1972 Pontiac GTO convertible pace car – myth or legend Alex S. Beloff III
Since 1972 I have been encouraged by many from coast to coast to tell the story of the only 1972 GTO convertible pace car ever made. For those of you of great enthusiasm and education for the Pontiac car that I loved, allow me to be blunt. It may be important to understand that I have loved cars since I could crawl. I am very grateful to have grown up in such an era – the 50’s, 60’s of cars and music. To me they go together.
I was approached by Clifford C. Wagner who was at the time Cadillac Motor Car Division district manager for the state of Indiana. Prior to that, he was responsible for all Cadillac maintenance and engineering nationally. I met him at Tutweiler Cadillac, Indianapolis on Meridian Street 1970. I was salesman of the year for Oaklandon Sales Chevrolet Pontiac, Indianapolis in 1967, 1968 and 1969. Now for those of you in warm climates, you have to understand most of the winters we were surrounded with rusted cars, dead batteries and snow up to the door handles. My dedication to my owners and the product was obvious as I also remained undefeated in national product presentations. Cliff and I developed a strong appreciation for all
GM products especially Cadillac. As the highest paid producer, I had purchased three new Cadillacs by 1970. My first new Cadillac was a 1966 Cadillac Calais coupe from Advanced Engineering at the Tech Center in Detroit through my cousin John Sadek. I wrote a check to pay in full – I was 25 years old. Of course, I have photographs and documentations. Cliff Wagner alerted me in late 1971 that there was a Pontiac Cadillac GMC truck dealership for sale. I had just completed a very successful assignment as new car sales manager for McGonical Buick Cadillac in Kokomo Indiana. Cadillac back then did not take anything lightly. A serious background check covering lifestyle and financial responsibility is much more thorough than any FBI report because they have access to dealer people on the inside. Cliff Wagner thought I’d be the logical choice for the former Habens Pontiac Cadillac GMC truck now for sale in Peru Indiana. Why? Two reasons. One, as the chief technician on the B52 Hustler bomber nuclear SAC wing at Bunker Hill Air Force Base, I was a highly successful part time new and used car salesman for the then Norm Robson Pontiac Cadillac GMC truck. Second, the place was a dump. Nobody wanted it. According to the Chamber, it had one of the worst reputations in every category in Miami County. I purchased the dealership with unencumbered funds and we went to work. I was 31 years old. It is my hope that you gear heads out there can appreciate and understand the shape this place was in. The service department was so nasty, you had to have your shot records up to date to go in it. Today EPA would have shut it down. We poured gallons of muriatic acid on the shop floors at night to remove years of grease and toxic chemicals. The police rolled in the open doors at 3 AM one morning because they thought there was an explosion. Everything was painted with gray epoxy and white including hoses for exhaust pipes and every safety convenience. I hired only the finest technicians, sales and office staff. We were across the street from the courthouse – prime location and the county seat. We were about 70 miles north of Indianapolis so if you wanted a new Cadillac in this tiny place didn’t have any inventory, you could go to my alma maters in Kokomo and Indianapolis to find whatever you wanted including Pontiacs at the big palace called Dave Waite Pontiac on Keystone Avenue where each salesman had a desk worth $1100. If you needed a GMC truck, you could go to Cox in Logansport Indiana. Why would anyone want to come to Beloff Pontiac Cadillac GMC truck with a lousy inventory and a horrible reputation from my predecessor. Because of my charm and good looks – hardly. I needed a strong drawing card.
I talked to a long time friend and source of many customers in Indianapolis, one James A Dupuzzo, owner of the famous 38th Street Car Wash. The walls of his facility have personal photographs of him with every well known Indy driver and celebrities. Jimmy said, “How would you like to have an Indianapolis 500 race car to highlight your dealerships grand opening”? Now folks, in 1972 it was almost impossible to get anywhere close to the Indianapolis track during race month let along get into the pits and actually see a race car up close. But Jimmy’s friend and Godfather to his children was Frankie Delroy. He is the official USAC inspector for every race car. If Mr. Delroy’s personal sticker is not on your race car, you do not race. So for $500 I could have an Indy 500 race car on the showroom floor. For additional funds, I could also have the 1972 Indy Sprints grand champion and seven time Indy driver George Snyder. Before any of this took place, Jimmy introduced me to Doris and Grant King who built many of the Indy and Sprint race cars in Indianapolis as King Racers. They were internationally known and widely respected. Doris and Grant made all the arrangements for the car, the driver and for them to be there personally for the spectacular event. The windows to the showroom were taped for a private by invitation only showing. However, we invited almost everyone we could think of that would enjoy this display. It was a gigantic huge success for our statue, reputation and sales momentum. You will see photographs of George Snyder and I admiring my 1962 Corvette with two four barrels and headers next to my 1962 Pontiac Bonneville convertible 421 tri power hydromantic.
The question arose from Doris and Grant, “Why can’t we get a Pontiac GTO convertible to pace the Indy Sprint races, tour the Indy 500 gasoline alley and 8 subsequent races”? Problem, Pontiac does not make a GTO convertible for 1972 – only a coupe. But I said I had a thought. Let me call Fred Ressler, zone manager for Pontiac in Chicago. I know him well. It’s important to appreciate that Pontiac had not paced the Indy 500 since 1958. With the advent of regular gas in 1971, some Corvettes barely could muster 180 horsepower. All of us Pontiac fans were feeling the lack of interest regarding our Indian cars. Fred Ressler and I agreed that we could special order a new 1972 Lemans convertible with a 455, turbo hydromantic factory air, performance axel, heavy duty suspension and sway bars, red exterior, white interior, white top, GTO hood and exhaust splitters. Upon arrival at the dealership, we could then affix the appropriate GTO script in the grill and quarter panels.
