A REAL "Goat Rope"

When is a "goat rope" WORTH the hassle? When it involves a classic Pontiac GTO. In the 60's, we referred to them as a GOAT"......(GAS, OIL AND TIRES). It was one of the hottest production cars ever to come out of a Detroit factory.

It originally came out in 1964, during one of the most magical times in American Automobile history......the "musclecar years".

It was a time I am so blessed to have been able to have been a part of. Gas was cheap at 38 cents a gallon for 106 OCTANE! (REGULAR could be had for around 29 cents and STILL delivered nearly 100 octane). The huge valves in those old big block V-8's made good use of every "number" in the octane rating.

The "horsepower race" was on, and you could virtually ORDER whatever you wanted from the dealer.......color, engine options, your choice of transmissions and rear-end ratios.

Somebody came out with a 352 cubic inch engine, and someone else countered it with a 389.....then a 390....409....425, 426 Hemi or wedge (your choice)....427, 428, 429........there were posi-trac rear-ends, tri-power, twin quads, factory headers and a ton of handling packages.

It got crazy for about a dozen years, nobody ever heard of the EPA, and we LOVED it!

The car that is most often linked with the beginning of this "onslought from Detroit", was the Pontiac GTO, which came with a big "389" and a huge 4-barrel carburetor. For a few dollars more, you could order one with "Tri-Power" (three 2-barrel carburetors). As long as you kept them synchronized, the car was virtually unbeatable in its class, in the quarter mile.

The radio stations were LOADED with "car songs", including the "Little GTO"

It was "American Graffiti", long before the movie was ever made. I was right in the middle of it, with a "hopped-up" 57 Chevy. It was fast, but nowhere close to one of those "GOATS". It was a really special time though.....and cruise nights back THEN, weren't street-filled with Ford Tauruses and Honda Accords..............

It was big blocks, open headers, swinging dice and "Wolfman Jack." One of the gratifying things about being 63 years old....is that I got to LIVE and CRUISE back then (and STILL drive some of those cars today).

Well...........one of the guys in our church "got the bug" and during this past carshow at Carl Miller.....it finally overcame him. Like me, HE couldn't afford a GTO in HIS younger days either, but he can NOW, (even though they've appreciated to 6 or 7 times what they were then).

A guy brought a drop-dead gorgeous '65 GTO to the show from Meridian, and it was for sale. My buddy walked over to where I was showing Donna's Olds 442, and asked me if I thought $25,000 was too much for a show-quality 65 GTO.

Well, I didn't have my most recent Price Guide with me, but I know what "Show Goats" are going for......so I naturally said "No, that ain't too much at all." He made a deal on it that same afternoon, and I was just down at his house the other night looking it over. It is BEAUTIFUL. It is easily a "#2" condition car---(you RARELY ever see a #1)---and the Price Guide has it at $34,000........PLUS the "add-ons" that some of the older cars have.

In the case of a 65 GTO, you add 5% for "4-speed" (some were automatics), and 30% for Tri-Power, which this one HAS, along with a 4-barrel manifold & carburetor that is currently on it. So he did a lot better than he'd thought.

It's one of the cleanest GOATS I've seen in a long time, and the best one I've seen in Mountain Home....(and there ARE a few).

He's got it safely tucked away in his garage, and the NEW car sits outside......as it SHOULD when you own an appreciable classic.

THIS morning.......as I was getting out of the Mustang, getting ready to walk into church, one of our Sunday School teachers came rolling in, in a very nice old 1939 Ford 2-door coupe. None of us had ever seen it. It belonged to his Dad....now it's his and he's got it "most of the way there" now.

So, I guess there's a sort of "old car epidemic" going around....(in our church, anyway!)

A few weeks ago, I got wind of a 58 or 59 Edsel here in town that an elderly lady might be getting ready to get rid of. Problem IS, we've got a rule here at OUR house now, that if EITHER Donna or I want ANOTHER one....something has to go, so I may sell one of my 4 VW Bugs...... I'm not sure about the Edsel, but I've got my eye on a particular Chevrolet, if it ever comes up for sale.

But my buddy from church just "roped a goat" and is looking forward to re-living his younger days....as soon as HE makes a few adjustments on it.

It's a disease that no one has ever found a cure for.

And hopefully never will!