1969 Pontiac Grand Prix Tribal News

Solstice Coupes Reach ProductionThe highly anticipated '09 Solstice coupe began production on March 16, 2009, at the Wilmington, Delaware, GM factory that also produces Solstice convertibles. Unlike the original Solstice convertible, the new Solstice coupe comes standard with the (PCM) Preferred Package, including power windows, power door locks, remote keyless entry, and outside power-adjustable body-color mirrors. It also includes the (ZQ3) Convenience Package, including steering-wheel-mounted cruise control and foglamps. The coupe's expected to be in dealer showrooms by press time. The MSRP (including a $620 dealer destination charge) is $26,845 and $30,995 for the GXP.

Pure-Pontiac Street/Strip Crate EnginesButler Performance now offers a 535ci Pontiac street/strip engine featuring an IAII block, CNC race-ported Edelbrock heads, a pump-gas-friendly 10.9:1 compression ratio, and a BP custom-ground hydraulic roller cam for excellent streetability. "We offer several options with these engines, including various valve covers, paint colors, pulleys andaccessories, nitrous, EFI, and more. We even have a combo that will fit under a stock Trans Am Shaker. The big difference between our 700hp engine and some others that are considered street is that we use a 4150-style carb, a hydraulic roller cam, and it can use air conditioning," David Butler says. Horsepower ranges from 650 to 700, and prices range from $15,000 to $17,000. For more information, visit www.butlerperformance.com.

Wide Track Warriors Show Is A Huge SuccessThe 17th Annual Wide Track Warriors Show was held in Kissimmee, Florida, on February 28, 2009, and featured over 150 Pontiacs from the '60s through today. The event is now the largest annual all-Pontiac show in Florida. Best of Show was awarded to Robbie Lewis for his modified '02 SOM WS6 T/A. Look for it to be featured in an upcoming issue of HPP.

John DeloreanMajor Motion Picture In DevelopmentJohn DeLorean, the Pontiac chief engineer (and later general manager) who fathered the GTO, the Firebird, and the '69 Grand Prix, will soon be the subject of a Hollywood movie. Currently being developed by Beverly Hills producer David Permut, the movie will likely cover DeLorean's pivotal successes with Pontiac, the development of the DeLorean DMC-12 motor car, and other topics in DeLorean's celebrated life. For further information, go to www.deloreanmovie.com.

The Snowman Trailer SagaK evin Morgan, the talented illustrator whose concept drawings of a '10 Trans Am were published in HPP, has joined with Tyler Hambrick (www.smokeyandthebanditmodels.com) and Greg Vassar (the Minnesota Bandit),and they are hard at work restoring a tractor trailer to look like the Snowman's (Jerry Reed) in Smokey and the Bandit. The team has even been in contact with Jerry Reed's daughters and says, "They are honored that we are doing this. The trailer will have a tribute mural of Jerry Reed on the inside of the back doors." The team hoped to have the recreated Snowman's trailer completed in time for Bandit Run 2009. To donate or for further information, visit www.kevinmorgandesigns.com.

Deceased Soldier's Wish To Restore His GTO Comes TrueThe Long Island GTO Club and Paul's Rods and Restos in Deer Park, New York, have teamed up to restore the '70 GTO convertible of a U.S. Army soldier killed in Afghanistan.According to a press release: "Major Jeffrey Calero of Queens was killed on October 29, 2007, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle while he was on patrol in the city of Kajaki in southern Afghanistan. He was 34. Prior to his deployment, Calero had been restoring a '70 Pontiac GTO convertible that he had purchased 10 years earlier."Paul's Rods and Restos' Paul DiMauro planned to present the restored Goat to Calero's family at the Long Island GTO Club's 4th Annual Car-B-Que at Crab Meadow Beach, New York, on May 17, 2009.For more information, please contact Paul DiMauro at (631) 433-5205 or (631) 665-RODS.

GTO Anthology GRRRRR-Eat Readin'If there's not enough room left in your garage for another GTO, how about on your coffee table? GTO: Pontiac's Great One by Darwin Holmstrom and David Newhardt is a beautiful, new anthology of Pontiac's iconic musclecar, the GTO, that faithfully covers the history of the marquee from 1964-2006.According to its publisher, "Through cunning, resourcefulness, and outright trickery, the minds of Pontiac managed to get this rocket into dealerships and out onto America's highways, and to introduce that most iconic of American automobiles, the musclecar, to the nation's most discriminating drivers. This is the story of the GTO, of the people who made it a reality and a sales sensation, and of those who owned and loved the cars. And it is, above all, a story of the cars themselves, from the initial option package offered for the '64 model year, through the high-performance late-model standouts."GTO: Pontiac's Great One features a generous 348 pages and is complemented by 350 vintage and modern color and b/w photos. It also includes a reproduction of the classic GTO-versus-Ferrari GTO article from the March '64 issue of Car and Driver magazine. It is published in hardcover and is available from Motorbooks by calling (800) 826-6600 or online at www.motorbooks.com. The price is $50.

CorrectionsIn the June '09 issue of HPP ("2008 High Performance Pontiac Show and Go," page 58), AJ Virvet's '01 Formula was mistakenly identified as John Whooley's '01 WS6 T/A. A photo of Whooley's T/A is pictured here. In the same story, Phil Spare informed us that his '66 LeMans took First Place in the Modified Pontiac (class 12), but it was not in the winner's list. HPP apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused.