CLICK->
Patrick sends in this picture of a 1968 Tempest he spotted while visiting a local junkyard. CLICK->
The first of three pictures of this red '68 GTO... CLICK->
Open wide! This '68 GTO has the standard chrome air cleaner. It has power brakes. Notice how the hideaway headlamp
doors are open in this picture. The license plate on the front reads 1GRR868 (One great 68). CLICK->
The third picture of this shiny '68 GTO. I think this color is called Matador Red. It has a vinyl top. CLICK->
Did Pontiac make a 2-door GTO for police duty? Were there Pigs in Goats? Ya gotta click to see the full size image of
THIS one! CLICK->
Steve Duryee made a cool animation out of my 1968 GTO Police Car. It does not require a media player to view. CLICK->
See the handsome Endura rubberized front bumper? It was big and functional. CLICK->
This is when cars had tough bumpers to protect the people. CLICK->
This photo is from the 1990's. I no longer own this car. This is my '68 primered GTO before the horrible crash. It was a daily driver in the process of being restored. Originally blue, it had a powerful tight 400 V8 with YS code engine, AC, factory Hurst his/hers shifter, hideaway headlamp doors, factory stereo 8-track, rally II wheels, factory tinted windows, near perfect black interior, dual exhaust with chrome tips, G77x14 tires all around, deluxe seatbelts, rare factory-installed door edge guards, PB, PS, and the Rally clock. I bought it from a nice old lady shortly after I graduated high school. Her husband was the original owner. Why did she sell me the car? She was trying to get back at her husband who had recently LEFT her! I recognized the potential of this great car and immediately began straightening all the beat up sheetmetal. I found the build
sheet in the glovebox and discovered the car was assembled at the Fremont, California plant and sold at Casey-Beckham Pontiac in Anaheim, California. The VIN number was 242378Z130292.
One time I carelessly signed the title to this GTO away. I was selling my '68 LeMans and signed the wrong title over to the buyer. I had no clue till almost a year later. The "owner" of my car was nowhere to be found. Luckily, my Dad had seen my old LeMans in a nearby town at a body shop. The LeMans had been abandoned and towed to the body shop by the police. I convinced the body shop guy to swap titles with me. Whew! I had my GTO title back! CLICK->
Restoration halted! A drunk driver crashed into this car at a busy Muncie intersection at noontime. He wiped out three other cars in the wreck. He had no insurance. He was driving someone else's car at the time. The drunk man tried to wander away from the scene of the accident. Fortunately, a policeman witnessed the crash and arrested the moron. The hood of the car was sheared off the hinges in the impact. The pointy rear corner of the hood went back and shattered the windshield directly in front of the steering wheel. The Pontiac was a total loss. Because a GTO is a rather large car, no one was seriously hurt. This story only got worse. When the police at the scene had the car towed into a storage lot, the tow truck driver immediately recognized the value of this car. He then proceeded to steal parts off of it. He stole the brand new shiny set of 4 wheel center caps, plus various small items off the dashboard! The totalled car was later sold for scrap to the wrecking yard in the 1990's. CLICK->
(1986 photo)
This car had some fairly difficult-to-repair body damage.
When I found this car, I was an eager buyer. I overlooked
the dents, the major Bondoed-over rust in the rear quarters,
the lower fender rustout, etc. The engine and interior on this
car were worth the price, though. My theory is that the previous
owner used the exterior for guardrail durability testing. Scrape!
This car originally had redline tires and homely poverty hubcaps.
They were in the trunk when I bought the car. I installed them
just for this picture, then took them back off again. CLICK->
(1986 photo)
I learned to do minor bodywork on this front valence panel.
It had been hammered with a billion dents and scrapes. I worked
them all out, using no filler, just patience and trial and error.
I spent many hours on it, whacking out the dents with regular
carpenter's tools. Those were the only tools in my Dad's garage.
The hood, however was an exception. I loaded it with Bondo. It had been wrecked by the previous owner into a pole and had an area in the front where the metal was impossibly crumpled. CLICK->
Very nice customized Blue Firemist 1968 GTO hardtop with shaved emblems and 1969 grille inserts. It's owned by Otto Tharp Sr. CLICK->
This 1968 GTO shows off it's attractive rear! CLICK->
This is a 1968 GTO hardtop parked in Dayton, Ohio. The picture was taken by Ryan 'Pontiac Picture Snapper' Treadway. There is another orange 1968 GTO and a gold 1965 Tempest wagon in this lot. The text on the side of that truck is easier to read in the shot with the 1965 Tempest wagon. I was able to figure out were this lot is. Click here to check it out. PICTURE SET CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE ...
Here's a comment from a recent visitor...
Says Stephan (Htrodlemans70.@aol.com) - "Your web page inspired me purchase my 70 LeMans. At 41 dragstrip it ran a 12.53 at 108 mph on street tires! Thanks again. I love that car."
