Why is GTO owner Kenan Taskent...
Why is GTO owner Kenan Taskent smiling? After 13 years and $70,000 in build costs, his GTO is ready to show. "I knew someday I would finally restore it," he says.
The nearly complete rolling chassis (a 2.5-inch Pypes dual-exhaust crossover-style muffler system was yet to be added) was trailered back to the body shop, where JS Automotive and Kenan worked together to mate the body back to it. Afterwards, Kenan brought the GTO back home for the penultimate stage of the project.
Interior And Final AssemblyHe changed the GTO's original interior color to black, sourcing reproduction seat covers, door panels, carpet, and other interior trim from Ames Performance. He utilized the original radio, gauge clusters, stainless steel moldings, and an aftermarket steering wheel. Then he trailered the GTO to the body shop one last time for installation of the doors, fenders, hood, decklid, glass, bumpers, and trim. Afterwards, Best Yet Auto Tops in Brooklyn installed a new black convertible top.
Conclusion
Kenan enjoys the Judge's trademark Carousel Red color and stripe package, but purposefully restrained himself from affixing Judge callout decals onto his GTO. "Everybody knows that the Judge was not around in '68," he said. "I built it the way I wanted because I love the look of the '69 Judge."
Although most people would not accuse Kenan of turning his GTO into a faux-pas Judge, by applying its look to his convertible, he has created an example of what a Judge may have looked like had it been released in 1968. That has brought him the joy of knowing he has fulfilled his decades-long dream of owning a Carousel Red GTO, even if by history's standards, he's a year early. But as Ken's personalized license plate (DNT JDGME) reminds us, who are we to judge his intentions?
Kenan wants to thank his wife, Semire; his son, Kemal; and his daughter, Seher; Matthew Demma, Andy Asaro, Steve Salvaggio, Bobby Jones, and Nunzi and Tony Romano for their support of his project.
Editor's note: When I photographed Kenan's '68 GTO convertible, we discussed his license plate, "DNT JDGME," and I mentioned that it would be a good title for his story. For the June '09 issue of HPP, I wrote a story on a '69 factory Carousel Red GTO convertible that was not a Judge. The title that came to mind? "Don't Judge Me." Having forgotten about Kenan's plate and the plan for his story, that's the title I used. If any reader noticed the similar phrase, don't assume he copied the title of the story for his license plate. This is not the case. Kenan had his plate long before I wrote the story on the '69.
Here are a few before and...
Here are a few before and teardown photos that illustrate how far this GTO has come.