With the possibility of somber overtones thanks to Pontiac's recent dismissal, the 25th Anniversary edition of the Trans Am Nationals, hosted by the Dayton Chapter of the Trans Am Club of America, kicked off at its new location, the Dayton Marriott Hotel on Friday, August 28. Early Saturday morning, the show field appeared to be a ghost town at first. Would this be an indication of the weekend's turnout? Would Pontiac event attendance drop as a direct result of the economic turmoil and the demise of the Division?

Our concern subsided as the day filled with sunshine and the show field filled with Firebirds. There were returning vendors and a few new ones in the manufacturers' midway, and there were swap-meet vendors as well, but the count did drop off a bit from years past.

Inside the hotel, crowds gathered for seminars with Design Chief of Pontiac Studio 2 (retired) John Schinella regarding his tenure at Pontiac, PHS President Jim Mattison on collectability and the state of the hobby, and Judging Chairman Scott Scheel on judging preparation. "The turnout for the seminars was great," says Scott. "The room had 60 seats in anticipation for the seminars and 40 to 60 additional seats were brought in, and even those still weren't enough. It was fabulous."inline_mediumwraptextrightSittin' 'round and havin' fun. The Trans Am Nationals is a great place to meet friends and share the passion for these classic American cars. Brian Balash's '99 T/A draws attention with its Medium Blue Metallic hue paired with silver graphics.31910175/events/hppp_1004_2009_trans_am_nationalshppp_1004_01_z+2009_trans_am_nationals+1999_trans_am.jpgTrue

According to historical accounts, Sir William Johnson, a British soldier and hero of the French and Indian Wars, was brought to what would become Saratoga Springs by a procession of native Iroquois people in 1767 to treat his war wounds at a spring thought to have medicinal properties. The spring, now known as High Rock Spring, can still be visited today. Native Mohawks called the area Sarachtogoe, or "hillside country of a great river," but the accepted meaning, "place of the swift water," was derived from Sir William Johnson, who attributed it to the pairing of two Iroquois words-saragh or "swift water," and oga or "place of." The English pronunciation typically produced the word Saratoga, and so it came to be.

If you were anxiously counting the days all winter until you could get your Pontiac back out onto the dragstrip or the show field, there was only one place to be May 30-31, 2009, and that was Petersburg, Virginia, for the sixth Annual PY Pontiacs in the Park Drag Race and Car Show, presented by Virginia Motorsports Park.inline_mediumwraptextrightHere, Erik Weigand of White Plains, Maryland, catches some air in his '64 GTO.27373648/events/hppp_1003_2009_pontiac_drag_race_car_showhppp_1003_01_z+2009_pontiac_drag_race_car_show+1964_pontiac_gto.jpgTrue

Wet and Wild Ponti-Action! To say that 2009 has been a rough year for Pontiac lovers is an understatement. GM's April 27 announcement that it was dropping the brand, an institution since 1926, would have seemed like a devastating hit, but it was more of a disappointment than anything and became a call to the Pontiac faithful to band together even tighter than before. Many have stepped up to help promote the hobby in new and innovative ways.

Fortunately, most Pontiac hobbyists have already made the connection that their love of the brand is not dependent on whether GM is still cranking out G6 rental cars. True, the loss of the G8 GT and GXP, and the Solstice is a blow, but their limited overall production numbers will help ensure future collectibility.

Even when it rained at the GTOAA/POCI Co-Vention on the Popular Vote show day this past July, it didn't put everybody off. They just went inside and looked at the cars on display in the Nutter Center. They also bought a lot of stuff when they were indoors. No problem. Pontiac fans are tougher than rain.

inline_mediumwraptextrightThe legendary Arnie "The Farmer" Beswick made one of his signature exhibition passes at Summit Motorsports Park with a smokey burnout, a high-speed backup to the line, and a flawless run down the track. He runs consistent 7-second e.t.'s at over 190 mph. This time out, his pass was a bye run, as the The Bag Boys had mechanical trouble at the line with their '63 "Grocery Getter" Tempest wagon.27369610/events/hppp_1003_2009_pontiac_ames_performance_nationalshppp_1003_01_z+2009_pontiac_ames_performance_nationals+motorsports_park.jpgTrue

Arizona can be an intriguing and wondrous place. This year we decided to drive from Pennsylvania to Pontiac Heaven 11, which was held on April 4, 2009, at Speedworld Dragstrip just outside Phoenix. Once in the state of Arizona, within a 1-hour period, the weather on Interstate 40 changed from sunny and 70 degrees to dark with a sandstorm, and then to 30-degrees and snowy at Flagstaff. The effect that altitude has on weather is pretty amazing.

A Pair of Budget-Conscious Birds Square Off
The 11th Annual Pontiac Heaven event played host to this month's Pavement Pounder's Shootout at Speedworld Dragstrip, just outside of Phoenix, Arizona. Though mechanical maladies sidelined three participants, these two Second-Gens were able to stick it out.

By early November, many hobbyists in the Northeast are in the process of putting away their Pontiacs for a long winter's hibernation. Not so for the intrepid couple-of-hundred who make the Pontiac Fall Nationals at Atco Raceway in Atco, New Jersey, the final fling of each year's show season.

