Part II: The 2009 POCI/GTOAA Co-Vention Mezzanine Display
Last month, HPP brought you coverage of the 2009 POCI/GTOAA Co-vention, held July 7-12, 2009, in Dayton, Ohio. With so much to do and see, it was impossible to squeeze all of the excitement into one issue-we saved some for Part II.
Royal Pontiac campaigned this...
Royal Pontiac campaigned this red, silver, and blue '63 Catalina Super Duty Swiss Cheese car driven by Jim Wangers. Today it is fully restored and way too valuable to see active duty.
This month, we bring you the crème de la crème-some of the rarest Pontiacs in muscle-car history. In case you missed last issue, the POCI/GTOAA Co-vention featured a display on the mezzanine level of the Nutter Center. Fifty-nine invitation-only cars were displayed for event participants and spectators. Among them were SD-421 Catalinas and Tempests (including three "Swiss-Cheese" cars), ultra-rare GTOs, one-off show cars, a Pontiac-based Batmobile, and much more. We highlight a portion of those 59 in this story.
Editors note: Special thanks to the POCI/GTOAA Co-vention for honoring deceased HPP contributor Quint Stires by running his '70 GTO burnout video on the main video screen of the arena floor at the Nutter Center. Not mentioned last month, Ben Harrison of General Motors also provided a detailed presentation regarding his years at Pontiac.
If you have a copy of the...
If you have a copy of the '70 GTO dealer brochure, you'll recognize this beauty. It's the actual "pilot line" car used for the brochure's photography.
Not all '70 Hurst SSJs were...
Not all '70 Hurst SSJs were white and gold. This example shows one of the variant color combinations that was available to the public. It's unknown how many of these Black and Gold SSJs were produced.
Remember the Motor Trend '62...
Remember the Motor Trend '62 Catalina SD-421 test car that we featured in the Oct. '08 issue of HPP? Here it is again, displayed by its owner Eugene Riotte.
In 1968, Pontiac exported...
In 1968, Pontiac exported this Ram Air Firebird to Australia. Notice the hood tach on what you would think is the passenger side looking inside, you'll see why: There's a mirror image of a '68 Firebird, including the dash, steering wheel, pedals, and power windows master control switch which were moved to the righthand side. The conversion was performed by GM Holden. This Firebird is currently in Rob Lozins' collection.
...looking inside, you'll...
...looking inside, you'll see why: There's a mirror image of a '68 Firebird, including the dash, steering wheel, pedals, and power windows master control switch which were moved to the righthand side. The conversion was performed by GM Holden. This Firebird is currently in Rob Lozins' collection.
This '71 1/2 GT-37 was originally...
This '71 1/2 GT-37 was originally ordered new by John Sawruk and is still in his family's collection. It features a 400 engine, a four-barrel Rochester Q-jet, and a Turbo 400 transmission. The information pictured next to it is a great tribute to John.