Steve Hawkey’s drag-racing car is this 1970 GTO Judge. Its best time in the quarter mile is 10.56 seconds at 130 miles per hour. He’s building a new engine for it and looks to crack the nine-second barrier at “135- to 138-miles per hour … maybe 140.”
LIMA – The 1965 GTO immediately grabs your attention when you walk into Steve Hawkey’s “Pontiac shop.”
It is typical of the cars that make up the Allen County man’s collection. To paraphrase the old General Motors marketing jingle, Hawkey’s “Pontiacs build excitement.”
He bought the ‘65 GTO two years ago from a man who partially restored it. That work wasn’t up to par for Hawkey, so he completely disassembled the car’s body and removed it from the frame. Not a bolt was left untouched as he sandblasted the vehicle, cleaned it up, and put it back together.
Last spring, he finally had his show car.
“When I do a full renovation on a car, I’ll put in between 1,500 to 2,000 hours on the project. It will be more than a year before it’s done. I make sure it’s done right,” Hawkey said.
Finding classic cars and restoring them is a mixture of hobby, competition and business for Hawkey. The 56-year-old man has been a “car guy” since buying his first vehicle at age 14. He’s owned and restored more than 100 cars during that time. Three times he’s had vehicles he’s owned pictured in the national magazine, “High Performance Pontiac,” including a cover photo and story on a 1969 GTO convertible he owned.
You’ll find Hawkey in July spending a weekend at the Pontiac Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio. He’s been a regular there since it started 32 years ago as Tri Power Sunday.
“It’s the best Pontiac show on the planet. A big group of us go, about 15 people, my brothers and their wives and kids. We camp all weekend and drag race all weekend.”
The drag racing brings out his competitive nature. He purchased a 1970 GTO Judge and made it his drag-racing car. It has run the quarter mile in 10.56 second at 130 miles per hour. “That’s the fastest it’s been, but I am building a new engine for it right now. It should get it in the nine-second range at 135- to 138-miles per hour … maybe 140.”
Hawkey has 10 cars now: four GTOs (1965, 1969, 1970 and a 1970 Judge) and five Firebirds (1970, 1937 and 1978 Trans Ams; a 1968 and a 1973 Firebird).
Then there’s the 2008 Corvette. It is a California car painted jet-stream blue.
“That’s my weekend driver,” he said. “I’ve had four or five Vettes over the years. You cannot beat their performance and the way they handle.”
Hawkey is somewhat amazed by the prices that muscle cars from the 1960s and ’70s are now bringing. It is happening in a big way, according to the Hagerty Muscle Car Index, which is the data and analysis wing of specialty vehicle insurance. It reported last September that the previous 12 months saw car values across the spectrum increase by 19 percent.
To put that in dollars and cents, a car buyer can go on the Internet and find 1965 GTOs selling in a range of $48,500 to $64,500 and all the way up to $130,000 at Vanguard Motor Sales in Plymouth, Mich.
“I haven’t done it for a while, but I’ll buy a car that needs a lot of work, fix it up, and resell it,” Hawkey said. “They have been so expensive lately that I haven’t found a good enough deal.”
GET YOUR CAR FEATURED
The Lima News publishes photographs of vintage cars, 20 years or older, free of charge in Real Wheels. It is easy to get your car featured:
• Mail: Real Wheels, Newsroom, The Lima News, 3515 Elida Road, Lima, OH 45807.
• Email: [email protected]
• Include: Photograph of your car; year of car, make and model; how many years you have owned the vehicle; car’s history; best memory of car; your name, address and telephone number (the phone number will not be published).
If you have further questions, contact The Lima News newsroom at 419-222-6397 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays.
ONLY ON LIMAOHIO.COM
Check out cars we’ve featured and discuss your memories on the Real Wheels page at LimaOhio.com/tag/realwheels.
