Treasure Island
January 17, 2012
Posted by Barrett-Jackson
Victor Gomez has a keen eye for muscle cars. And why wouldn’t he? He’s part of an entire family of car lovers and sales professionals. Gomez, an enthusiast and fourth-generation Puerto Rican, has put himself in the position to enjoy his passion for cars with a collection anyone would covet.
It’s completely accurate to say his family is consumed with cars and knows the very best of them instinctively. That’s what being in the car business since 1949 can do for you. And if you’re counting, 1949 happens to be when the very first post-war muscle car was introduced — the Olds Rocket 88. Talk about an omen.
The Gomez family has handled virtually all of the major automotive brands over the years. That means a spanking new version of almost any muscle car you can think of was unloaded, started up and driven at one of their dealerships — every year those cars were made.
Gomez’s very first personal muscle car was a 1969 Camaro. But his current favorite is the 1970 BOSS 429 Mustang. As with many collectors though, there eventually comes a time to loosen the grip on some of their most prized collectibles. For Gomez, that means sharing 12 of his favorite cars at Barrett-Jackson’s first auction of 2012. The time has come to let others enjoy the pleasure of their company and ownership, he says. Besides, he figures the process will free up some space. And that means he can keep his eye out for a few of those other cars he’s always wanted.
1967 427 Corvette Coupe: one of the sleekest shapes the mid-Sixties had to offer in a two-place sports car. Every car nut remembers the first time he, or she, saw one. A world-class power to weight ratio made this machine practically impossible to catch on any back road you could dream up. The 435hp, 3X2 barrel induction was the option most of us have always wanted. A 4-speed complements a body-off restoration. This Corvette’s immaculate green exterior and black interior combine for an elegant look and feel that belies this Vette’s ability to run roughshod over all the other cars in your neighborhood. Not only does the second generation Corvette defy the aging process from a styling perspective, it actually looks better with each passing year. This like-new example is the result of a full restoration on an un-documented Corvette.
This 1968 Shelby GT500 is the quintessential American automotive icon. With a horsepower number probably underrated at 335, this 428 with a C6 automatic motivates a fully restored Shelby specimen. How can you find a more desirable Shelby Mustang? Some argue the ‘68 was the sweetest of all the Mustangs, thanks to its design curves, angles and perfect pitches. Few car brands have the ability to create such a precise visual image the instant their names are mentioned like a Shelby Mustang does. By 1968, the car had evolved into a design proportion that would last for decades. The big block version might not get around the turns as quickly as the lighter weight 302, but if your mission is to catch the competition before it gets to the horizon, you could not have a better steed to thrash than the Shelby GT500. Even Shelby Mustang dimensions have remained remarkably similar over the years. With a wheelbase of 107” in 1968 and 108” in 2011, and total weight of 3,780 vs. 3,840 respectively, it physically defines this market segment like the master it is.
Even though the GTO was the dominant brand in the muscle car culture during the late Sixties and early Seventies, the 396 Chevelle was hardly any less prevalent out on the streets where it really mattered. GM owned over 50 percent of the new car market at the time, and Chevrolets were their most popular model overall. That translated into Chevelle sales volume that was second only to the GTO. Even though the GM A-body was shared by virtually all divisions, each made it their own, and the Chevelle was no exception. This red big block is the ideal representative of the brand. The 350hp 396 brings the power up to the level required to run with all the big dogs on the streets.
A classic Muncie 4-speed, a super duty clutch assembly and 3.73 gears tucked into a 12-bolt means you’ll grow bored with lighting up the tires long before the driveline complains of your childlike behavior.
This Chevelle is completely restored and ready for show, cruising or simply drooling over.
When Dodge created the Daytona winged express in 1969, it knocked the competition for a loop. Even the shining knight of Plymouth, Richard Petty, did the unthinkable and jumped ship to Ford so he could drive one of their ”aero” cars rather than race against them. Plymouth just had to react, so they got their own version of this land-bound rocket ship, called it the Super Bird and then got Petty back in the driver’s seat. He won 18 NASCAR races that year. As odd as these cars looked on the streets, they were absolutely stunning on the high ovals and capable of fabulous top speeds. Even today, there is great interest in these cars when set up for Bonneville and other top- end venues. There, they routinely flirt with 300 mph with modern tuning and parts selection. The Super Bird, and its sister ship the Dodge Daytona, were likely the most conspicuous race cars ever produced that could be legally driven on the street.
