Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. Eric M. Schiffer
Don,
I came across another magazine article for you to digest on buying a 1968 428. it was in "Popluar Hot Rodding" September 1968. But again it is in a new Firebird.
Eric
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That is one of the Myrtle Motors prepared 428 Firebirds. Myrtle Motors was in Queens, NYC and Harry Wesch was the man behind the program. Unfortunately, they never did that many cars. I don't know the #'s but probably less than 10 were built. They would put in a 428 and give it their version of a Bobcat treatment.
They also had some lettered-up cars that the delearship campained at race tracks. A friend of mine who knew Harry said they sold one of those cars (a 67 Bird) to an employee of the delearship who drove that car around the streets of Brooklyn/Queens all lettered-up for years until he sold it to it's current owner. The guy who has the car now painted it over and put a Chevy motor in it. Despite attempts of local Pontiac guys to buy the car and restore it to as raced condition the current owner refuses to sell
Going back to my friend who knew Harry Wesch, in 1968 he wanted to purchase a Ram Air II GTO. He went to several local Pontiac delearships but they told him the car did not exist. Finally he went to Myrtle Motors and asked. They heard of the option and agreed to order him a car. My friend said they didn't know what to charge so they charged him the price of a base GTO. The car was red, black interior, 4-speed with a bench seat. Before picking up the car he had Harry give the car Myrtle's Bobcat type treatment. In later years Harry told my friend his car was the only GTO to get that treatment as they concentrated more on Firebirds. The first time out at the track the car ran 13 flat. Later on he took it to Nunzi who got the car to run 12.70's with further tunning. In the late 70's he sold the car to a guy who took out the Ram Air II and 4-speed and put in a regular 400 with auto trans so he could drive the car daily. Several years later the guy called my friend and told him the car was parked outside his house and if he wanted the GTO back he could come and get it for free. By the time my friend got down to this guys house 2 days later the NYC Dept of Sanitation had already picked up the car and crushed it. Today the only thing left is the Ram Air II motor which my friend still has.