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12/05/2020 4:56 pm
A low-end success- Check out this 1969 Pontiac GTO. (pics)
Trying to accomplish something on these "stay at home" days, I was cleaning out some storage space and found this:
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It seemed to have been carefully opened before, so I did it again, also carefully, and found a rather nice display case, which I also opened.
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Take a look.
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It has opening doors and hood, which some of us like.
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The seal on the back window made me hunt a little.
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In 1926 Oakland Motors (a division of General Motors) introduced the Pontiac as a lower series, but within a couple of years the Pontiac was more popular than its parent. In 1931 GM dropped the Oakland name and kept the Pontiac as that division. Add 75 to 1926 and you come up with 2001, Pontiac's 75th anniversary. Guess when Road Champs produced this "Anniversary Series"? Copyright date is 2001.
And did you notice the price in the first picture? This is not a car that seriously interested me, 1:1 or 1:43, but looking at it now, nineteen years or so after I purchased it, I'm kind of impressed with its quality. The metallic gold paint seems a little "large" in its sparkle, but I'm used to that in our models. I just checked the 'bay and found several like this one, and in other colors, at not much more than their original price. Enjoy!
12/05/2020 6:22 pm
$6.99 in 2001 is worth $10.22 today according to Google
Could you get as nice a model now for $10.22? If so, would be a good value today. A nice representation of an American muscle car.
John F. Quilter
Eugene, Oregon USA
12/05/2020 6:34 pm
David Knight
Richmond, Virginia. USA
13/05/2020 1:44 am
[PICS] Maybe even nicer in a more authentic GTO colour?
I recognised the model in your post and realised I had a red one sitting on a shelf. Although your model is quite pretty I think red/orange was a more typical GTO colour (and the paint doesn't have that annoying over-scale "sparkle").
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Note the nice black wash on the twin grilles and hood scoops. They even marked the edge of the flaps for the concealed headlamps.
Maybe not quite on a par with the fabled Franklin Mint version but for about a tenth of the price on eBay these days it's a pretty convincing model.
Incidentally, David, a quick browse online for "Pontiac GTO Road Champs" revealed that you posted pics of this model on the Forum just 2 years ago (March 2018) so it hasn't been lost in a dusty corner for quite as long as you imagined!
In response to that earlier post Randy B said he had improved his by fitting slightly larger wheels and tyres. Good idea, or failing that, the axles could simply be raised slightly to make the car look a little less jacked-up.
The shutlines aren't really that bad. The side stripe on my model is misaligned on my photos but the doors and bonnet/hood can actually be "jiggled" slightly as you close them to improve the fit and alignment. I just didn't notice until after the pics were taken.
Graeme.M. Ogg
London U.K.
14/05/2020 2:56 am
Sorry for my repeated subject, Graeme. I will try to check more closely.
15/05/2020 3:01 am
Keep reposting - my memory is bad enough that 2 years ago is like forever!