It was summer of 1995 and I had been searching several years for a 1968 GTX to ‘replace’ the one I owned from 1970 through 1976, having made the mistake many of us made in selling what would soon become a collector car. I had spoken with Amie Verrier several times regarding my quest for a ’68 model; he had asked me to see a 1969 GTX which he had restored some 4-5 years earlier for Blaine Raymond----just to get an idea of what type of work he had done in the past. I was quite set on a ’68 and put it off until August of 1995 when Amie mentioned that Blaine was looking for a new challenge and thinking of selling the ’69.

I called Blaine, went to look at the car with the attitude that I would definitely NOT buy it; guess what---later that week, Blaine had my cheque and I drove the GTX home to Winkler! I still look at ’68 models with an attentive eye, but have been more than happy with my acquisition.

The car was originally purchased at Westport Chrysler in Winnipeg, owned by someone in Winnipeg, then went through some difficult years in southeastern Manitoba, somehow ‘survived’ and was eventually discovered and restored by Amie Verrier. One concession to originality is the radial tires which make the car more fun to drive than my recollection of the original version. The ‘redline’ spare tire is still in its original spot in the trunk.

I drive the car regularly (nice days, no threat of rain, etc---you know the story) on summer weekends, and try to maintain it in the top shape it was in when I took possession. I am not a mechanic and wouldn’t be able to assemble a car like this from the ground up, but I love the car, enjoy the nostalgia, the occasional show and shine, as well as trips to ‘The Pony’ to view the many other fine machines out there.

The 2 GTX’s are the only Mopars I’ve ever owned, but the Mopar muscle cars are in a class by themselves for looks, power, sound. etc etc . Although entering competitions was never my goal, my ’69 GTX has no difficulty attracting the ‘best Mopar’ award at the car shows I’ve entered. This car is definitely a keeper!