The Pontiac GTO has always been part of the muscle car folklore from the 60s.
They quickly became known as “Goats” in car guy circles, a name play on the GTO label.
The GTO was one of those muscle cars that started out 389 Tri-power cool and just kept getting cooler over the years.
Fast forward to 1970 when the Goat was a stylish combination of brute force and Hollywood handsome good looks. The car even looked fast parked on the street, and backed up that image as one of Detroit’s fastest muscle cars when pedal met medal in 1970.
It has been said that a goat will eat anything and that included the competition when the 1970 GTO hit the street.
Dave and Susan Scragg are the proud owners of a beautifully restored 1970 Pontiac GTO. They were at a show with the car and Dave was happy to explain the history behind their Goat.
Dave had a 1980 Chevy Blazer 4×4 resto mod when he approached a nephew with a GTO sitting under a tarp about a trade nine years ago. They made a deal where Dave got his nephew’s Goat in a literal sense, plus a little cash.
Dave told us he “has been in the poorhouse ever since.” The GTO required a major amount of investment to restore it to its former glory. The process included a frame-off restoration and complete engine rebuild for its original 400.
This Goat has power steering, power brakes and the ultra-cool hood-mounted tach. It embodies everything that was cool about GTOs then and now.
The level of restoration on the Goat is off the charts and probably one of the reasons Dave receives all of his mail at the poorhouse. This car is perfect and perfect does not come cheap in restorations.
In fact, the car finished second in the GTO Association of America’s modified category. Dave put stainless steel brake lines on the car and that minor change took the car just slightly away from stock in the competition categories.
However, Dave and Susan do not just show the car-they drive it. They have put 25,000 miles on the car and are happy to attend as many car events as they can during car show season.
All of that muscle under the hood is a pretty big temptation for Dave, but he is older and wiser about the concept for the most part. He said the Goat will “get up to the speed limit pretty fast” and we had little reason to doubt him.
The real thrill for Dave and Susan is the social part of the car hobby and they love the “people side” of car clubs and shows. We discovered the car in the midst of like-minded people from a branch of the Iron Indians Car Club, a car organization that celebrates all things Pontiac.
Dave, Susan and their club members were a friendly bunch of people who embrace the fun side of the car hobby.
Driving a 1970 GTO to club events just made it even more fun for Dave and Susan.
Jim Sutherland
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