This matching numbers example utilizes a 375 horse 440 breathing through a single Carter AVS 4 barrel carb. It flaunts a total restoration completed in 2009. This represents a no expense spared effort, and the car has been driven only 170 miles since. The new buyer will also receive the car’s production Broadcast Sheet, Window Sticker, photos of restoration phases, as well as other documentation.
This L89 powered roadster puts it in the most privileged group of muscle car icons. A green exterior with tan interior combination adds an additional touch of class to an already regal example of America’s ability to merge fabulous art with mechanical prowess. Besides, everyone needs a Bloomington Gold certified, award-winning drop-top Vette. This one is the result of a complete and photographed restoration on an excellent car. Gomez’s roadster has received two NCRS “Top Flight Awards” in 2004 and 2005. This car was also recognized with the “Best American Performance Car Award” at the 2006 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance. It is certainly one of the most sparkling jewels in Gomez’s treasure trove of muscle cars.
Ford didn’t really produce as many intermediate muscle cars as GM and Chrysler because they were so completely committed to the pony car market they alone created. So to keep that Mustang flame burning brightly, they offered eight different V8 engines in 1969 alone. The 428 Cobra Jet was Ford’s workhorse out on the streets of America. This was the very car that carried the Blue Oval banner into countless street races, blurring the line between muscle car and pony car with every high-speed encounter. This white example also includes the stout C6 automatic and a 3.25 Traction-Lok rear end. The engine has been completely rebuilt with original parts wherever possible and delivers all the punch you might remember these cars having back then. No Ford enthusiast with the means should go another day without owning a 428 CJ Mustang. It’s really the high water mark for a factory-produced, regular-production-line, performance Mustang. Its white paint job suggests the factory prototype Cobra Jet drag cars from then, and even now.
The 1969-1/2 Super Bee sports a 440 Six Pack backed up with a 3-speed TorqueFlite and represents a most desirable combination of standard features for this brazen example of street performance.
Few muscle cars from the classic era came to the party dressed for action as conspicuously as the 1969-1/2 Dodge Super Bee. A black fiberglass hood and scoop held down with four hood pins require a very specific and practiced maneuver just to display. Nevertheless, the exercise is well worth it. The big-inch Mopar wedge is an impressive sight. Sure the HEMI gets much of the glory, but the 440 is no one’s pushover. Chrysler engineers have been showing off their big block wedges since the early Sixties, and they have designed it to overpower you with its simplicity and capacity to create torque. Rest assured HEMIs were not immune to 440s, especially when those 440s were packing 1,200cfm worth of Holley 2-barrels.
Much has been said about 4-speed manuals vs. automatics. But it was Chrysler’s TorqueFlite that finally leveled the playing field. Any hot Mopar running this 3-speed auto will leave you in its dust if you aren’t paying attention. When push-button TorqueFlites first hit the scene in the early Sixties, there was an expression at the drag strips that suggested nothing could beat a “button” off the line except for another button. These were not cheap words. And even though this column-shifted transmission was not the most satisfying mechanism to dispatch the next gear, that next gear would get there in a flash and do every bit of its job consistently, and without mercy.
Chrysler’s collaboration with Edelbrock was somewhat of a precedent for both companies. Granted carbs and tires were routinely supplied by aftermarket sources, but intake manifold design and manufacture were usually left to the carmakers themselves. This unique connection was maintained through 1971 for the 440. The performance boost this induction delivered was legendary. So was the look and sound.
This particular example is number 235 of 241 in the Chrysler Registry and has received a fully documented restoration. The original Window Sticker and a variety of additional documentation are part of this sale package. The Super Bee has been personally inspected and decoded by Mopar gatekeeper Galen Govier.
Right when we thought the street scene couldn’t get any wilder, 1970 rolled around to prove us all wrong. Pontiac stepped up the pace with their new 455cid power plants for their hottest models. Up to 370 horses and a quarter-ton of torque were available to the truest performance enthusiasts. The GTO legend grew to such an extent that it was used as a benchmark to measure other muscle cars’ performance.
