Mercer Community Band
"Best Free Entertainment on a Friday Night"
Mercer, Pennsylvania
1969 Pontiac GTO & 1942 Cadillac
Owners: Gary Godfrey & Kevin Kirk
Featured at the June 25, 2010 Concert
Concerts & Cars 2010
Featured Vehicles
June 25, 2010
Vehicle: 1969 Pontiac GTO Ram Air IV
Engine: 400 cubic inch V-8 with 4-Speed Transmission
Owner: Gary Godfrey, Mercer, PA
In the past, Gary has owned two 1966 GTOs, a 1967 GTO and a 1968 Firebird 400, selling the previous ones to get to the others. However, when he read the advance materials from Pontiac about the new 1969 GTOs with the 400 cubic inch, 370 horsepower engines equipped with Ram Air IV, he knew he had to have one. Gary was twenty years old when he placed the order for his dream car, as soon as it was possible to do so. To assure top speed from the vehicle, he did not order the available disk brakes or any options, such as air conditioning and power steering, which would draw power away from the engine. Base price for the 1969 GTO was $3,156 and Gary’s car, as ordered, pushed that number to $4,505.22 plus a $52.75 destination charge. It took many calls to Pontiac and meetings with the district representative to assure that the GTO would arrive as ordered. Ram Air IV was new in 1969 and only 549 GTOs with manual transmission and that option were built that year. Many dealerships nationwide were placing similar orders, and Pontiac was able to fill all of them. Ram Air III was more readily available, but Gary knew what he wanted and made sure he got it. His persistence paid off with a classic GTO which he still owns today. His starlight black GTO arrived at Godfrey Pontiac on April 1, 1969. Gary used the GTO as his regular driver from 1969 through 1975. In 1975, he decided not to drive the GTO on the streets anymore, except on nice days and for special events. At that point, he removed the bolted-on parts and cleaned them and then gave the car a new coat of starlight black. In addition, a new Cordova top, to replace the original, was purchased and installed. When the car was nearing 50,000 miles, the engine was upgraded under warranty to make it as close to new as possible. Since then, the GTO only travels 200-300 miles a year, mostly to car shows and on some Sunday drives. Over the years, the car has won numerous trophies and awards at various events. In 2008, Gary began a complete frame-off restoration of the GTO. All body work was done at the family business, Godfrey Auto Body, in Mercer. The engine was taken to Lancaster, PA for a complete rebuild. Gary worked on the GTO only in the evenings and weekends and the job was not completed until June of 2009. UNSCHEDULED ADDED ATTRACTION
Vehicle: 1942 Cadillac Coupe
Owner: Kevin Kirk, Pulaski, PA
This a rare Cadillac and is one of only 3 know to still exist in the United States. Participation in WW2 curtailed production of the 1942 models, which began on October 1, 1941 and ended less than five months later, in February of the following year. Total production was only 16,511 units; that was about one quarter the record 1941 production of 66,130 units. PHOTOS OF BOTH CARS ARE BELOW:
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