There’s cool, and then there’s really cool. When I was kid back in New Jersey, Richie Haluska was really cool. He lived in New Brunswick and he was my next door neighbor Pauly’s cousin. Richie was a few years older than us and he was always way ahead of the curve when it came to cool. Pauly and I weren’t old enough to drive, but Richie was, and in line with his coolness he showed up at Pauly’s one day driving a 1965 GTO. Alpine blue with a black vinyl top and a black interior, three deuces and a four-speed, and a 389 (remember that last phrase; you’ll hear it again shortly). Did I mention this guy was cool?
I’d never seen anything as beautiful as that GTO. The looks, the wheels, the wide oval redline tires, and, you know, the exhaust notes. I could (and did) look at that car for hours, from every angle, dreaming of one day owning my own GTO. John De Lorean was the guy who pioneered the muscle car concept and Pontiac was the first to drop a big block motor into a mid-size car. Pretty soon all the manufacturers were doing it, but Pontiac was the first and it was the GTO. De Lorean later went on to fame making snowmobiles (the Back to the Future car), but we didn’t know any of that in the mid-1960s. We just knew that the GTO was so cool a rock group sang a song about it. And Richie had a GTO. Like I said, this guy was cool.
One day I was playing hookey (I can’t remember why, but in those days I didn’t need much of a reason) and later in the day I decided I needed to get to school. Richie offered to take me. A ride in GTO! I had never been in one. I think I was maybe 14 years old.
The car was magnificent, but the best was just seconds away. We reached the road to my school and after making that sharp right, Richie put his foot in it. Up to that point I had not felt a muscle car as the Lord intended muscle cars to be felt, but that character flaw disappeared in an instant. Pushed into the seat and hearing the deep ExhaustNotes growl, seeing that big hood scoop loom large, I remember what I thought: I have got to get me one of these!
The other day Susie and I were in Costco. They had a bunch of die cast metal car models, and they were blowing them out for just $14.95. They were all awesome, but the one that instantly arrested my attention was the 1965 GTO. It’s as if the Maisto maestros had Richie in mind when they created it. It was exactly like Richie’s. Alpine blue. Black interior. Black vinyl roof. White pinstripes. It was perfect. And it’s mine now.
Richie has gone on to his reward (he passed a year or two ago). I hadn’t seen Richie since I was a teenager. But I remember Richie and I remember that ride to school like it was yesterday. That’s Richie and his wife Dina in the photo above, and the photo captures his personality perfectly. He was a cool guy.
Rest in peace, Richie.
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That’s a well done model for only $15! I used to have a bunch of motorcycle models that I built from kits. My favorites were a Yamaha DT1 250cc and a Husqvarna 400. I have no memory of what became of all those models. I guess they got tossed out.
Yep, it was a hell of a price. I bought one of the new Corvette for my grandson for the same price. I think they typically are a lot more. My buddy Paul has a cool collection of these Maisto models. The doors, trunk, hood, etc., all operate.
I think probably everybody who reads this blog built models as a kid. I remember having a few motorcycle models that were 1/8 scale. Huge. No idea where they went.
It’s funny, or totally predictable that I have a Real RT-1, a bike very similar to a DT-1.
I also have a Husky 510 but it’s nothing like the old 400.
I had a friend who had a blue 64 GTO with a 4-speed, 389, but the standard 4-barrel carb. He loved to get a little scratch when he shifted. Every time I hear the song “Eight Miles High” I think of the ride in his GTO and listening to the “Byrds Greatest Hits” on his 8-track.
1964 was the first year of the GTO. I personally think 1964 and 1965 were the best looking GTOs. I had a 1968 with the single Rochester Quadrajet carb. Richie’s had the 4-barrel, too, but he later replaced it with the three deuces. They were fabulous cars.
Cool acquisition. I remember the three 68 Goats on Georges Road. Yours, Zeb’s, and Christie’s. Did you guys ever race? Come to think about it. Georges Road was where all the hot muscles cars lived. You, Mosers, Watlington, and Frantz.
We did, me against Zeb. I was down to less than an eighth of a tank and I was the only one in my car, and Zeb had three other guys in his car (one was Michael Haleluk; don’t remember who the other two were). It was an easy victory for me. F = ma, and all that…
PS: Racing on the highway was illegal, but we’re past the statute of limitations, Chief…
PPS: And as our favorite former secretary of state has said, at this point, what difference would it make?
My cousin had two ’65’s in the mid 70’s. The first one he restored meticulously and then sold it to a collector in the Lansing GTO Club. The second one he bought with some of the proceeds and just drove the heck out of it. Both were red, no vinyl top, 389 6-pack. I remember the rides in that second one to this day. My favorite car.
Funny how those cars stay in your mind. Awesome. Thanks for commenting, Larry.
Joe thanks for the nice write up on my cousin Richie – yes he was a cool guy – he always wore the cool clothes, was the bass guitarist in a band – he played at some of Rutgers frat parties. The band was called “The Sultans” they played at my 16th B-Day party at my dad’s house. I would take the bus into New Brunswick on some weekends and hang out with him. I loved that GTO. One day we traded cars for the day – he wanted to drive my 67 SS 396 Chevelle and I wanted to drive his 65 GTO except at the time he was only running on the center two barrels of the tri-power. I was a bit disappointed as I wanted to feel how the car ran with the tri-power set up. It was a great time to be a kid growing up back then.
Good days, those were. Your SS 396 was cool, too.
Richie was way cool guy…anyone who wears a Hawaiian Shirt in a picture with his wife is the picture of cool!
My GTO story starts with my Uncle, well Uncle by marriage. He and my Aunt got married when he returned from Viet Nam. He had all of the cool stuff, Akai reel to reel decks and big Teac speakers, a new CT1 Yamaha, oh and an awesome ’67 GTO! d400, 4 speed, and even though not available from the factory that way, his had a tri power setup on it!
He used to commute for work a couple of hundred miles in it. Even in pre gas crisis times 9-10 mpg was tough, and he got a more practical car.
Fast forward to 1976, and it’s time for my first car. Muscle cars were cheap and I got a base edition ’67 GTO for $300 buck from an ad in the local paper. Mine was a 400 4 speed car too, but no tri power on mine. I still have a couple of bits from that car. I really want one of these models now!
They were cool, no doubt about it. I wish I still had mine. But I wish I still had a lot of things. Like hair on top of my head.