This 1968 Pontiac GTO has supposedly been in storage since 1981, so it is going to need some work to be roadworthy again. The seller claims that it is 99% rust free and should provide for an easy restoration. They may be optimistic, but with 350 horsepower and a His and Hers shifter, we can’t think of a better Valentine’s gift for your significant other. Find it here on eBay out of Allen, Texas.
The His and Hers shifter was Hurst’s attempt at making an automatic a little more fun. As the ad above explains, the left side offered standard slush-box action while the right was for real men only. It allowed more control over each gear change and apparently, women could not handle it! It even had a key lock on it to keep them out. Sexist comments aside, this shifter did make the prospect of buying an auto equipped car more tempting. Apparently, with it installed, you could even claim that you bought the GTO for her… Happy V-Day guys!
i do not remember ever seeing one of these dual gates systems. i just learned something new. i wonder if there is a video of an ad for this.
Here’s a youtube video showing the Dual Gate operation on an IROC Z…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW5aOFVYgPM
and a short video showing a “reconditioned” 1968 Hurst Dual Gate… guess they couldn’t do it right (?), so they covered the faceplate with veneer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SWp5Z24nyY
thanks very much.
No, they did indeed ‘do it right’. I think the Hurst ad might have been a prototype as I don’t think I have ever seen one but my 30K original mile Goat has the veneer faceplate exactly like the one in the video. It’s a cool period shifter but more of a novelty I’d say….
Did that IROC come with a dual gate shifter as an option, or was that an aftermarket add-on?
At first glance that 68 GTO looks pretty complete and solid. Being a rabid Poncho fan I’d love to get the chance to go over the car in person to assess the good and the bad. Just in time for the 50th anniversary off the introduction of the GTO in 64, there is a mania going on right now among Pontiac fans. The 68 is thought of by many as the most beautiful GTO ever built. The owner’s timing couldn’t be better. It will be interesting to see where this one goes.
I thought the 66 was the the goat to have, but these were nice, I do remember the his & hers on these but never on an Iroc Z, but who knows. Look’s all there.
How many ’68 and ’69 GTOs did Pontiac paint that color green? Went with a buddy of mine to pick up a green, ’69, 400 4 speed car in the mid seventies. Wouldn’t start, we had to push it. But once it started, it was a ride home. Found a green ’68 in a salvage yard in the 80’s, picked it clean.
66 GTO’s are the favorites of many GTO fans, myself included. That was the last year for the tri-powered 389 with some seriously classic styling. GTO’s from the first year, 1964 up to the 72 model are all highly sought after. There are no bad years for GTO’s in those models. Lots of GTO fans maintain that the 68 was the most beautiful of all the GTO’s as the car was completely redesigned for that year. By 1967 other muscle cars were starting to catch up to Pontiac. In 68 Pontiac changed the rules again with the introduction of this model. In many ways the 68 was the high point for the GTO. This car looks very complete, and very solid. It has nice options such as factory air. This example is the perfect candidate to build into a nice weekend cruiser or a show car. I wish that I was in the position to join the bidding, because this is exactly the sort of car I would love to restore.
I had a green 68 GTO back in the day (1976). I bought it from a guy that was selling two forest green GTO’s. The 68 was an automatic with the dual shifter, but no lockout as pictured. The other one was a beefed up 69 GTO convertible. Same price for either. Gas had climbed to about 50 cents per gallon and this guy was unloading his gas guzzlers. I traded my 67 Sunbeam Alpiine plus some cash to close the deal. Since I was married already, I couldn’t spring for the hot car! I remember it also had a “reverberator” switch on the radio! Made an echo that sounded like you were in a tin can…factory original, but didnt catch on… Great car!
For some reason, both Ford and GM destroyed their best cars in 1958 and 1968. TBird, total loss in 58, 57 Vette got all porked out. Huge chrome encrusted Buick, Olds. Then in 1968 they built the abomination of a Vette. It was huge, and the body even sagged in the back, leaving the door unable to close. The Olds 442, destroyed; GTOs look like hogs, SS396s trashed. Somebody at those car companies just didn’t get it. I believe, I think Duntov had retired in 67, they had to bring him back to try to save the 68 Vette. (Or was that Earl)
Just out of high school, my friend had a red 68 4 speed, he had the first set of 50 series TA’s we had ever seen. I have 2 strong memories. I had a Datsun roadster, my friend let me drive his goat I had never experienced torque like that, Power in any gear.
The second was being on a bridge, passing a truck and hitting a 57 ford head on. No one died. I was in the suicide seat with only a lap belt on. I caved the dash in with my head, there was not one panel on the car that was not bent, even the trunk lid was bent. My mothers prayers worked, Jesus was riding with me that day.
That shade of green was called ‘Verdoro Green’ and it has an interesting story. John DeLorean’s wife saw an ashtray in that color and confined John (as General Manager of Pontiac to offer it on Firebirds and GTO’s for 1968. It’s a matter of taste, I guess, but not my favorite. Show’s what I know though as I believe it was the biggest selling color that year.
Although they didn’t have a “true” his and hers shifters, the 69-72 Grand Prixs had a floor shifter that worked in a similar fashion. If you forced it towards the right when shifting 1-2 or 2-3, it had a detent it stopped against. Some late 70’s Trans ams also had them.
I had a 71 that was this same green with the darker green vinyl top that was a blast to drive. I left it mostly stock but I did put a custom exhaust with flowmasters on it to let ‘er breath better, a better after market air breather too, and a hi-tech distributor. Loved that car but had to part with it due to some mechanical issues with wheel bearings that plagued the vehicle from the first day I bought it. I owned it for over 3 years and sold it for 3 times what I bought it for, unfortunately it would now be worth 20 times that amount!!!
They really did have the His/Her dual gate shifter in the GTO from the factory, a friend of mine had one. Putting it in the His side and shifting it manually it was much more crisp going from 1 to 2nd to 3rd….tires would squeal going into the next gear. Loved it !!!!