It seems that Bill Brunker was destined to become an engine builder and to own multiple '67 GTOs, as evidenced by the following story. The 46-year-old North Carolina-resident recently shared with us his most memorable exploit with his first Goat while growing up in Minnesota in the early '80s.
"After high school I blew up the engine. Then after putting it back together, I ran out of money and asked my dad to borrow his credit card for a new exhaust system before we started the new engine. He agreed. So after the engine was tuned and running, my buddy and I took off in the Goat headed for Duluth, just to put some miles on the new engine and more money on Dad's credit card. He was out of town; by the time he got his credit card back, I had racked up over $110 [in Reagan-era money] in premium gas charges.
"When that statement showed up and he saw how much gas I purchased in a week, he asked me to explain the charges. Of the $110, $90 showed up on the first statement. After hearing me out, he said, 'That damned car can't pass up a gas station! That's what GTO stands for-gas, tires, and oil.' He repeated it several times to make sure I got the point."
A few years later, Bill sold his Mariner Turquoise 400 H.O., four-speed GTO (with black vinyl top and interior) and moved to California, seeking fame and fortune as a race engine builder. As is true with most of us, he's regretted selling the GTO ever since.
"I landed my first racing job at Keith Black Racing Engines in South Gate," Bill recalls. Later, I headed back to Minnesota, where I worked for Doc Halladay on his Telstar funnycar. Over the next 12 years, I worked on nitro funnycars and top-fuel dragsters for some of the best teams in the business."
After seeing Joe Gibbs' NASCAR engine shop, I decided to move to the south. In 1999, Mark Cronquist, head engine builder at Joe Gibbs Racing, got me a job at the Dale Earnhardt engine shop, where I worked for the next 10 years."
With many years of professional race engine building and ownership of myriad other GTOs under his belt, memories of the '67 GTO he sold still haunted him. By 2003, Bill was on the hunt for another '67. He wasn't, however, looking to resurrect someone else's neglected rust bucket. Nor, surprisingly, was he looking for a racecar. He instead wanted a time machine-a low-mileage GTO that was all-original and hadn't been messed with.
While perusing a classic car classified mag at work, Chuck Jenckes, "one of the engineers, asked what I was looking for," Bill says. "A very nice, original '67 GTO," was his answer.
"Follow me to my office. I know just the person you need to talk to," Chuck said, and called up Jim Mattison of PHS Automotive Services, a long-time friend of his through GM. "After they spoke, he handed me the phone and I described to Jim my high school GTO. He said that he may not find the exact car, but he would help me locate one that was close to it," Bill says.
And so he did. On February 24, 2004, Bill purchased this Starlight Black 400 H.O., four-speed, 3.55 Safe-T-Track-equipped GTO, with just 20,377 miles on it, from C&S Classic Cars in Springdale, Arkansas. Aside from the go-fast goodies already mentioned, options included power steering, console, AM pushbutton radio, rear seat speaker, rear window defogger, rear center seatbelt, Deluxe wheel discs, and the ride and handling package.
Digging into its history, Bill learned that his GTO was built in the fourth week of May 1967 at the Framingham, Massachusetts, assembly plant and was delivered to Breitfeller's Sales in Queens, New York, where it was purchased by Mr. Robert Scott of Bergenfield, New Jersey, on July 22, 1967.
 This stock 360-horse 400 looks...  This stock 360-horse 400 looks nearly factory-fresh. That's because Charles at C&S detailed the engine compartment with the engine still in the car prior to Bill purchasing it. One of the few missing original items on this GTO is its Harrison radiator. Bill is trying to track down a replacement. The ram-air setup is said to be dealer-installed. |  According to owner Bill Brunker,...  According to owner Bill Brunker, his GTO retains 80 percent of its factory-applied code 19 Starlight Black paint. Why no pinstripes? When C&S Classic Cars detailed the GTO prior to selling it to Bill, the factory pinstripes were removed with a buffer because they were in such poor shape. You can still see the ghosts of them on the body if you look closely. It costs Bill some points in the Survivor classes, but he has no plans to have them redone because he doubts they could be replicated exactly. |  Though its face has faded...  Though its face has faded over the years, the vacuum gauge still works like a charm. When it was installed is anybody's guess-it's not on the build sheet, since these gauges were usually dealer-installed accessories. Did the original owner have it added along with the other myriad parts he requested before he picked up the GTO? There was no mention of it in the story that was passed on to Bill, so it remains a mystery. |