It was common to hear kids cruising the drive-ins back in the day asking if this car, or that car, was as fast as a GTO. That’s the kind of market impact designers dream of and songwriters sing of. We hear talk today how social networking can spread the word faster than a wildfire. In 1970, no such venue existed, but somehow the word still got out on these mega-big block GTOs. Then, our Facebook page was us sitting in our muscle cars talking to one another and proving our point on the closest back road. Back then, we all eagerly lived in reality, not virtual reality. Even if these GTOs were not the fastest cars on the street, most people thought they were and that’s all that really mattered — just ask Jim Wangers.
This triple black model is one of only 241 convertibles sporting this engine/transmission combination. All body panels are original as are driveline components. A total body-off restoration assures its next owner of an excellent example of one of the most coveted muscle cars from the classic era. Complete documentation also includes Pontiac Historical Society references.
To create the first two-seater Thunderbirds, Ford seemed to simply reduce the dimensions of their full-size models, doing so in a way that was so elegant and beautiful it seemed to defy logic. Perhaps the first true icon in the post-war motoring world, the T-Bird brand, in one configuration or another, would go on to live for generations and ultimately evolve back into the two-seat form where it began. The 1957 model seems like the perfect mix of contemporary jet-age design influence and “devil-may-care” youthful exuberance. Anyone who remembers seeing one of these cars when new was surely captivated by it. At the time, even the Corvette seemed old looking next to a ‘57 Thunderbird. This Torch Red example sports creamy leather interior, a 245 horse 312cid Y-block and a 3-speed automatic. Power steering and brakes make this car as well equipped as anyone would want.
Muscle car fever had spread so far and wide during the classic period even dealerships were getting into the specialty business. Nickey Chevrolet in Chicago made a lasting impression on the market by facilitating the purchase and ownership of extra hot Camaros, Corvettes and even Novas. In addition, they carried all the good lines of speed equipment any customer would want to make his Chevy faster and better looking.
This model year was often referred to as 1970-1/2 since these cars were not actually released until the spring of 1970 due to a labor strike. This Camaro offered a smooth, fresh look for the brand-new decade, and the Z/28 version continued to represent the brand’s most sophisticated performance banner. But now, the Z/28 uses 350cid to make its point. This engine is rated at 360 flywheel horses in stock LT1 form. And as we know, it’s a mill that just loves conventional mods
such as headers, freer flowing intake, ignition and lower rear end gears. Dealerships such as Nickey also happen to add significant street credibility to their offspring due to the depth of the proven performance knowledge these companies have acquired. Consequently, none of these mods are speculative. They were absolute assurances of dramatically improved performance.
This particular example is one of the most well-documented modified cars of its type. Accompanying paperwork includes all original order forms, Protect-O-Plate, finance documents, factory Build Sheet and shop tickets outlining all performance modifications made by the dealership. These include the Edelbrock intake, electric fuel pump, traction bars, headers, reworked Holley carb and distributor. All mods were optimized with Nickey’s state-of-the-science dyno testing procedures.
Of all the early two-seat sports cars, the “big” Healey is arguably the most desirable, and Gomez had to have one in spite of his obvious allegiance to domestic muscle cars. Sure, the XKE had museum-inspired lines, but the Healey 3000 had a contemporary look that simply oozed mechanical efficiencies. Let’s face it, in the world of English sports cars, the Healey 3000 was always the tough guy in the crowd. In many ways this car is similar to an AC Cobra. Granted its Inline 6 is no match for a V8, yet the aggressive sound and performance of a Healey’s 3-Liter Inline 6 makes it a joy to
drive, hear and be seen in. The Healey may be the most
over-engineered car of that era with its big 11” disc brakes, heavy-duty frame rails and virtually bulletproof engine.
Gomez’s car offers California Sage and linen leather trim. This first-class restoration was accomplished by Healey guru Kurt Tanner of Kurt Tanner Restorations through a complete nut and bolt disassembly and restoration process. This Healey wears chrome wire wheels for style and an overdrive transmission for technology’s sake.
“We’re thrilled that Victor Gomez is bringing these fabulous vehicles to our
Scottsdale auction,” Barrett-Jackson President Steve Davis said. “Every car in this collection is sure to fuel as much excitement crossing the auction block
as they do on the streets.”
— By Roger C. Johnson