GTOs Rule the Salem Roadster Show

 Author, Mick Jagger

The 2026 Salem Roadster Show — A Little GTO Rock & Roll

Alright Salem… let’s talk about horsepower, chrome, and a whole lotta Pontiac attitude.

The 2026 Salem Roadster Show rolled in on February 28th to  March 1st, and let me tell you—our beloved GTOs absolutely stole the show. But like any great rock tour, this whole thing started months earlier.

Back in August of 2025, a few of us were wandering around the Brothers Collection Car Show in Salem when Bob Symons—one of the big promoters of the Salem Roadster Show—pulled the President of the Goat Herd club  aside. He says, “Why don’t you boys bring some Pontiacs to my show?”

Now when someone says that, you don’t just bring some Pontiacs.

A couple weeks later I gave Bob a call and said, “Were gonna  bring every model year of the GTO”

He laughed and said, “You think you can actually do that?”

And I said, “Well… we’re gonna give it a go, baby.”

At first it felt easy. I started  ringing up my fans and they were saying yes left and right. I thought, “This might actually work.”

Then reality kicked in.

Suddenly I’m staring at the list thinking… where in the world am I gonna find a 1973 GTO?

Those things are rare birds.

One lead popped up in California but the owner couldn’t make the trip north—fair enough. Then I remembered seeing a ’73 at the Tigers on the Columbia show. So I called Wally S. and asked him to send a message out to their club.

And just like that, Bob S. from the NW GTO Legends stepped up and said, “I’ll bring mine.”

Boom. The show keeps rolling.

Then came the 1965 GTO problem. I asked a few members locally but couldn’t land one. So I rang Bob again and he said, “You should talk to Jim B. He’s got a beautiful red ’65 Tri-Power.”

Jim stepped right up and brought it down. Not only that—those guys even covered two nights of lodging to make the trip happen.

Now that’s real Pontiac spirit.

But the true unicorn of the whole adventure?

The 1971 GTO.

Nobody around here had one. Jim knew of one in his club but couldn’t reach the owner. At some point you just shrug and say, “Alright, maybe we’ll be one year short. No sense losing sleep over it.”

Then—right before the show—another twist.

Our 1966 GTO entry from Mike H. ran into trouble with the front seats being rebuilt. The new covers came in completely wrong—totally unusable.

The clock was ticking.

So Tuesday night I called Jim C. from the Goat Herd club and asked if he could step in.

He called me back that night and said, “Yeah… I think I can make it happen.”

Two days later—Thursday—he rolled in with the car ready for the show.

That’s how this club works. When one goat can’t make it… another goat steps in.

By Thursday evening the crew was grabbing pizza after a long day of moving cars, hanging banners, and getting everything dialed in. Huge thanks to our roadies, Rod and Terri for shuttling folks around and keeping everyone moving.

And when the lights came up… here was the lineup:

1964 GTO – Duane & Tam C. (Original Owner!)
1965 GTO – Jim B., NW GTO Legends
1966 GTO – Jim C.
1967 GTO – Rod & Terri N. (Rod hung the banners!)
1968 GTO – Chris D. (Thanks Paul W. for delivering the car!)
1969 GTO – Jim & Jo B.
1970 GTO – George & Terry B. (Nick transported it for the show)
1971 GTO – Still out there somewhere…
1972 GTO – Jan W. (and Blayne for prepping them)
1973 GTO – Bob S., NW GTO Legends
1974 GTO – Jan W.
2006 GTO – Jason & Nicole B.

From 1964 to 2006, lined up like a proper Pontiac rock band.

And finally a big thank-you to Bob Symons—our Pontiac guy—and Greg Roach for putting on the Salem Roadster Show for 20 straight years. Anyone who’s ever organized a car show knows that’s no small feat.

But when you walk into that building…
see the chrome shining…
hear people talking about carburetors and camshafts…
and watch a whole lineup of GTOs stretching across the floor…

Well…

That’s a little bit of Pontiac rock and roll.

And trust me…

We like it. 😎