1970 Pontiac GTO 455 - Golden Gate Goat

One acknowledgement, which is more important to Lesiczka then his trophies, came from Pontiac historian John Sawruk, now deceased. "At the 2008 GTOAA Nationals, he asked if there were any California-emissions GTOs since they had to be scored separately. When he learned that I had one, he was very excited, and told me it was the first California GTO to be professionally scored by the GTOAA in seven years. He then told me that HPP contributor Quint Stires, also deceased, would have to judge my GTO. Afterwards, even though he was very ill with cancer, Sawruk took the time to lie underneath my GTO and personally inspect it. He said to me, 'You did an amazing job.' "

Conclusion
Though it's easy to rate this GTO among the world's finest concours-restored Pontiacs, Lesiczka is not afraid to take it out for a summer drive too. "Last summer, my wife, Lynn, and I enjoyed driving it to the beach and taking it out to get ice cream. We really liked putting about 1,000 miles on it, especially with the A/C and the cruise control on," he said.

There's one trip that Lesiczka would consider even more special for his California-born GTO-a return to San Francisco and a drive across the Golden Gate Bridge, something its original owner did with his GTO many times. "It would be interesting to go back to where it was sold new and try to locate the original salesman," Lesiczka said. "I'd sure like to know the first owner's thoughts as to why he custom-ordered the GTO in 1969 and what was his reaction was when he took delivery of it."

Only 4,146 GTO 455 H.O.s were produced in '70, and it's unknown what percentage of these were California-built "smog" cars. Nonetheless, it's safe to say that this GTO's special-ordered options and build location make it a unique find in the Pontiac hobby.

Paul Lesiczka gives special thanks to Frank Tobin for his expertise in the building of this GTO.