Tim Dye brought out a display...
Tim Dye brought out a display showing dealer and PMD involvement in GTO sales and promotions back in the good ol' days.
Meanwhile seminars continued at the host hotel, including "Rally Reels Live: Pontiacs on the Silver Screen," with Thom Sherwood, a GTO collector and expert on Pontiacs in films; "Prepping Your GTO for Show," with Randy Pribyl, a GTO owner and hobbyist for over 40 years; "H-O Racing," with Craig Hendrickson, the co-founder of H-O Racing Specialties; "Who Killed Pontiac and How They Did It," with Pontiac ad-man Jim Wangers; "Wide Track Attack: Pontiac Designer Insights," with Jim Ewen, retired Pontiac designer and illustrator; and "Race Car Chassis Setup," with Chad Holzman, the founder and operator of Holzman Race Cars, who has been building race car chassis for over 35 years.
Friday evening featured a GTO cruise to Cowtown, a Wichita historical landmark/restaurant, for dinner and live genuine "cowboy" music from Diamond W Wranglers, which kept GTOAA members and guests well fed and pleasantly entertained. According to Bob Alexander, president of the GTOAA, "It was among the best entertainment events at a GTOAA meet ever."
Need a part in the GTOAA swap...
Need a part in the GTOAA swap meet section? No sweat-literally. The entire swap meet was held indoors, much to the delight of the attendees.
Saturday was the big day for concours GTOs, as 36 Concours judges and GTOAA officials scrutinized these cars on a 700-point scale. Meanwhile, an early morning roundtable featured Pontiac racers Jess Tyree, Arnie Beswick, Craig Hendrickson, John Clegg, and Jim Wangers, who shared "stories that should not be told" about their '60s racing years.
Sunday was open to the non-GTOAA public and included popular-vote judging, followed by an awards banquet, which bestowed 72 popular-vote and over 40 concours cars with well-deserved recognition.
Speaking of awards, the GTOAA Wichita Chapter was proud to hand out a very-special limited-run casting of Wee-Ta-Ra-Sha-Ro, the chief of the Wichita Indian tribe. Robin Proffitt, the awards coordinator explains: "Two years ago, we commissioned a local artisan and sculptor, Patricia Hines of Newton, Kansas, to create the wonderful award we handed out to car-show winners honoring Wee-Ta-Ra-Sha-Ro. Because this was a Pontiac show of national recognition, we asked Patricia to include the Pontiac crest on Wee-Ta-Ra-Sha-Ro's neckpiece.
If you're a fan of Lucerne...
If you're a fan of Lucerne Blue, you would have enjoyed this '72 GTO owned by Pat Brown. It features the top-of-the-line 455 H.O. powerplant, an M22 close-ratio four-speed, and 3.55 rear gears. Check out its rare code-614 Rally Stripe package.
"Our club's desire was to depict Wichita, Kansas, and to highlight our show with something unique and wonderful that Pontiac folks could take home, display proudly, and remember fondly of their journey to the 2010 GTOAA International Meet. We believe Patricia captured the essence of Wichita Chief Wee-Ta-Ra-Sha-Ro in the award."
After the awards show, GTOAA members enjoyed a Fourth of July fireworks display hosted by the city of Wichita. It was an appropriate tribute to the all-American musclecar on the all-American weekend.
Next year's GTOAA International Meet will be held in Portland Oregon, hosted by the Goat Herd, the organization's affiliated Oregon chapter, July 4-7, 2011. For more information, visit the Goat Herd website at www.goatherd.com.