Cars

Emotional story behind man still driving 1967 Pontiac GTO he bought as a teen

  • This man still drives the first car he bought as a teen
  • It’s a rare 1967 Pontiac GTO
  • The car has gone through several restorations over the years

Published on Sep 01, 2024 at 12:41 PM (UTC+4)
by Siddharth Dudeja

Last updated on Sep 02, 2024 at 11:09 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by Nalin Rawat

Not many people can proudly say they still drive the first car they bought, but that’s not the case when it comes to John Grissom, who drives one of the greatest muscle cars of all time — a 1967 Pontiac GTO.

This car has been through a lot, but it looks as pristine as it can be today.

Grissom bought the GTO when he was 17 and practically grew up with it.

From taking a high school trip to driving with his kids on Sundays, this GTO has seen everything in his life.

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1967 Pontiac GTO still going strong

As beautiful as the Pontiac GTO looks today, it wasn’t always like that.

In an interview with The Story Behind The Car on YouTube, Grissom revealed his journey with his first purchase.

You see, the car was in shambles when he got it, and he improved upon its condition over the years.

It’s also one of the rarest muscle cars, apart from being close to perfection.

While the 1967 Pontiac GTO sold well in its time, Grissom owns one with an extremely uncommon color.

1967 pontiac gto muscle car
The Story Behind The Car

The Plum Mist color is an original livery from a limited-edition batch that Pontiac made, and only 47 of these existed.

This GTO is one of them.

You can’t find many of these models — special livery or not — today.

Although one or two might pop up in a barn find here and there, it remains a rare muscle car.

Keeping it immaculate

1967 pontiac gto muscle car
The Story Behind The Car

Moreover, the owner kept restoring his muscle car over his initial years of ownership.

He had to restore it because when he got it in a ‘brand-new condition’ from the first owner, the car was stripped down.

Basically, this Pontiac GTO has been through endless ups and downs.

And you should hear the entire story from the owner himself.

1967 pontiac gto muscle car
The Story Behind The Car

However, the key takeaway from this story is that if you treat a car well, it can shine brightly and eventually make you glad you stuck with it.

If he hadn’t restored it, he wouldn’t get to drive the GTO after all these years and show it off at car shows.

If that isn’t commitment, then we don’t know what is.

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Siddharth is a tech nerd with a secret love of all things cars. He has been writing for a few years now, and on his free time you would find him gaming when he's not procrastinating.