lilhotrod96's 1969 Pontiac GTO

Dad and I made the newspaper!!!!!!

Family restores rare GTO
By Sonny Turner
sonny@athensnews-courier.com


— When Cecil Whitt and his wife Stella divorced in 1969 he had to part with his beloved GTO, a rare vehicle that was one of only 412 made.
Whitt knew he had something special in that car and removed the Ram-Air IV engine and transmission before selling it.
Whitt, who now lives in Town Creek, never realized that 30 years later that car would resurface and become a part of his life again.
“He had been searching for that car for years and then in 1999 this guy calls him up and asked if he would like to buy a 1969 GTO,” his daughter, Cecilia Carpenter, of Athens, said. “He told dad that he found dad’s name on the Proteco Plate under the seat. That was the reason he knew it was his GTO.”
Carpenter, who one day will inherit the GTO, is also an antique car collector just like her dad and uncles.
“This is sort of like a family tradition,” she said. “It’s in my blood.”
As it turned out, the GTO was only 20 miles from Whitt’s home. It was being used at the drag strip just down the road.
And what kind of price tag did the man put on the old GTO?
“Just $700,” said Carpenter. “Dad jumped at it. He could not wait to get it home.”
Whitt, his daughter and a friend are now restoring the old car. Whitt, who has cancer, is putting the original engine and transmission back in it.
“Dad knew it was a rare vehicle in 1969 and he was smart enough to take the engine and transmission out of it before selling it and has had them stored all of these years,” said Carpenter. “He has always searched for his beloved GTO but to no avail.”
The GTO had a Buick motor and transmission in it when Whitt repurchased it in 1999. It was being run on the local drag strip.
“The guy was sick when he found out that dad still had the original engine and transmission (he would have asked more for the car),” Carpenter said. “The body and frame was solid with no rust or damage. Dad stored the car for a while until he retired and had time to work on it. He has done almost all of the work himself except for the paint.
Carpenter said since her father was recently diagnosed with cancer, his priorities have changed and he has not been motivated to work on the car.
“I have enough enthusiasm for the both of us though,” she said. “Dad has seen my love for the cars and realizes how much time I have put into studying and learning about them. Dad and his friend are still working on the car and hopefully will have it completed this year. There is not much left to do, mostly interior and wiring. I know that when he hears that BAD RA IV roar again, his face will light up with memories, pride and joy. I can't wait to see that and hopefully we can take a ride and share some new memories.”
Carpenter, who is a secretary-bookkeeper at Columbia Elementary School in Madison, said the car will not be ready in time to display at the Antique Car Show on the Limestone County Courthouse Square on April 26, but she will be there with several other family antique vehicles including her 1996 Trans Am and 1969 GTO Ram-Air 3 and 1965 GTO Tri-Power.
When the 1969 GTO is fully restored, she estimated its worth at $100,000.


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Here is the link to the paper: http://www.enewscourier.com/homepage/local_story_099173339.html?start:int=15