Really, we do mean treasure. John's GTO is a numbers-matching original that garnered the Gold award in the concours category of the 2001 and 2002 GTOAA East Coast Regional Meet. Like the classic timepiece that bears his name, Cartier is a perfectionist. Scoring Silver in the concours category in 2000 just did not satisfy him. "They took off eight points in 2000 for not having the original jack stand or factory fabric tape around the brake-light harness," he lamented. So John took the next six months to make the necessary changes. "I was lucky enough to find an unmolested jack stand on ebay for 30 bucks," Cartier told us. But as is often the case in our hobby, his road was not always paved with silver and gold.
John Cartier's journey to "Pontiaddiction", like most of ours, started in his youth. "I remember as a boy going to the local Sunoco with my dad's '66 Tempest and hearing fill it up with 260." In youth (and part of adulthood) the all too familiar game of junkyard rummaging, parts matching, and putting lipstick on pigs got old quick, so the search for an authentic '66 GTO began in earnest.
After chasing prospects in three different time zones and feeling completely spent, John put the search on hold. One day by complete surprise, a man beeped John's pager, so he called the number in Oregon. Cartier probably figured, why not give the Pacific Time Zone a try, as he already searched unsuccessfully through the other three. The voice on the line told John that he saw his want ad while thumbing through an old Hemmings Motor News and that he had what may be the best '66 GTO left in existence. Pictures were sent and Cartier was soon on the road again. After seeing the Goat for less than five minutes, he paid the asking price of $25,000 and in February of 2000, his new prize completed its 3,500-mile trip home to Flanders, New Jersey, in a covered trailer.
John is one of a privileged few owners of the "Mountain Goat." Originally a dealer swap from Simpson Pontiac Cadillac in Everett, Washington, to a dealer in Portland, Oregon, for a bit over $3,800, the GTO sold shortly thereafter to a doctor in the Portland area for the paltry sum of $3,500. It changed hands again in 1989 for $7,000 going to a devout hobbyist who according to John, spent "unimaginable" hours in meticulously restoring the venerable Goat to its present glorified state.
In John's GTO you have pure topless passion-the PG kind that is. Actually, the PPG kind. In 1990, the previous owner completed the restoration of the Goat, repainting it in its original Montero Red hue, using PPG Duracryl paint. The under-carriage is flawless, untouched, and even includes the date coded '66 PMD spiral shocks.
An impressive documentation package also accompanies the pride of John's garage. Rounding out the package is the complete PHS paperwork and ownership history. In addition to the concourse trophies, the GTO also earned a first place finish at a local North Jersey POCI event and other General Motors sponsored events as well. John quips, "In order to build a true reputation, you must enter reputable shows and then show to the highest standard." Perhaps the most impressive accolade of all is that John's GTO acquired this much hardware and notoriety in only the first 2 years of ownership.