THE GAS CAN - VOLUME 4 - ISSUE 8 - MARCH 1983 - President’s Letter: A.J. Bastien

Sep 27, 2026

Letter from GTO Association of America president A.J. Bastien (Tony) reflects on spring excitement and frames the upcoming Boston–San Diego “Four Ball Rally” as the returning “rites of spring” and a clash of Titans. It revisits last year’s field and results, urges readers to prepare their GTOs, and relays enthusiast Scott Peters’ highly fictionalized “electronic” gadgetry tips. The letter also emphasizes recording, winning, and keeping classic cars active rather than retiring them.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryComic

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT A.J.Bastien (tony)

Spring mood and the return of the “beasts”

Boston–San Diego rally recap and this year’s entries

Scott Peters’ “electronic” and stealth-themed advice

Records, victory, and keeping the cars running

20th birthday GTO and event entry information

WE'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK survey

THE GAS CAN GTO ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA VOLUME 4 ISSUE 8 MARCH,1983 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT A.J.Bastien(tony) As the spring warmth spreads across the flowering valleys,so with it comethe deep_rumblings,as if by an awakening volcano.Fear lingers under thebright blue sky,and the ramblering econocars nervously scan the vastexpanses around them."oh,us?we're not scared at all"they say in whinylittle four banger voices,yet those crimson puddles of tranny fluid on theground belie their false shows of confidence…… for the beasts have beenset loose again,the rites of spring,the clash of Titans. Just last year,the beasts stormed out of Boston,twenty seven of them,imports,domestic sportscars,oddities,what have you,and…one GTO.Twenty seven cars in total,racing towards San Diego in pursuit of fame,glory and a $10,000 first prize. The winner,an 82 Mercedes 380 SEL covered the 2,980 miles in some 37%hours.The_slowest contestant,a Camaro Indy pace car replica logged aleisurely 51%hours,while the Goat,a black 70 hardtop ran the course inabout 46 hours.(No doubt the GTO was running on seven cylinders,that orit could have been equipped with a 4:11 posi rear end)。 Anyway,so it went with the first Michael A.Preston Memorial Four BallRally.The 1982 Boston-San Diego dash is ancient history.Now,this yearthey have the usual entries,you know,the arrogant exoticars,the oddballCamaros,and.…… not one,but two GTOs.Well?Don't just sit there.Howabout_your Goat?Be great to have three of them.Finish 1,2,3,like theold GT 40s at Le Mans 15 years ago.Time to prep the old goat,get it intoshape,blow the carbon out for starters.While you do this,you may want toconsider some tips from Scott Peters,Grand Guru of the Church of InternalTruth and Holy Combustion: "So you're running coast to coast in your GTO?Well,you'll need electro-nic basics such as a police radio scanner,a jammer for police frequencies,one that turns on when the radar detectors sense incoming flak,turns onwhen cops key their mikes,thereby blasting only outgoing messages insteadof being obvious and staying on all the time." "Score a Cobra_gunship stick_grip,has many buttons,most functions onyour Goat could be controlled with this handle,use it as gearshift lever.Don't forget to paint your Goat with microwave absorbent paint,stuff likethey use on the inside of microwave ovens.Try to scoop the radiator airfrom the bottom of the car and shield the engine/radiator from radar." "You'll need a mobile telephone for confirming gas stops.Also,nice,butexpensive U.S.Army infrared night vision headgear,expect to pay $6,000for one of these at a police supply store." "Lighting:Quarz-halogen lights for basics,two independently controlledaircraft lights,one narrow beam high intensity light,and infrared spot-lights front and rear.Variable configuration taillights,help you disguiseyour Goat when pursued at night.Also,a master shut off switch." "The police frequency jammers are frowned upon,a magnesium self-destructsystem for questionable components is a must." Anyway,Scott refers to this gadgetry as the "Electric fantasyville forinvisible rapid transit",Its up to you now,to get your GTO so outfittedwithout making it look_like something from "Close Encounters"。The ideahere is to win,regardless of wether or not you have the space age stealthtechnology. 48 years ago,a stock Duesenberg SJ ran for twenty four hours on a record-breaking run,and averaged 135.47 mph,ran 152.14 for one hour and almosthit 160 as it thundered across the finish line. Okay,are you bewildered enough?Beasts?Four Ball Rally?Invisible rapidtransit?And.…….I really don't believe this:Duesenbergs!!!!! You bet Duesenbergs,and sad as it may seem,by now,some boffo import pro-bably holds that 24-hour high speed record.That's how much good a speedrecord will do you,for records,you see,are meant to be broken.But avictory?Win a race,and its yours forever.No boffo import's going to re-possess that trophy,no way,no how can the

FAQs

What rally is discussed, and where is it going?

The letter discusses the Michael A. Preston Memorial Four Ball Rally, with entries racing toward San Diego after a Boston–San Diego dash.

What does the president ask readers to do with their GTOs before the event?

Readers are encouraged to prep their GTOs—“get it into shape” and consider tips from Scott Peters to outfit the cars with various gadgets and lighting changes.

What is the letter’s stance on retiring classic cars?

The president argues there is no credible case for premature retirement, suggesting classic GTOs should keep being driven and shown rather than only preserved as museum pieces.

Sep 27, 2026

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