Whenever I’m on the road, I keep an eye out for interesting cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Ya never know when or where you’ll find stuff, but sometimes a town has an aura about it. Roll down a window and you might smell a mix of gas and oil in the air, mingled with a whiff of old vinyl seat covers. If I see a lot of pole barns in the area, I slow down for a closer look.
I had that experience while traveling back from Knoxville, TN recently. I sensed there was vintage steel nearby, so I took the exit off I-75 North and drove west into the town of Rocky Top. Less than a mile down the main street I spotted an old red Pontiac parked next to an antique store.
Having already passed the entrance, I continued toward the edge of town. There was an old VW bug in a driveway and several Ford and Chevy pickups that were over 50 years old. But I had to get back to that Pontiac before stopping anywhere else.
Pulling into the parking lot, I figured the car must belong to the owner of the antique shop. Looking closer, the car seemed to be complete, most likely was driven there, and not parked as an advertisement for the antique store. It was a survivor, not a show car.
This old car was a convertible GTO! Very cool. The top was down, and the interior was weathered but all the components were there. The exterior paint was a tired maroon-red color and the rubber on the front bumper looked like alligator skin, with large cracks and crinkles in it.
It was obviously still drivable but must have had a rough life. Probably too many days out in the sun with the top down, like people that used to sunbath lathered in baby oil. Still, it had plenty of character.
“What is the story on this car?” I wondered, “Is it a barn find, a long-term owner, or somebody’s restoration project?” It wasn’t likely to be owned by a little old lady that drove it to church on Sundays. But then, ya never know…
Just then, a large man stepped out of the bank across the parking lot. He yelled, “Can I hep you?” in a typical Tennessee accent. I asked if I could take photos of the car, and he said “sure”. He was the owner and said he would come out after finishing up business in the bank.
A few minutes later I met Bryan. He was a big guy, maybe 50 years old, but quickly seemed like someone I’d like to have as a neighbor. Probably has every tool anyone could need, too. Anyhow, he said he’d owned this car for 25 years. As for how he acquired it, he replied, “Found it, you know, just like everybody’s typical find.”
“In a barn?”
“No, your brother-in-law needs money.” It wasn’t running when Brian first got it, so he worked on it “enough to get it to roll so you can mess with it a little and start to get it running.”
That made sense to me. It must have been in rough shape, a true project car. But a ’69 GTO is a highly desirable muscle car, especially when restored. The physical look of this car reminded me more of the Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast. You know, where the moral of the story is that Belle should value the Beast’s true character over his ugly outward appearance? In this case, the old GTO reminded me of the Beast.
Back to Bryan and his project… Well, the car sat for 15 years. Then Bryan and some friends worked on the car until they got it roadworthy. They replaced the motor and made it mechanically sound. The paint and chrome needed to be refurbished but it was drivable. When they took it out for a drive, people got a kick out of seeing the GTO on the road, just like I did.
But after a while, Bryan and his wife began to wonder whether they should keep the car or get rid of it. They were outside looking at the car, trying to decide what to do. They sat down in the front bucket seats and looked at each other. They really didn’t need it.
At this point Bryan reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and removed an old dollar bill. “I still carry it with me,” he said.
Hmmm. I’m wondering where this is going.
He explained further, “We let the sun visors down and this falls out.” Bryan turns the bill over and I see the red hand-written message on it. “Jesus loves you!”
“That’s awesome!”
“Yeah, so we looked at each other and knew what we’re doing with this car!”
“You gotta keep it! It’s a message from God,” I replied.
“Exactly. So, I’ve been collecting parts but, it’ll take years to fix this all back up.”
Now, this isn’t going to be one of those cars that gets a frame-off restoration, a trailer queen that only rolls out to compete in car shows. Bryan plans to “just find the parts and do it as best I can.” His goal is to keep it running, be able to drive it, and not worry about it too much. I agree with him. That’s what Jesus would do, too!
Bryan’s GTO has an authentic personality, and character developed over a long period of time. It’s outward appearance isn’t as beautiful as when it was new, but most people see through that. It brings joy and memories back to people who see it drive by. And besides, everyone knows beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right?