This is what’s left of my 1966 GTO convertible that I’ve owned for 45 years. I was working for my dad at the time. A guy had the GTO towed to our shop with a blown engine. When dad gave him a repair estimate, the guy said it wasn’t worth it. I bought the car from the man for less than a thousand.
In our spare time, my dad and I rebuilt the 389 ci engine from top to bottom. We switched out the intake manifold from 4 barrel to 3 duces and installed custom headers. It had the original factory 4-speed transmission.
Except for the engine, the car has never been restored. It has the original Candlelight Yellow paint. The exterior and interior were in near factory condition, always garage stored and pampered. I drove it very little over the past 25 years, mainly to local car shows.
On several occasions I was offered a considerable amount of money for the car but it held too much sentimental value to sell. It was the last car that my dad and I worked on together and I remember the good times we had doing it. We would open a couple bottles of Lone Star beer and work on the car into the evenings.
Long story short, it was stolen on Monday and wrecked. The car was found yesterday in a muddy ravine off old highway 67. The body is battered and the frame is bent. I had it towed to a shop that does vintage car restoration. The shop is supposed to call me tomorrow with a cost estimate. I have classic car insurance for the current market value but that doesn’t come close to replacing the sentimental value.
I hope they find the person or persons responsible but I‘m not holding my breath. I think that the law looks at it like just another stolen and wrecked car.
In our spare time, my dad and I rebuilt the 389 ci engine from top to bottom. We switched out the intake manifold from 4 barrel to 3 duces and installed custom headers. It had the original factory 4-speed transmission.
Except for the engine, the car has never been restored. It has the original Candlelight Yellow paint. The exterior and interior were in near factory condition, always garage stored and pampered. I drove it very little over the past 25 years, mainly to local car shows.
On several occasions I was offered a considerable amount of money for the car but it held too much sentimental value to sell. It was the last car that my dad and I worked on together and I remember the good times we had doing it. We would open a couple bottles of Lone Star beer and work on the car into the evenings.
Long story short, it was stolen on Monday and wrecked. The car was found yesterday in a muddy ravine off old highway 67. The body is battered and the frame is bent. I had it towed to a shop that does vintage car restoration. The shop is supposed to call me tomorrow with a cost estimate. I have classic car insurance for the current market value but that doesn’t come close to replacing the sentimental value.
I hope they find the person or persons responsible but I‘m not holding my breath. I think that the law looks at it like just another stolen and wrecked car.
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