Description: We’re throwing quite a decision at you—drive it or store it away? On one hand, this is a gorgeous, original body panel, original drive train, original broadcast sheet, fully known ownership chain, air grabber, four speed car that’s a true blue chip collectible, while on the other hand, well, it’s a gorgeous, original body panel, original drive train, original broadcast sheet, air grabber, four speed car that drives FLAWLESSLY! Good thing I don’t have to make the call!
Flip a coin and choose “drive it!” Push in the clutch, twist the key and watch the motor fire straight to a rock steady idle. Good to go? Sure! Power steering and brakes make for light controls, the clutch is chatter free with no complaints or shudders, power is available immediately and the 18 spline four speed box is one of the quietest, smoothest units I’ve driven! Zero rattles or squeaks invade the cabin while on the road and the doors close perfectly. Every light bulb, every switch works as designed, as does the original AM radio! Pull the fresh air lever, wind up the tach and hammer down!
Now, that’s what I would do… Of course, I’d still want to know what I was getting, so let’s look at the broadcast sheet. The original fender tag’s still on the car, but since the car came out of the Lynch Road plant, the tag’s both cryptic and not very helpful—the only options shown are the air grabber, the hood paint and the console!
Here are the highlights:
R6 dark red exterior, S6R dark red interior, R8 dark red trim, C16 console
E86 440 Super Commando, D21 four speed manual, V21 performance hood treatment, N96 fresh air hood, C16 console, R11 AM radio, N85 Tachometer, B31 heavy duty 11” drum brakes, B51 power assist, A01 light package, A33 Track Pack (Dana 60 rear, 3.54 gear ratio, max cool package) G33 remote outside mirror, J25 three speed wipers, M85 bumper guards (rare!!!) W21 styled steel road wheels, Y07 Canadian spec build
Of course, the whole flotilla of GTX trim from the body side moldings to the grille to the specific tail panel and taillights are coded, as well!
This GTX was purchased new by 20-year-old Mel McMurren at Fleming Motors in Lethbridge, Alberta. Mel had it for about two years before selling it to George Steele, also of Lethbridge, who held the car until 1989. Third owner Ed Kapala was fortunate to purchase the car thorough his son's relationship with George—until then he hadn't even entertained offers of letting it go! Ed started on the ground up restoration you see here, finishing up in 1998. The owner of Southside Chrysler in Red Deer, Alberta, saw the car in 2000 and managed to pry the car out of Ed's hands as Ed was embarking on an AAR restoration. The car headed south to warm Missouri for the next five years before winding up here!
Open the hood and we’ll start the investment inspection. #’s Matching motor and transmission? Check. Numbers matching carb (4617) and dual point distributor? Check. 055 Radiator? Again, check. Condition? Beautiful, and highly detailed from the air filter to the orange paint to the assembly line mark on the valve cover! The air grabber assembly’s held in with correct rivets, reproduction hoses and clamps keep date coded wires company, the right battery’s held in properly and connected with the right cables, and the big air grabber base plate holds the correct round holed air filter. The exhaust manifolds are freshly bead blasted and ceramic coated. All this and it runs perfectly!
On a lift you’ll see a correctly detailed undercarriage. The base coat of dark gray dip primer paint is everywhere, with appropriate assembly line overspray from one end to the other. There’s very little red paint underneath as the factory didn’t paint the car all the way to the bottom knowing the lower panels would be black. There are wedges of color, though, at the wheel wells just as there would have been new. Undercoating was applied to the wheel wells, and whatever it hit underneath stayed, just like it would have. Everything’s covered in paint, be it pigmented or clear for protection. Correct inspection marks, tags and stickers are on the Dana, too. A new Accurate Exhaust Products H pipe and tailpipe set play host to a pair of DynoMax mufflers and chrome exhaust tips. Bright and shiny paint covers the trunk floor and sides while the jack, spare and mat are in their proper places.
Inside everything’s been restored or replaced from the headliner to the carpet! The gauges are all clear and bright, the seats are new and comfortable, the dash and door panels are great, the console top plates look fantastic and the console itself is gorgeous other than the usual small crack at the back. There are headrests on the seats (optional until January 1969) noted in the proper place on the broadcast sheet, which was circled by an inspector, and there’s even a “HEADRESTS” stamp at the bottom of the sheet! Don’t want to forget those babies! The wood grain dash panels are unusually nice, too—overall this is an excellent place to spend time or collect admiration!
Sitting still or moving at a rapid rate the car looks awesome. Freshly wet sanded and buffed out this is a SERIOUSLY clean GTX! Gloss R6 Red paint lies flat on the body, complimented very nicely by the matte black on the hood and rocker panels. New emblems, rechromed and new shiny pieces and clear lenses add shine to a businesslike exterior. Four correct GE bulbs are framed by an excellent original grille at the front while a restored tail panel and taillight set shines up the rear. The air grabber hood vents are red as they should be (you’ll notice a lot of non air grabber cars having red here, but they should be black!) New door, backlight and windshield glass compliments the rest of the clean original set. Stainless trim pieces have undergone a full polishing job while new F70-14 redlines surround correct 1969 road wheels with correct trim rings. The red paint stripes on the silver brake drums are visible through the wheels as they should be and they’re just one more detail done right!
I said you had a decision to make, but that has nothing to do with buying the car—that’s a given! No, you either have to consciously keep from power shifting the car ‘till death do you part OR you have to figure out how to not drive your show car! Looking at this car’s like admiring a supermodel who can get by on her looks alone and then finding out she’s got a law degree from Harvard! You might just find that envy isn’t always green, and that your blue chip just might be red on red!
