Family-Owned 1967 Pontiac GTO Is A Meticulously Restored Muscle Car Gem

Sep. 17, 2023 8:34 AM ET byJohn Mendoza Video /6 Comments

This family kept a 56-year-old beater and turned it into an award-winning show car.

The GTO is one of themost iconic nameplatesin thePontiac muscle car lineup. However, a 56-year-old example in Illinois has an interesting story beyond the vehicle's renown and impeccably clean restoration work.

Terry Weiner is a long-time member of the GTO Association of America and one of the club's technical advisers. Having that title has had its perks, which helped him accumulate a wealth of knowledge about GTOs hanging around and learn from people with much information and experience about these cars.

Family-owned since 1966, this Pontiac GTO was built on December 15 of the purchase year. Terry witnessed his father order the car from a Pontiac dealer right across their street in Chicago and was there when his dad went to pick it up. Terry's dad was an avid GTO fan, owning four GTOs in his lifetime, starting with a 1964 model, a 1965, this 1967, and a 1970. His dad used to call the car "Peppy" as it had a healthy amount of go in its motor.

Terry was 15 years old when they took delivery of the car, perfectly timed for him to learn to drive in it. He drove this car through high school, and, as you can imagine, it got quite beat up over the years. The car was pretty much a rust bucket before he got the chance to restore it, having lived its lifethrough many winters.

Terry always wanted to return the car to its original condition and finally did so in 2006. His work on the car earned it a best-of-show award at the GTO Association of America annual convention in Wichita, Kansas, in 2010.

Being a family car, this particular GTO didn't have a lot of performance options. What this矩形脉冲断开is equipped with are creature comfort options such as the hood tachometer, a rear defogger, power antenna, wood grain interior, heater, radio, 8-track stereo, power brakes, and power steering. It's also powered by the standard 6.6-liter V8 engine - much like any muscle car from the era, like theChevrolet Camaro- rated at 335 horsepower and the highest torque of the three engine variants at 441 lb-ft, mated to an automatic transmission.

This impeccable restoration in its original Signet Gold paint color went as far as to recreate every factory marking from assembly and inspection to trucking and delivery. Even the factory stickers were all redone. Amazingly, the upper radiator hose is original to the car and is in new condition.

Along with the perfectly restored body and interior, all the mechanicals have also been redone, making thisvintage muscle cara perfect turnkey example in the same, or perhaps even better, condition than it left the showroom floor in. Terry is now enjoying taking the car to car shows and it will be enjoyed by him and his family for more years to come.