1969 Pontiac GTO - Don't Judge Me

Stephen desired a restoration that would be "close to concours," but he did make concessions to the fact that he was planning to keep driving the GTO a great deal. Along with rebuilding the suspension and brakes to stock specs, he also added KYB gas shocks and modern BFG radials, and he didn't worry about whether or not every hose clamp or underhood hue or texture was concours correct.

The original YZ-code, 366hp Ram Air III engine was rebuilt to stock specs plus a 0.030-overbore by Stephen's friend Denny Hoban of Tigard, Oregon. Its cast bottom-end parts were machined and retained, and replacement pistons, rings, and bearings were installed. An 068 spec cam with 288/302 degrees duration was employed, and the No. 48 heads feature stock 2.11/1.77 valves and 1.50:1 stamped steel rockers. The stock Q-jet carb resides on the factory iron intake, and the original Ram Air exhaust manifolds mate to a reproduction Gardner exhaust system. Spark is lit by the original Delco distributor.

Denny rebuilt the numbers-matching Turbo 400 trans and 3.23-geared Safe-T-Track rear as well.

Since its completion in May 2001, the GTO has won many awards at local and regional events. While Stephen enjoys the attention it gets at the shows, given its unique color and clean body, his favorite pastime is actually driving his GTO regularly. In fact, when HPP photographed this Pontiac at last year's POCI event in South Dakota, Stephen related that it was the first time his prized convertible had ever been trailered to a show.

Though it can be seen as an annoyance to some, Stephen enjoys explaining that his GTO's color is the real deal. "I'm happy that my Pontiac is rare, which causes people to notice it," he says. It's just something I take in stride." If he didn't, we doubt he would've been doing it for nearly three decades.