1967 Pontiac GTO, 1967 GTO, rare muscle car

Reggie Kopecky’s 1967 Pontiac GTO

On the 4th of July weekend in 1991, Reggie Kopecky made the decision to restore his 1967 Pontiac GTO. The car had served him well as a driver for five or six years, but it was time to tear the Goat apart to start its restoration process. Fast forward 29 years to 2020 (almost to the day) and Reggie’s GTO became a finalist for the Goodguys 2021 Billet Specialties Muscle Car of the Year running during the 29th Speedway Motors Heartland Nationals!

1967 Pontiac GTO, 1967 GTO, rare muscle car

Reggie has been a fan of the ’67 GTO since owning a similar LeMans in high school, so when he found this Poncho for sale in the Des Moines Register in the mid-’80s, he jumped on it. The car was still plenty original with its high-output 400c.i. engine, Hurst-shifted four-speed, and even factory A/C. He enjoyed the car for several years, but a full-on restoration was always in his plans.


Every nut, bolt and washer was removed and documented so they could be cleaned and restored to OEM specs. However, life got in the way when Reggie accepted a new job that put him on the road selling tractor parts. The GTO restoration was sidelined for 17 years before Reggie and his brother Roger delved back into the project. Then it took another three years to complete.

1967 Pontiac GTO, 1967 GTO, rare muscle car

As you can tell, the result was well worth the wait. The brothers were regimented in their patience to research each part and make sure it was restored as the factory planned it. Even the hard-to-find air conditioning components were hunted down to make the system not only correct, but also functional. The drivetrain was also completely rebuilt from the balancer back to the 3.55-geared rearend.

1967 Pontiac GTO, 1967 GTO, rare muscle car

1967 Pontiac GTO, 1967 GTO, rare muscle car

For the paint and body, Reggie turned to Dean Fowler of Dean’s Rods & Restorations, as he felt Dean sweated the details even more than he did. Dean and his team smoothed all of the factory metal before laying down the PPG mix of the factory Tyrol Blue (the same color as Reggie’s high school car). The interior resto was handled by Gary Martin of Goldfield Trim and Upholstery using parts from PUI. The woodgrain dash insert and Rally Gauges were restored along with the factory sport wheel and AM/FM radio.

1967 Pontiac GTO, 1967 GTO, rare muscle car

1967 Pontiac GTO, 1967 GTO, rare muscle car

The GTO has been finished for nearly nine years now, yet still looks like it rolled off the showroom floor thanks to Reggie’s attention to detail and passion for the car.

Photos by John Jackson & Damon Lee

Todd Ryden is first and foremost a car guy and admits to how lucky he is to have been able to build a career out of a hobby that he enjoys so much. He’s owned muscle cars and classics, raced a bit and has cruised across the country. With over 25 years in the industry from the manufacturing and marketing side to writing books and articles, he just gets it.