LETS JUST SAY, IT'S WORTH IT!

"A Tribute to Jim Wangers' 1964 GTO 'Test Car' built for Car and Driver March 1964"

CHAPTER 14 Greg Raymond

There comes a point in every build when the story stops being just history and starts becoming personal. Not in terms of the work itself, but in the way the experience connects to your own life.

For me, that moment arrived when I revisited a story my father told countless times.

In December 1963, my father and grandfather walked into Peelies Pontiac in Highland Falls, New York, to order the 1964 GTO Convertible that still lives in our family today. My father wanted one particular option Code N34, the Custom Sports Steering Wheel, priced at $39.27. My grandfather said no.

My father never forgot it. He told the story with the same mix of humor and longing every time. And today, that GTO still wears its factory red steering wheel, the one I grip with pride every time I add another mile to our family’s legacy.

Jim Wangers, however, made sure both Car and Driver test cars had the simulated wood‑grain N34 wheel. The "Blue Car" wore it proudly, and the photos prove it.

Option Code #N34, a Custom sports steering wheel

The “Is It Worth It?” Moment

Here’s where the chapter title earns its name.

My father paid $2,796 for our family’s GTO in 1963. Today, an original Pontiac N34 steering wheel, if you can even find one, sells for nearly the same amount.

For years, I resisted adding the option my father wanted so badly. It felt wrong to change the car he ordered. But this build? This tribute to Jim Wangers, to the Blue Car, to the legacy of the 1964 GTO? This was my chance to make the decision for myself.

With help from a few friends, I finally tracked down an original N34 wheel. I paid less than my father’s 1963 $2,796 invoice for the entire car!… but not by much.

And I have zero regrets.

This build deserves every correct detail, no matter the cost. It’s worth it.