I wish I hadn’t sold it: ‘68 GTO convertible.
Here is a prime example of a car I wish I hadn’t sold. Out of high school I had a ‘68 Tempest (OHC 6 and 2-spd. auto) and then a ‘68 Lemans. GTO’s were out of my price range (I paid $100 each for those first two ‘68 Pontiacs). There was a local guy named Tony Monzo who restored GTOs and his own car, a “phantom” ‘68 Judge Convertible (the Judge didn’t start til ‘69) was an amazing car. Compared with my own low option cars, this thing had everything, actually, this car proabably had more options than any authentic GTO. Some years later, he moved cross-country (anyone know where he is?) and I bought the car.
I just love the look of hide-aways and the enduro bumper. At the time, the judge wing was off the car, but lets look at some of the other options. Those aren’t side markers on the front fenders, but rare cornering lights. The front valance is a ‘69, but you can still tell its a ‘68 from the vent windows and the rear side markers.
On the interior, we can see a dual-gate his’n hers shifter, with a ‘67 vacuum gauge. The tilt-steering column is especially rare because the cornering lights use their own column. Power convertible top and air-conditioning. Power windows (including vent windows) and power (vacuum for ‘68) locks (including truck release). You can’t see from this pic, but it had a map-light built into the rear view mirror. The front seats were both power and reclining, from the factory, only the driver’s seat was availible as power and the only the passenger as reclining. But Tony took 2 sets of extremely rare ‘68 seats (2 power driver’s lower sections and 2 upper passenger’s reclining) and put them together.
I had the car for a couple years, but then it was my turn to move cross-country and I sold it. I think the guy had a dry-wall business in Anapolis, MD (Phoneix Drywall, maybe?), if anyone has seen the car, I’d love to hear about it.
