A serendipitous encounter in Winnipeg led to the heartwarming reunion of a man with his cherished 1969 Pontiac GTO, four decades after he had to part ways with the dream muscle car.
In 1982, Stoyko moved to California and reluctantly sold his beloved car. Over the years, friends in Winnipeg occasionally informed him that they had spotted his GTO in the city. He always wondered who the new owner was and how the car was faring.
During a recent trip to Winnipeg to visit friends and family, Stoyko spotted the GTO on the street. "All of a sudden, I saw this GTO in front of me and I thought, 'Oh, what are the chances that's my car?'" he recalls.
Bohn had heard many claims from people saying they used to own the car, but Stoyko's story was genuine. "He looked at it, and almost I thought he was going to cry really. He got really emotional about it," says Bohn.
As the two men shared stories about the GTO's adventures, a bond formed between them. Stoyko hopes to buy back his beloved GTO someday, should Bohn ever decide to sell it.
This chance meeting between Nolan Stoyko and his long-lost GTO sparked an instant friendship with the car's current owner, Mel Bohn.
At 17, Stoyko purchased the GTO in Winnipeg, and it quickly became his pride and joy. "This was the love of my life, the muscle car of my dreams," he reminisces. "It was amazing. This thing was just a monster machine. It would rumble down the road, turn heads."
At 17, Stoyko purchased the GTO in Winnipeg, and it quickly became his pride and joy. "This was the love of my life, the muscle car of my dreams," he reminisces. "It was amazing. This thing was just a monster machine. It would rumble down the road, turn heads."
In 1982, Stoyko moved to California and reluctantly sold his beloved car. Over the years, friends in Winnipeg occasionally informed him that they had spotted his GTO in the city. He always wondered who the new owner was and how the car was faring.
During a recent trip to Winnipeg to visit friends and family, Stoyko spotted the GTO on the street. "All of a sudden, I saw this GTO in front of me and I thought, 'Oh, what are the chances that's my car?'" he recalls.
After confirming that the car was, indeed, his old GTO, Stoyko approached Bohn as he pulled into his driveway.
Bohn had heard many claims from people saying they used to own the car, but Stoyko's story was genuine. "He looked at it, and almost I thought he was going to cry really. He got really emotional about it," says Bohn.
As the two men shared stories about the GTO's adventures, a bond formed between them. Stoyko hopes to buy back his beloved GTO someday, should Bohn ever decide to sell it.