Back in 1966, I had a 65 GTO 2-speed auto. and was on my way to work on a Monday morning in Dec. and the engine didn't seem to be running as good as I thought it should. So I deceided to run it up. When I got up around 100 mph, I heard one hell of a lot of noise and seen sparks coming out the back of the car thru my rear view mirror. I pannicked thinking that I had blown the motor and deceided to shift into neutral. I bumped it up one notch and after a split sec. thought it hadn't went into neutral, so I bumped it again. Thats when all HELL broke loose, as I had just hit reversre at 100 mph! I had snow tires on the back(as it was winter) and they just went up in smoke! I got it in to neutral and shut off the motor and coasted to a stop. I got out and looked under the car and seen something hanging down. I got towed back to town and we put it up on a lift. The bolts on the torque converter pan had come out causing the flywheel to hit the pan,causing the sparks! We straightened out the pan and replaced the bolts and luckily there was no other damage to the engine or auto.

Another good story happened at my Grandfather's Pontiac Dealership in 1965.
A kid had ordered a new 4-speed GTO and it was sitting in the showroom. He had brought his girlfriend with him and he opened the door and sat in it with his feet outside and turned on the key and it was in gear but he didn't no it and it started and went right thru the plate glass show room window!
Thats probably why now ,you have to have the clutch engaged before it will start!

Back in about '85 or so, Hurricaine Gloria hit the East coast, HARD! I decided it made complete sense to drive thru it to get from college to my GF's house 50 miles away (okay, it wasn't exactly my brain that decided that, but I'll own up to it anyway). Fortunately (sarcasm), instead of my trusty 4WD 1978 Scout II, I had my '65 GTO, complete with a 455 lifted out of an Olds, 4.11 gears, a 3spd standard (from a truck i discovered), a loose steering system, and skinny, bald tires. So there I was winding it out on I91 as winds buffetted me into the next lane and the median while i tried to dodge large tree limbs and other significant debris. Talk about white knuckles! Well me and the "Iron Goat" made it, no worse for the wear. Much credit and sympathy was to be had that night from the GF, so obviously it was all worth it, but THAT is another story!

Drove my 70 off a ramp when changing the oil. 1 inch to the left and it would have seriously destroyed the front rt 1/4! Now that's dumb, did I mention I had just bought it 2 weeks before? :woot: