On 26th of May, Hemmings hosted their Musclepalooza XXIX event, bringing together the best classic muscle cars from all parts of the country.
The “Best in Show” title went to a 1968 Pontiac GTO Ram Air – a classic muscle that’s also got a classic story of the connection between a man and his car. Its owner is Paul Menin – a retired schoolteacher and GTO collector from Massachusets.
He picked up this car for parts in the early 90s. The GTO was broken down into million pieces and was missing an engine. When he got it home, Paul inspected the hood and discovered the Ram Air intakes.
Turns out, this Pontiac was one of the few 1968 cars to run the Ram Air I engine. Paul decided to keep the rare car instead and spent the next few years sourcing missing parts and rebuilding it from the ground up.
The original engine was already gone, so Paul built himself one using a Ram Air II cylinder head, 400 cubic-inch block, Royal Bobcat kit and a host of other parts he had lying around.
The GTO was missing a serious number of body parts – bumpers, fenders, quarter panels and most of the emblems and chrome trim. When he found all pieces, Paul took the body to a restoration shop and repainted it in the original Meridian Turquoise.
Inside, the car required more work. Paul restored the Parchment leather, Custom Sports steering wheel, and Rally gauges.
Paul drove his restored Ram Air GTO for some 20 years, before selling it in 2011. The car received additional modifications and swapped hands once more.
Recently, Paul decided he loves it too much and bought it back. Ever since, he’s been working on the car, preparing it for shows like Musclepalooza.
His time paid off because, in spite of all the great cars that gathered in Lebanon Valley Speedway, Hemmings awarded him with the Favorite Pontiac and Best of Show awards.
