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The '65 I restored and sold many years ago. The bumper was still at the replater when this was taken in early 1984, Newport News, Va.
Man, that was a fun car to own for guy in his twenties!
I must add that the ONLY thing on this planet better than having an early GTO--------------------------------------------is having TWO of them!
Yep, I have a VERY NICE 70 Chevelle conv, BUT a nice GTO would be about 2 notches better! ESPECIALLY if it was a 65-67, tri-power. 4sp, factory air cond conv (and yes, I'd settle for the same thing in a 64)!
I must add that the ONLY thing on this planet better than having an early GTO--------------------------------------------is having TWO of them!
Yep, I have a VERY NICE 70 Chevelle conv, BUT a nice GTO would be about 2 notches better! ESPECIALLY if it was a 65-67, tri-power. 4sp, factory air cond conv (and yes, I'd settle for the same thing in a 64)!
I had a car that met most of your desires, 66, tri-power, 4spd, AC but it was a hardtop.
I had a car that met most of your desires, 66, tri-power, 4spd, AC but it was a hardtop.
I'd go for that!
Our 70 Chevelle conv was a factory 307/3sp on the column, factory air and pwr top, with a 10bolt non-posi 3.08
It now has a healthy SB400 (natural bolt-in for the tired 307), Muncie M22W (natural bolt-in for the 3sp) and 2.73 12bolt posi (natural bolt-in for the 10bolt). Then I added a FULLY functional cowl induction hood (natural bolt-on swap for the flat hood), with a trailer hitch to tow the jet boat -----------------------------but it's still not a GTO!
I'd go for that!
Our 70 Chevelle conv was a factory 307/3sp on the column, factory air and pwr top, with a 10bolt non-posi 3.08
It now has a healthy SB400 (natural bolt-in for the tired 307), Muncie M22W (natural bolt-in for the 3sp) and 2.73 12bolt posi (natural bolt-in for the 10bolt). Then I added a FULLY functional cowl induction hood (natural bolt-on swap for the flat hood), with a trailer hitch to tow the jet boat -----------------------------but it's still not a GTO!
My 70 4-speed GTO during my college years. At first I hated the "frog" look of the front end when these were first introduced, but I came to accept it and bought this about 1972. Bit of a plain jane model but I fixed some light Oklahoma hail damage on the hood and had it repainted and put Thrush tin can mufflers on it which I think gave it the best exhaust sound of any car I've ever owned.
In my college days attire keeping it clean.
Sold it for a 75 4-speed Trans Am which was a real mistake from a performance standpoint but it gave me a lot of experience modifying an engine and suspension to get some of it back.
That is beautiful, Rick.. Any chance that the buyer's name was Ken?
Can't recall, the fellow drove in from the east coast (New Jersey) with his 2 teenage sons, looked it over, put a deposit down and turned around and drove back home. He had a friend with a flatbed tow truck pick it up 2 weeks later after he arranged financing. He never drove the car but I did drive him on a test drive.. It was a strange deal, drive 10 hours, don't drive my car, then turnaround and drive 10 hours home. I have a feeling he didn't know how to drive a stick and didn't want to embarrass himself in front of his 2 sons.
Can't recall, the fellow drove in from the east coast (New Jersey) with his 2 teenage sons, looked it over, put a deposit down and turned around and drove back home. He had a friend with a flatbed tow truck pick it up 2 weeks later after he arranged financing. He never drove the car but I did drive him on a test drive.. It was a strange deal, drive 10 hours, don't drive my car, then turnaround and drive 10 hours home. I have a feeling he didn't know how to drive a stick and didn't want to embarrass himself in front of his 2 sons.
And it was opposite for me when I bought the 70 Chevelle.
There were TWO requirements: 4sp and FACTORY air (didn't matter if the air worked, I could fix it). We drove from Okla City to near Dayton, OH. I started the car, spent 10min looking it over (I had multiple emails with pictures from the seller), gave him a check, took the title and started home. That was over 20yrs ago and we still have the car, with multiple upgrades and new paint. I could not be happier-----------------------------------------unless it was an equivalent GTO!
NO QUESTION, a nice Chevelle (like ours) fits the muscle car image, But the GTO is the ultimate epitome of "Muscle car".
Would I trade the 56 Vette for a nice 4sp, tri-power, factory air GTO??? --------------------------------------------------- That's a VERY STRONG maybe! (I'd rather have both!!!!!)
Tom, you have excellent taste. Congrats. All your cars are admirable, as is your dedication to rowing your own gears no matter what. Rick, that Barrier Blue '66 with a parchment interior is a knockout.... a one year only color. The black '66 pictured earlier is also a knockout. Hard to go wrong with an early GTO. One thing I can say, after driving my '61 Corvette, my GTO's seem to ride and drive like Cadillacs. Fast Cadillacs, to be sure, buta totally different experience. The '61 is like a go cart and feels like a death wish on wheels (the 383 enhances this, I feel). The Pontiacs are better finished and more refined/civilized...until the outer carbs are opened, anyway.
Some of you have heard me speak of this car before.
In about 1977 myself and a buddy from high school that bought and sold cars together as a sideline money making hobby purchased a 1970 GTO Judge convertible, 455, Ram Air IV, 4 speed car from a local guy we both knew. We paid $1500. for it and I advertised the car for $4500. in the Chicago Tribune (we lived in Savanna, Illinois about 150 miles from Chicago) and a guy and his son showed up to look at the car. During our conversation I did my usual questioning of the potential buyer and found that he was a Pontiac dealer. After a while he started to try and grind the price. I said I don’t know how many they built with this combination of options but I am sure not many and you as a Pontiac dealer probably know more about it than I do so if you want the car the price is $4500.He bought the car. Years later I found out they made 17 of them. I believe it was 2004 when I was at B-J in Scottsdale I saw one of them sell for $450K. Many people will say that we made a huge mistake selling the car but we were happy at the time to make the money we made and I can tell you other like type stories of other cars we bought. I wish I had pictures of the car but like so many others that I have owned for a short period of time never got around to taking pictures of them. The car was Blue with a blue interior.
The car started out as a green 350hp/400 column auto highway cruiser with a 3.23 geared BOP 10 bolt. It ended up white, and much quicker with a 4.88 geared 12 bolt and a number of modified engine and transmission combinations. In the early 80's you could easily find clean but faded 100,000 mile GTO's for under $500. There just was not much demand for GTO's. I sold it to pay for school tuition. My 63' Corvette was a delayed University graduation present to myself a few years later.
We bought a red/white interior '70 HO 455 4 speed GTO with the M-22 and 12 bolt 3.73 posi for $175 in 1981. We repaired the burnt up coil wire on site to the seller's dismay and drove it home. It was in good condition, but we wanted it for its drivetrain, which went into a '66 GTO. (we didn't like the heavy '70-up models at the time).. The '66 ran dual AFB's on an offy intake, and 4.88 gears out back. I can remember riding shotgun and having my buddy get on it on a freeway on-ramp and breaking the rear wheel studs. After an aircraft stud up-grade, that car was a terror. Found out later that the '70 we parted was 1 of about 168 made with the 455HO and 4 speed. It would be a high buck car today. Dumb *** kids...........On the positive side, I still have the tripower '65 and ragtop '67 I picked up around that time....very, very cheaply.
My first car was a 1967 GTO. It was $1,200 and that a huge investment at the time. Cool car but really a family car.
IMO, the one to have was a 1964. The photo of the white car posted by the OP brings back memories of a friend’s 1964. He raised it added Anson slotted wheels with Mickey Thompson tires. It had exhaust dumping at the differential. Great memories.
10-23-2018, 11:27 AM
