Save for a fortunate few, those of us who work on and enjoy muscle cars are usually not the original owners. And human nature being what it is, we undoubtedly find ourselves wondering about our particular vehicle’s past. Who bought it new? Who’s owned it since? How did this dent or that rip happen? And so on. These questions persist in the backs of our minds as we attempt to undo the work of time, and in some cases, those elusive prior owners.

This is the story of one such enthusiast (told in his own words, no less) and his search for information on his 1970 Ram Air IV GTO. We’re running this story in two installments; the first of which is his findings after his initial search. The second installment which will run in the next issue of Restoration Review will fill in the blanks left by this version. It also proves the value of “hanging in there” when the trail turns cold.

By the way, we’ve changed the names of the parties involved to protect the innocent (if indeed there are any such people). So without further adieu, here’s part one of the story.

Where it all started: The delivery to the unnamed original owner in 1970
The car was delivered new to Charlie Kittle Pontiac, 2563 Summer Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee on January 19, 1970 with a suggested retail price of $4,277.78. (This information was provided by Pontiac Historic Services, who for a small fee provides owners of vintage Pontiacs with copies of original factory documentation from the archives of Pontiac Motor Division. They can be reached at (810) 247-8270.)

One report states that the car was purchased by an older couple who retained the car until 1980 when it was sold to a specialty car dealer. Another source believes that a large black man owned the car, which was used exclusively for drag racing until 1980, when he traded it in. Both reports are presently unconfirmed and are being investigated.

Change of ownership #2: 1982 (This is the earliest change of ownership found by the author, there may have been others..)
At some point, circa 1982, the car was traded to or bought by Unique Auto Sales, a local specialty car dealer.

Change of ownership #3: 1983
On July 18, 1983, the GTO was purchased from Unique Auto Sales by Judy Conner, of Henderson, Tennessee, for $1,700. It had 50,688 miles on the odometer and was in original, intact condition. Ms. Conner also remembers the car being owned previously by a large black man who used it extensively for drag racing. Mr. Conner removed the standard (manual) steering box and replaced it with the power steering unit along with the original valve covers (which were supposedly NOT chrome). (All Ram Air IV engines were supposed to have chrome valve covers. – Ed.) Mr. Conner also removed the Ram Air IV rocker arm oil deflectors, and he removed and sold the original 14” x 6” Rally II wheels. Mrs. Conner recalls odd circumstances surrounding the purchase of the car, specifically that she had to give the owner of the dealership two separate checks when the car was purchased (one made out to the owner himself, and one made out to the dealership). She had to take delivery at 11:30 PM on a Sunday night, and when she received the title it was stamped “New Car”. (Note: the titled owner in this instance is Judy Conner. Her husband, Jerry, was an avid drag racer in the Memphis area and performed the modifications described above. I was never able to make contact directly with Mr. Conner who was killed in an unfortunate automobile accident in the summer of 1989.)

Continue to Page 2