Flip a coin and choose “drive it!” Push in the clutch, twist the key and watch the motor fire straight to a rock steady idle. Good to go? Sure! Power steering and brakes make for light controls, the clutch is chatter free with no complaints or shudders, power is available immediately and the 18 spline four speed box is one of the quietest, smoothest units I’ve driven! Zero rattles or squeaks invade the cabin while on the road and the doors close perfectly. Every light bulb, every switch works as designed, as does the original AM radio! Pull the fresh air lever, wind up the tach and hammer down!
Now, that’s what I would do… Of course, I’d still want to know what I was getting, so let’s look at the broadcast sheet. The original fender tag’s still on the car, but since the car came out of the Lynch Road plant, the tag’s both cryptic and not very helpful—the only options shown are the air grabber, the hood paint and the console!
Here are the highlights:
R6 dark red exterior, S6R dark red interior, R8 dark red trim, C16 console
E86 440 Super Commando, D21 four speed manual, V21 performance hood treatment, N96 fresh air hood, C16 console, R11 AM radio, N85 Tachometer, B31 heavy duty 11” drum brakes, B51 power assist, A01 light package, A33 Track Pack (Dana 60 rear, 3.54 gear ratio, max cool package) G33 remote outside mirror, J25 three speed wipers, M85 bumper guards (rare!!!) W21 styled steel road wheels, Y07 Canadian spec build
Of course, the whole flotilla of GTX trim from the body side moldings to the grille to the specific tail panel and taillights are coded, as well!
This GTX was purchased new by 20-year-old Mel McMurren at Fleming Motors in Lethbridge, Alberta. Mel had it for about two years before selling it to George Steele, also of Lethbridge, who held the car until 1989. Third owner Ed Kapala was fortunate to purchase the car thorough his son's relationship with George—until then he hadn't even entertained offers of letting it go! Ed started on the ground up restoration you see here, finishing up in 1998. The owner of Southside Chrysler in Red Deer, Alberta, saw the car in 2000 and managed to pry the car out of Ed's hands as Ed was embarking on an AAR restoration. The car headed south to warm Missouri for the next five years before winding up here!
Open the hood and we’ll start the investment inspection. #’s Matching motor and transmission? Check. Numbers matching carb (4617) and dual point distributor? Check. 055 Radiator? Again, check. Condition? Beautiful, and highly detailed from the air filter to the orange paint to the assembly line mark on the valve cover! The air grabber assembly’s held in with correct rivets, reproduction hoses and clamps keep date coded wires company, the right battery’s held in properly and connected with the right cables, and the big air grabber base plate holds the correct round holed air filter. The exhaust manifolds are freshly bead blasted and ceramic coated. All this and it runs perfectly!
On a lift you’ll see a correctly detailed undercarriage. The base coat of dark gray dip primer paint is everywhere, with appropriate assembly line overspray from one end to the other. There’s very little red paint underneath as the factory didn’t paint the car all the way to the bottom knowing the lower panels would be black. There are wedges of color, though, at the wheel wells just as there would have been new. Undercoating was applied to the wheel wells, and whatever it hit underneath stayed, just like it would have. Everything’s covered in paint, be it pigmented or clear for protection. Correct inspection marks, tags and stickers are on the Dana, too. A new Accurate Exhaust Products H pipe and tailpipe set play host to a pair of DynoMax mufflers and chrome exhaust tips. Bright and shiny paint covers the trunk floor and sides while the jack, spare and mat are in their proper places.
Inside everything’s been restored or replaced from the headliner to the carpet! The gauges are all clear and bright, the seats are new and comfortable, the dash and door panels are great, the console top plates look fantastic and the console itself is gorgeous other than the usual small crack at the back. There are headrests on the seats (optional until January 1969) noted in the proper place on the broadcast sheet, which was circled by an inspector, and there’s even a “HEADRESTS” stamp at the bottom of the sheet! Don’t want to forget those babies! The wood grain dash panels are unusually nice, too—overall this is an excellent place to spend time or collect admiration!
Sitting still or moving at a rapid rate the car looks awesome. Freshly wet sanded and buffed out this is a SERIOUSLY clean GTX! Gloss R6 Red paint lies flat on the body, complimented very nicely by the matte black on the hood and rocker panels. New emblems, rechromed and new shiny pieces and clear lenses add shine to a businesslike exterior. Four correct GE bulbs are framed by an excellent original grille at the front while a restored tail panel and taillight set shines up the rear. The air grabber hood vents are red as they should be (you’ll notice a lot of non air grabber cars having red here, but they should be black!) New door, backlight and windshield glass compliments the rest of the clean original set. Stainless trim pieces have undergone a full polishing job while new F70-14 redlines surround correct 1969 road wheels with correct trim rings. The red paint stripes on the silver brake drums are visible through the wheels as they should be and they’re just one more detail done right!
I said you had a decision to make, but that has nothing to do with buying the car—that’s a given! No, you either have to consciously keep from power shifting the car ‘till death do you part OR you have to figure out how to not drive your show car! Looking at this car’s like admiring a supermodel who can get by on her looks alone and then finding out she’s got a law degree from Harvard! You might just find that envy isn’t always green, and that your blue chip just might be red on red!
I thought that's really cool. How's the interior anyway? It would have been great if you could display some snapshots of the interior. I'd be waiting for your response. Thanks and more power to your site!
ReplyDeleteWhether one is considering the value of visual appeal, or a straight return on investment (ROI) in the context of dependability, if possible buy up. It tends to pay off in the long term.
ReplyDeleteWhen you buy a new car or truck, you have the opportunity to consider a wide variety of vehicles in your size and price class. You can test-drive all of them.
ReplyDelete