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The Special Great One!

Following on from the last one which featured probably America’s most iconic classic, the Mustang, this month we turn our attention to another landmark vehicle, the Pontiac GTO.

One could spend hours arguing about which GTO was the most significant, however a ‘68 GTO judge, in Carousel Red, has got to be a contender, so enjoy!

As you read this the finals of this year’s Footman James Car of the Year competition will have come and gone at the Classic Motor Show at Birmingham’s NEC. The competition has been running for almost two decades now and it is unique on the American car scene in the UK, bringing together in one place as it does the finest American cars in the country.

It is however an event that always brings out mixed emotions. Pride, in that many of those American cars on the Classic American stand really do represent the finest in the land. Happiness, for all the owners who enoy displaying their cars and bringing so much pleasure to others. And lastly, sadness in that there can only be one winner and the disappointment for those who aren’t declared the overall winner.

It’s often questioned as to how it is possible to judge such different vehicles from such different eras and with varying parts availability. Some are original, some restored from wrecks. Some owners have slaved tirelessly for years restoring the cars painstakingly themselves; others are the result of an open cheque book.

However, for all its flaws, it’s a great showcase for the American car scene in the UK and one that promotes American cars and their associated businesses to the wider British public. Of course, none of it would be possible without the participation of the owners, and it’s to them that we owe a special big thank you!

Ben Klemenzson,
Editor
email@classic-american.com