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Zero to GTO in 35
Years
By Bob Doten
I love cars. I love the
car business. Owning a restored GTO and participating in the Golden Gate
Goats is a testament of the automobile industry’s influence on my life
and career.
A Family Affair
In 1922, my grandfather
Harry True Doten was approached to become a dealer for Chevrolet. He was
the proprietor of a farm implements shop, selling and servicing wagons
and equipment in North Dakota, just 15 miles from the Canadian border.
Back then, a modest investment in a sign and a small parts inventory
could make an ordinary fellow a bona fide, factory-authorized car dealer.
Harry didn’t strike oil,
but he did quite well. Predating Jed Clampett, the family decided that
California was the place they ought to be, so they loaded up the truck
and moved to Berkeley. There in 1935, Harry bought University Motors, a
Pontiac agency on Telegraph Avenue near the UC campus.
My father Don became the
dealer in 1952 at age 27. Earle Cunha, a factory rep from Pontiac Motor
Division, joined him as partner, and together they built a solid
reputation that would later open doors for me. Earle bought-out my dad in
1966; my dad took over the Pontiac dealership in Oakland and owned it
until 1981. You may have met these two veterans of the business at the
recent Jim Wangers event.
Those Glory Days
Before Bunkie Knudsen
finished redefining Pontiac’s image, I started going along to work with
my dad on Saturdays. “Way cool” does not begin to describe the
feeling of exploring an auto dealership’s inner sanctum when you’re
not even tall enough to see over a dashboard.
My earliest memories
include strolling among the lifts and gazing at the under workings of
cars, staring in fascination at the neatly organized parts bins while
imaging what component fits where, and then entering the showroom to pore
over brochures and examine the new Pontiacs on display.
Glamorous Times
In the 60s, new model
introductions were grand affairs. Dealer customers were invited to
private “champagne receptions” where all the new cars were debuted in
advance of the general public. Indeed, the customers were VIPs and their
dealers were respected friends.
When the 1965 Pontiacs
were introduced, my dad’s dealership secured a permit and staged a
parade through Berkeley. Leading the lineup of new models was a flatbed
truck, equipped with a PA system and a phonograph sitting on the front
seat. Like a scene from The Blues Brothers, roof-mounted
loudspeakers projected the driver’s invitations to test-drive the new
wide-tracks, interspersed with Ronny and the Daytonas singing GTO.
Wangers would be proud!
The truck’s bed had been
decorated with a fake cage of black wooden dowels, securing a Mayfair
Maize GTO convertible. A promotional tiger-skin rug and those little
tiger tails decorated the cage. Inside the Goat, other employees’ kids
joined me for an unforgettable cruise through town. What a hoot!
Pursuing a Dream
The ’65 GTO did for
muscle cars what Johnny B. Goode did for rock ‘n roll. New,
vertical-stacked headlamps and the single hood scoop added a subtle
feeling of assertiveness. The wraparound tail lamps added a touch of
sophistication. The public responded with the biggest sales increase in
GTO history. This was the model I would one day own.
Over the next 35 years, I
worked in service and sales for several dealerships and two auto
companies, including Pontiac Motor Division. Saving for retirement and my
son Mike’s education while paying off a mortgage left no budget for a
second car, but a career turning point led directly to fulfilling the
dream.
In early 2000, I began
working from home (low miles). It was also time to get a new car, and
suddenly I rationalized: Why drop a fortune on a new car that will
depreciate, when I could drop one on a GTO?
Checkbook in hand, it was
off to the Good Guys show where the Golden Gate Goats displayed a
building full of GTOs. Sensory overload! I joined the club on the spot,
and embarked on my tiger safari.
The Escape Goat
Over a two-month period, I
cut a deal on a ’65 convertible 4-speed. Built in Fremont, it had been
ordered new by a gentleman in Seattle, now 80, who enjoyed it for 35
years. It was 100% stock with new, correct paint and the engine had been
rebuilt. Despite much work needed, it was the right car.
I’ve replaced the worn
or weathered trim parts, and club member Wayne Barnes rebuilt most of the
mechanical systems. As many GGG members know, Wayne is the Michelangelo
of GTO repairs, and this car now runs very much like new. With the
exception of rear seat belts and radial tires, the car is generally
correct for a stock ‘65.
As the club motto says, “We drive our
cars.” Taking out the Escape Goat is a daily pleasure. I perk up like
Pavlov’s Dog when anyone asks, “Are we taking the Goat?”
The Golden Gate Goats has been a real life
- line; at least a dozen members have come to my rescue. The cars may be
the draw, but the best thing about GGG is the people.
Well, that’s how I went from zero to GTO
in 35 years. Now, does anybody know where to find some old license frames
from Doten Pontiac in Berkeley?
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