Now then, for you history purists: the first GTO was when? 1964 but it wasn’t a GTO. was it? It was a Lemans with a GTO option. John DeLoren and Ed Pete Estess who gets little credit, skirted the strict GM anti racing policy by checking a block on the order form that said “GTO”. That’s why in their haste, so many orders were placed with no console and the automatic was on the column because they forget to check console for $34. As memory serves me, while the GM brass were having coronaries the GTO had 10,000 orders and I think sold 35,700 units that year. The following year 1965 the GTO was its own model with sales of in excess of $75,000.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with how dealerships are run, when the marquee sign out front reads Pontiac, Cadillac, GMC truck – Pontiac is business management control – they call the shots for the entire dealership. But never forget although it may not be written down, Cadillac the most prestigious marquee in history at that time, is still the boss. Nothing gets past Pontiac that they don’t approve of. Certainly not this 1972 Pontiac GTO pace car. There is also one small thing. Doris and Grant King needed this one-of-a-kind pace car to be displayed in front of the world at the Indy 500 race in less than a week. Back then when you ordered any sold car, it would be a miracle I you saw it in a month. You can see in my own handwriting that the car was built and ready in four days and as an authorized Pontiac dealer I had to personally pick the car up at the assembly plant in Pontiac Michigan. I had all the private security numbers to receive what was called a “hot car” at refinishing at 4 AM in the morning. My chief mechanic, parts man and myself loaded with necessary tools and our new red GMC shop truck were there to receive the GTO and drive it back to Peru. Why was this important? Because placed on an eight-car transport carrier, it would stop in Toledo, Perrysburg, Defiance, Fort Wayne and Wabash Indiana before it got to us in a week. My Mom, Laura Beloff on Lindmore Street in Toledo served us breakfast and we were off. Everywhere we drove, the car was an event.
Upon arrival that morning at the dealership, Mike the chief mechanic, Popeye the parts manager and Gil the service manager had the GTO up on the lift installing competition JR headers, rejetting the carburetor and putting on a new exhaust with two mufflers that was basically a pipe with a can around it. When we started it up, we could feel the ground shake. James Bostwick, Pontiac sales manager and another district Pontiac manager told us that the car was flagged at the assembly line from Pontiac Advance Engineering and they placed a 455 HO NASCAR type engine in the car. For those of you who can’t yet appreciate that, the connecting rods are balanced to within a 1/2 gram of each other. What does that mean in terms of performance? It will hardly ever run out of breath. It looks stock. Of course after all the races late one evening the engine was pulled to return to Pontiac Advanced Engineering and a standard 455 V-8 today called a crate motor was installed. Folks, at 50 miles an hour, you could nail it and it would go sideways in the street.
My Uncle was Frank Funk, one of the head stylist at the Tech Center in Detroit at 12 Mile and Mound Road. His brother who passed away was respected by the highest of GM people for his design work at GM. I have a photograph of my new 1964 Pontiac Grand Prix at the Tech Center by the reflection pool with Uncle Frank’s personal voucher to let me in. You could get into the White House easier than the Tech Center back then. All my career I never forgot an accommodation and I never betrayed a confidence that was required.
For those of you who may think that the GTO convertible couldn’t be possible, there are some who would respond that you are very naïve. This pace car was the star at the Indy Sprints driven by the world famous driver Jim Hurtubise who had his hands burnt in a Novi fire and had the surgeon fix his hands so he could grip a steering wheel. The Miller Highlight Jim Hertize was a sensation with our GTO pace car that didn’t exist.
It is true that no where will you find any documents officially stating that this 1972 GTO convertible was ever built. Just as in 1964 when the GTO started out as a Lemans, our GTO started out as a Lemans. Did you really think that Pontiac was going to key the entire assembly plant to build one car? Can you imagine the response from hundreds of other Pontiac dealers wanting the same concession? You can examine newspaper articles, photographs with national dignitaries, race car drivers, USAC officials and respected citizens that they loved and cherished this bright red Pontiac GTO pace car including Andy Granitelli, Mario Andretti, AJ Foit and Mr. Spencer, sports editor for the Peru Daily Tribune. These articles were reprinted in the Pontiac national magazine that went throughout the country.
Officially by Pontiac records, it did not exist. Some say it was a myth. To the thousands of fans, drivers, dignitaries, and car lovers who say it, touched it, felt it, rode in it, and experienced its presence, it was real. To Jimmy Dupuzzo and Frankie Delroy USAC official who drove the car to participate in the race at Pokomo, it was real. To Bill Dellana Channel 13 TV Toledo, it was real. To Doris and Grant King who drove it to the Michigan Twin to pace the race, it was real. To Sam Sessions who rode in it as our honorary parade marshal in Circus City Parade in Peru, it was real. To the officials who paced many Indiana races including the deadly Winchester half mile oval where 35 drivers lost their lives, it was real. See photos. To the hundreds of car lovers everywhere who saw it and revered it, it was real. Was it a myth? Not to me. Is Pontiac a myth? I hope not because the Pontiac automobile like this pace car will forever live in my memory and it should in yours too.