sell it to me for what he paid for it. $1000 later it was mine. Turns out it was a 400 3 speed standard 70 GTO with 6 options and Palomino Gold. The original drivetrain was long gone, so it got a 455, then the 4 speed broke and its been auto ever since. I finally got one, its real, and I dont care if its original, selling it would be like selling one of my kids.
It goes in the shop with the 65 GTO after the two Fords that are in there are done. I would drive it now, but I want it to be a bit more pleasant to cruise. There is a long list of Pontiacs, and a few Fords, that I am rebuilding, but the GTO and my 10th Anniversary TA are my favorite Pontiacs. They have the best memories in them.
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