2012 GTOAA International Meet

Going with the theme “Wide-Trackin’ A Mile High,” the 33rd Annual GTOAA International Convention, held July 3-7, 2012, in Loveland, Colorado, north of Denver, had GTO fans from as far away as Alaska, Georgia, and even Australia cruising comfortably at 5,100 feet above sea level.

The event kicked off on Tuesday, July 3, at host-facility The Ranch (home of Larimer County Fairgrounds) with load-in and tech for concours and popular-vote GTOs. The evening offered some retro Americana action, as 26 GTO owners wishing to recall the glory days of Saturday nights at the drive-in participated in a cruise-in to Holiday Twins Drive-In in nearby Fort Collins. Once there, three prime rows were reserved for them to watch the blockbuster The Amazing Spiderman on the big-screen, while enjoying classic drive-in dining fare like corn dogs, nachos, funnel cakes, and snow cones.

On July 4, the GTOAA started off with a bang by serving up seminars covering myriad topics of interest to Pontiac owners. Kevin Beal from Ames Performance discussed the battle of “NOS versus Reproduction” parts; retired Pontiac auditor Michael Bird delved into the topic of the Division’s internal operations in the musclecar era and how its various manufacturing and assembly plants interacted with each other; and Jim Wangers presented “The Real Royal Pontiac Story,” which detailed his first-hand experiences creating the successful high-performance vehicle sales, parts, and service marketing program. That evening, 67 Pontiacs participated in a cruise to the small town of Windsor for its Concert in the Park, featuring The Jurassicasters (rock and roll so classic, it’s Jurassic!) and a fireworks display.

On Thursday, July 5, The Ranch’s First National Bank building’s North and South Halls filled to the bursting point with 46 concours Goats, representing GTO production from ’64 to ’72. “The quality and workmanship of the concours cars was outstanding,” says convention coordinator Jay Robinson. “The variety went from professionally restored GTOs that looked like they just came off of the showroom floor, all the way up to very heavily modified GTOs. They all were in excellent condition, which is a tribute to the owners and their dedication to the hobby.”

For event-goers who wanted to enjoy some of Colorado’s famous two-plus-mile-high scenery, the day offered a caravan from The Ranch through Estes Park, home of the famous Stanley Hotel; and then into Rocky Mountain National Park, up Trail Ridge Road to the summit and the Alpine Visitors Center—elevation 12,183 feet. Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuously paved road in the United States. A total of 27 Pontiacs participated.

While all that convention hustle and bustle was going on, 20 judges, who were divided into five teams, scored the concours GTOs on a 700-point scale. Assistant Concours Judge Norm Warling explained: Each team member has a part of the car to judge—undercarriage and trunk, interior, engine compartment, and body and paint. One team was assigned to ’64-’65 GTOs, another to ’66-’67, ’68-’69, ’70-’74, and Modified-All Years. After all the cars were judged, a member from each team—and usually the president of the GTOAA—is sent out to pick the Best of Show, Best Restored, Best Original, and Best Modified. (These results are listed elsewhere in this story.)

On Friday, July 6, Pontiacs came out in numbers (158 to be precise) to attend the convention’s Popular-Vote car show. The breadth of the Division’s finest on hand ranged from a beautifully restored Castle Gray and Light Green ’55 Chieftain, to a sporty Magnetic Red ’09 G6 GXP, and there were lots of Firebirds, Trans Ams, Catalinas, and other models showing their Pontiac pride, too.

“In 2012, the GTO Association of America opened up the International Meet for the first time to all Pontiacs,” Robinson says. “This came with mixed emotions, as some GTO purists were not at all happy that the event would have cars other than GTOs registered.”

“From my viewpoint, and other attendees as well, this couldn’t have happened at a better time,” he defends. “We had the perfect venue that would hold thousands of cars. Knowing that the meet was set in Colorado and we were not likely to draw very many people from either coast, we were glad to invite all Pontiacs to the event.”

That same day, 52 Pontiacs converged upon Bandimere Speedway in Morrison for the Jim Wangers Invitational Drag Race, featuring $2,500 in cash payouts. (The class winners are listed elsewhere in this story.)

On Saturday, July 7, the event featured a car show open to all makes and models. A total of 204 cars participated. That night, concours, popular-vote, and drag-race winners received trophies at the banquet and awards ceremony.

Northern Colorado GTO Association and co-host Classic GTO Association of Denver donated $1,000 from the event’s proceeds to the Epilepsy Foundation of Colorado. The charity choice had special meaning for Chair of the Nationals Mary Robinson (Jay’s wife). “My 7-year-old daughter Sara has epilepsy. She is the reason we did our best to make sure this show was a success—not only for the cars and people, but the charity as well,” she says.

Next year’s GTOAA International Meet will pair with the Pontiac Oakland Club (POCI) Convention to form the 2013 Co-vention in Dayton, Ohio, on July 9-13, 2013. For more information, visit www.gtoaapocinationals.com.

In 2012, the GTO Association of America opened up the International Meet for the first time to all Pontiacs

Next year’s GTOAA International Meet will pair with the Pontiac Oakland Club (POCI) Convention to form the 2013 Co-vention in Dayton, Ohio, on July 9-13, 2013. For more information, visit www.gtoaapocinationals.com.