Don't let the first round of photos scare you off. This 1968 Pontiac GTO convertible looks rough, but the production figures alone make a strong case for giving it a second life.Pontiac built 87,684 GTOs for the 1968 model year, and the overwhelming majority of them were hardtops, which found 77,704 homes. Convertibles were far less common, and most of those left the factory with the standard 400ci V8 paired to an automatic. Roughly 5,091 buyers chose the automatic on the standard engine, while 3,116 opted for the manual.The numbers get genuinely interesting once you move up to the optional 400 HO. That engine could be ordered with either gearbox. The manual was the enthusiast's pick and went into 766 cars, while the automatic ended up in 461. For the truly obsessive, the rarest combination of all was the 400 Ram Air convertible with an automatic, of which only 22 were ever made.AdvertisementAdvertisementThis particular car is one of the 766 convertibles fitted with the 400 HO and a manual transmission, putting it squarely in rare-find territory.It's obvious the years haven't been kind to this Goat, and details about its history are thin. Exactly how it ended up in this state is anyone's guess, but it now needs the usual round of repairs, including some metalwork. The floors aren't terrible, though there's corrosion to address.The body has already seen some work, and the blue paint almost certainly isn't original. The seller notes the car was once green, so anyone chasing a numbers-correct restoration should arrange an in-person inspection to see exactly what's been changed.Both the engine and transmission are still in place, but the news under the hood isn't encouraging. The seller admits the engine needs major work, so a thorough check by a trusted mechanic is essential before committing.AdvertisementAdvertisementEven so, this is the kind of car that rewards patience. It won't be a quick or cheap project, but for a collector hunting a rare 1968 GTO convertible, the payoff of returning it to its former glory could be well worth the effort.The owner is asking $24,500 and has enabled the Make Offer option, suggesting some room to negotiate. The car is located in Granada Hills, California.Photos: eBay seller raqcity1968 Pontiac GTO Convertible 400 HO1968 Pontiac GTO Convertible 400 HO1968 Pontiac GTO Convertible 400 HO1968 Pontiac GTO Convertible 400 HOAdvertisementAdvertisement1968 Pontiac GTO Convertible 400 HO1968 Pontiac GTO Convertible 400 HO1968 Pontiac GTO Convertible 400 HO1968 Pontiac GTO Convertible 400 HOAdvertisementAdvertisement1968 Pontiac GTO Convertible 400 HO1968 Pontiac GTO Convertible 400 HO1968 Pontiac GTO Convertible 400 HO1968 Pontiac GTO Convertible 400 HOAdvertisementAdvertisement1968 Pontiac GTO Convertible 400 HO1968 Pontiac GTO Convertible 400 HO1968 Pontiac GTO Convertible 400 HO1968 Pontiac GTO Convertible 400 HOAdvertisementAdvertisement1968 Pontiac GTO Convertible 400 HO1968 Pontiac GTO Convertible 400 HO