Looking for the owner of #288

Curless Auto

Active Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2013
I'd like to get in touch with the owner of #288, I had a chance to buy what a guy said was an original GNX turbo... turns out he did, so I bought it with the intent of finding it's home. It's the original turbo from #288. It's in perfect condition, if you are out there and would like to own your correct turbo please get ahold of me!
 
Yes I can now. Last summer I was attending a local car cruise and I had #158 parked with #545. A guy walks up and says "I have a turbo for one of these, and I'd like to sell it"... sure you do... I gave him my card and said to shoot some pics and get a hold of me... a few weeks later he did, and sure as shit he had a GNX turbo. I ran the numbers, it was not the one for my car, and he wanted way too much money for it...Fast forward to two weeks ago and he texted me... we started negotiating and made a deal. He told me the history behind how he got it.

His father worked at Garrett in 87, he and another guy were working on the GNX turbo at the time. This particular turbo came in, they did some testing and work to it, then it was sent to Kenne Bell. It went back to Garrett and sat around for a while... as he owned an 87 GN, he asked if he could have the turbo since it was not being used and they allowed it. He never used it, it has been in the box in his garage all of this time. Oh, the other guy he worked with at Garrett.... his name was Harry Hruska, the founder of Precision Turbo!

Once I had the turbo in my hands, I started my search, which took about an hour. Ready for this? It turns out, that #288 is owned by a gentleman that lives about 10 minutes from my shop here in Grand Rapids! The car only has 291 miles on it, the current owner has spoken to the original owner and he does not recall the car ever going back to the dealer for work... so a car that has under 300 miles on it, spent 20 years in a museum in Germany, came back through high end auction houses, was sold to an individual in Scottsdale Arizona who put roughly 50 miles on it, sold it to the current owner... NOBODY ever checked to see if the numbers matched because why in the world would the numbers not match on a car that has that low of miles on it?

Just as a side note, this is the second time I have bought a GNX turbo and done some research, then found the rightful owner. Now if someone could just walk into my life with #158's turbo my world would be complete!
 
Congrats !!!! Being connected with missing orig parts/paperwork to your collector car is a great feeling whether you are the one receiving them or delivering them to the current owner !!!! I had the joy of reuniting of a broadcast sheet to a 1970 AAR Cuda to the owner !! I got it for free , never asked for a penny , offered to owner for free just show me proof that you own , he did , a week later I got $100 in the mail !!!!
I did check when buying X # 176 that it was an orig X turbo , it was , but did not know until later it was my orig . Xray hooked me up with the number , thanks again Rick !!!!
I do not have my orig window sticker , would be nice if it surfaces someday !!
 
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