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Runs and Drives: 1968 Pontiac GTO Hardtop

The popularity of the Pontiac GTO is beyond question, and nice examples can command some pretty respectable prices. This 1968 model isn’t a nice example at the moment, but it once was, and it could be again. It is sitting in Guthrie Center, Iowa, just waiting for someone to return it to its former glory. Listed for sale here on eBay, the owner has set an opening bid at $6,850. Currently, there have been no bids, but with 44 people watching the listing, you can’t help but wonder which one of them is going to blink first.

When the GTO was new, it must have been a striking looking car finished in its original Verdoro Green paint. That was a while ago now, and time has taken its toll in the intervening years. I’m sure that someone thought that they were doing the car a favor by painting it black, but trust me, they weren’t. Rust issues seem to be limited to the trunk floor and the rear quarters, along with some small spots visible in the bottom corners of the doors. The rest of the car is said to be solid, but there are plenty of minor dents and dings that will also need to be attended to.

Beautifully complementing the Verdoro Green paint would have been a parchment vinyl interior. What is left now is a patchwork of mismatched items, and the new owner is faced with a full restoration to bring the car back to life. The owner also believes that the missing items from the dash are in the trunk, although he doesn’t appear to be particularly certain about this. Still, once it has been restored, it will certainly look pretty special.

This isn’t a numbers-matching car, although the owner does seem to think that the 4-speed manual transmission and the Posi rear end are both original. The 400ci V8 that is there date-codes as a 1968 model, so there is a possibility that it is a factory replacement engine. Regardless, the owner says that the car runs and drives really well, but that the brakes will need some attention before the car is road ready. There are also a couple of minor electrical glitches to investigate, including the fact that the tail-lights currently don’t work.

There is no doubt that once restored, this will end up becoming one really stunning GTO. There is definitely some justification in undertaking a restoration because they are a car that continues to grow in popularity. It may not be a numbers-matching car, but it would still be a pretty nice car to own.

Comments

  1. Avatar Troy s

    Forty years ago this thing was probably terrorizing some high school parking lot during the day, cruising the boulevard at night with a car load of hoods out looking for trouble. Ha! Just has trouble written all over it, what a ride.

    Like 17
  2. Avatar Gaspumpchas

    Good honest description and pics, but some pics of the underbelly would be good. Troy loved your comment, oh so true. Been there done that , spent a few hrs in the back seat of a fuzzmobile myself. Good luck to the new owner. It needs the works but when its done, oh baby!!

    Cheers
    GPC

    Like 4
  3. Avatar Bob

    The seller doesn’t even know what’s in the trunk. I wouldn’t take him at his word as to the originality of what’s under the hood.

    Like 2
  4. Avatar TimM

    Great car had a 68 with the his/her shifter!! Great car had the chrome front bumper that I really liked!! Got rear ended in a parking lot buy a guy speeding across the lot in the fog!!!! He had a blazer and I had a pain in my neck for every day since!! Don’t let anyone tell you parking way out in the lot is safe!!

    Like 2
  5. Avatar Rustytech Member

    This is beyond what I can handle at my age, but definitely restorable. It will take an easy $35 to $40k if the buyer can do some of the work himself, so as long as the final price stays under $10k it’s well worth it. Just a side note, I bought one of these in 1972 for under $1500, we’ve come a long way baby!

    Like 2
  6. Avatar PatrickM

    Listing ended, $7,100.00.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar TimM

    Not a bad price for a diamond in the rough

    Like 0
  8. Avatar bill T

    This car is over priced. Why? 1.) NON matching numbers. 2.)Both rear quarters are toast. 3.) trunk floors gon most likely other major floor issues. 4.) from photos is missing a ton of trim thats $$$$$$. 5.)rockers are likely shot and I did not see a single body panel that didn’t need a ton of work again $$$$$. I recently purchase a 68 GTO for $6000 That was in mutch better shape . has clean interior, and was able to repair all body pannels, no bondo all welded patch work. Car is all matching numbers 4 sp. I still spent a ton paint, body detail prep and little things add up. Have spent $20k not counting labor. So a real price for this barn find????

    Like 0

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