1972 Pontiac GTO - Golden Opportunity

What happened to the original 455 H.O. block isn't known, but a replacement was used for the engine rebuild during the restoration. Happily, the original heads, intake, and exhaust manifolds, and PQ-code Turbo 400 trans and XTK-code 3.07 rear were retained. The Boones completed the process in early 1995 and began to enjoy their Goat once again.

The Spare Tire Incident
At some point before Robert sold the '72 back in the "Me Decade," he removed the spare tire from the trunk and stored it away in his brother's barn, where it sat for years. He discovered the tire while he was cleaning it out and asked Robert if he still wanted it. Since the Goat was gone, he instructed him to sell it. So he did-to a woman with a Grand Prix.

Once Robert had the GTO back in his possession, he thought it would be nice to have the spare back. In 1997, he returned to Missouri for his 30-year high school reunion. At the reunion, he was talking with the brother of the woman who purchased the spare tire. She still owned the Grand Prix, which motivated Robert to pay her a visit. He found that she still had the spare tire, so he located a Rally wheel from a junkyard, mounted a new tire to it, went back to her house and traded her for the GTO's spare. After 20 years of separation from the Goat, the spare was finally returned to the trunk of the '72.

Under New Ownership
With the market on its way up, and the need for change, Lindsay put his father's Goat up for sale in 2005. Robb Neuman in California was interested in it, but decided to pass on it and forwarded the information to Lloyd Coulson, of Bellaire, Texas. Lloyd hadn't owned a round-port GTO and was intrigued by the rare WW5 option package. He was also looking for something with an automatic and A/C, so he bought it.

Not long after he acquired the '72, Lloyd found a deal on a Sundance Orange '72 455 H.O. GTO four-speed with A/C and the original engine, so he decided to sell the Shadow Gold Goat. Lloyd had been posting on the Performance Years boards, where he came in contact with Mike, who was intrigued by this particular WW5's rarity and history.

"I had known about the GTO for two years since Lloyd purchased it. When he decided to sell it, I jumped at the chance. I didn't want to go with a full concours restoration because I wanted to drive the car. It's what it was built for," explains Mike.

Since he gained possession of the Shadow Gold Goat, Mike refinished the Honeycomb wheels and repainted the engine to the correct '71-'72 color (including the intake manifold). He also reinstalled the correct emission components, but still has some more work left to do on the exhaust.

Conclusion
Mike continues to drive his GTO, racking up miles and adding to its story, too. "This Pontiac performs just as well as some new cars," he says. Several times a month, he fires up the 455 H.O. and drives it around his hometown. With over 109,000 miles on the odometer, it's a true driver's car and he plans to continue to uphold that reputation while cherishing his opportunity to own this Golden Goat.