When I was a car crazy kid, my grandfather passed on some valuable advice. He said that if I were to buy a collectible car, that the smartest thing to do is start by purchasing the best car I could afford. He had little time for rusted, wrecked, or otherwise trashed cars. While that advice may create a situation where you might let a rarer car go, it is good advice if you don’t want to sink a fortune into a restoration. The seller of this 1970 Pontiac GTO, being sold on eBay out of Owingsville, Kentucky must have met my grandfather somewhere along the way. Starting with a GTO that was owned since 1972, garaged since 1975, and with 37,000 miles on the odometer, the seller completely restored this beautiful ride to showroom condition. Is this pristine Pontiac worth the $32,000 asking price?
A lot of people will fix up a car and claim that it went through a full restoration. A real restoration is something altogether different. Beginning with either a great car that you can heavily document before the first screw is turned, or basing your work on established guides and norms, a top notch restoration will show great attention to detail. All of the finishes and coatings will be identical to those from the factory, assembly line chalk marks and other identifiers are present, and there is little to no deviation in the interior pieces. When you look carefully at this GTO, it is evident that the restorer took their time making this car perfect in almost every way. Surely starting with a pristine car made the job easier.
As you can see in the picture above, the engine on this car was removed and the under hood and frame area were sprayed with the proper black finish. We can also see that this is a car that had factory air conditioning as well. Power brakes are also evident.
Another shot shows that the doors were removed to allow for a thorough painting of the door jams and hinges. The glass removal during the restoration pretty much guarantees that all of the seals and felt were replaced. As for the condition of the car, the seller tells us that the floor pans and quarter panels are all original. We are also told that the car has never been involved in a wreck. Between the rust that these cars have a reputation for harboring and the usual stoplight shenanigans that performance cars have to endure, it is evident that this car has continuously received special care.
Looking inside reveals an interior that looks straight out of a time warp. The seller tells us that the car was ordered with the slightly unusual combination of bucket seats, a column shifted automatic transmission and no console. Rather pedestrian for a GTO, but GM’s extensive option list in the early seventies meant that you really could have your car built to your specifications. Looking around the pristine interior, we can also see that the car has manual windows and what appears to be an AM radio. The box on the transmission hump is the real mystery in this car. It might be an aftermarket FM radio kit, or some sort of CB. Can any of you readers shed some light on this?
Under the hood, the sticker on the new radiator hose is the only item that sticks out as not being factory issue. All we know about the engine from the ad is that is a 400 cubic inch V-8. While I am no Pontiac expert, my guess is that this car is equipped with the Ram Air III engine that put out 366 horsepower. Once again, if any of you readers are Poncho gurus, please correct me if I am in error here. Regardless of the exact horsepower, 400 cubic inches of V-8 fun were likely more than enough to move this GTO down the road with authority.
Still, despite the incredible condition of this car, $32,000 is a lot of money. Is it well spent on a car like this? Take into account the cost of finding a car in comparable condition, the ridiculous cost of restoration parts, refurbishing the interior, and machine shop work when you look at that price. You could probably build one up yourself for a bit less, but would the time and effort be justified in the end?
Is buying the best car you can afford worth it in this case?
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