2010 Model Year Meltdown
On April 27, 2009, GM announced it would phase out Pontiac by the end of 2010, but don't expect any '10 models to even be manufactured. According to GM, buildouts have occurred on all retail Pontiac models-the Vibe was the last model, and it ceased production in August, 2009-and whatever is left on dealer lots is it. Are you looking for the last of the great Pontiacs? A G8 GXP (see "Quarter-Milestone" in this issue) and the Solstice GXP coupe are sure-fire performers and destined to be instant classics.

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.inline_mediumwraptextright26991673/events/hppp_1002_2009_poci_gtoaa_conventionhppp_1002_01_o+2009_poci_gtoaa_convention+full_view.jpgTrue

Despite the threat of rain for the second year in a row and the recent announcement of GM euthanizing Pontiac, the Pontiac Spring Nationals held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday, May 9, 2009, showed that dedicated Pontiac lovers will stand together, even during the toughest times.

Members of the Indian Nations Chapter of POCI followed through with another exciting weekend of Pontiac fun at Tulsa Raceway Park.Attendance improved from the inaugural event in all areas with the largest percentage coming from the show field, which doubled in size. These numbers assure the Tulsa-based club that a firm foundation has been set for years to come.inline_mediumwraptextrightKelvin Poe and his '701/2 T/A took the Top Reaction Award, sponsored by Wilhite Automotive, and won the Quick 16.31177026/events/hppp_1002_2009_pontiac_spring_nationalshppp_1002_01_o+2009_pontiac_spring_nationals+kelvin_poe.jpgTrue

Part I: On The Show Field, At The Dragstrip, And More

What did you do on your 19th birthday? If you were the Pontiac Uprising All-Pontiac Race and Show, sponsored by the GR-RRR 8-R Wichita GTO Club in Wichita, Kansas, you brought together Pontiac hobbyists from across the Midwest for a great weekend of drag racing, show cars, and camaraderie.

Here are a few photos of the shootout cars from the November 2009 issue that were not included in the story.
Rick Unterseh: of Phoenix owns the NHRA O/SA Turbo Bird. After some mechanical hardships the last time the car was to compete in the shootout, this year, it's dialed in and ready run 12s with its 301 turbo engine, Turbo 350, and 4.10:1 rear.

Les Iden: is no stranger to HPP Shootouts, as this is his third, competing with a different Pontiac. His '72 Firebird has a mild 462 under the hood, a 4,430-lb race weight, a Turbo 400, and better-for-Bonneville 2.73 rear gears. How will it handle the quarter-mile? And will Les be able to drive it home to Hacienda Hts., California, after the race? Stay tuned.
For the full story, see the shootout section on this website.

Here are some more photos of the Pontiac Fall Nationals at Atco Raceway in New Jersey. The "10th annual" edition, held on November 1st, was hosted by the Delaware Valley Old Goat Club. For the full story, see the November 2009 issue of HPP.

Pontiac Heaven 11 was held on April 4th at Speedworld Dragstrip just outside Phoenix. Here are a few more photos that we couldn't jam into the magazine. For the full story, see the December 2009 issue of HPP.

Over the last decade, Pontiac's offerings at the Chicago Auto Show have slowly reverted to more production-based show cars from concept cars. In this final installment highlighting Pontiac's participation in the Chicago Auto Show, sponsored by the Chicago Automobile Trade Association, we will examine 1998-2008.

Finally, after enduring periodic rainouts and even a snowout in 2007, HPP Day at E-town was moved from the volatile weather of early April to the summertime. The result for the June 28, 2008, event was a fantastic day of racing and showing Pontiacs at one of the East Coast's premier facilities-Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey.

On July 5, 2008, the weather was nasty in New Jersey, cruel in Connecticut, and pathetic in Pennsylvania, but it was oh-so-sweet in Saratoga Springs, New York, as Firebirds fled rain and clouds from those states to be part of the 6th Annual All-Firebird Lawn Show. The gathering at Saratoga Auto Museum in the SPA State Park strives to be a down-home, feel-good, low-stress family friendly meet, and this one went off as planned without a single raindrop. Firebird Nation of North America (FNONA) club members teamed up with Special Olympics Saratoga County coaches, volunteers, and athletes to produce another All-Firebird Lawn Show, setting records in both attendance and donations to the Special Olympics.

Friday, June 6, 2008 was the beginning of the eighth year of "Pontiacs in Pigeon Forge" as many beautiful Pontiacs rolled into the Music Road Hotel. Pontiacs from Tennessee, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, North and South Carolina as well as other surrounding areas begin to fill the show area. The show attendance is 100-150 Pontiacs each year. Over the past few years, on Friday evening Floyd Garret of Muscle Car Museum has invited us to tour the museum after hours.

Part II: 1969-1983
Pontiac displays today are rather sedate now that the brand is part of the Buick-Pontiac-GMC combo, but that wasn't the case from the late '60s through the '80s. While domestic automobiles generally were considered rather dull in much of the '70s and '80s, in contrast to the glories of the musclecar era, Pontiac's displays were at the forefront in excitement. Outstanding were production cars like the Firebirds, show cars, and general appearance of the displays themselves.

Every year in late August, Dayton, Ohio, is overrun with Firebirds congregating for the Trans Am Nationals, an event that has taken on a life of its own.

Here are the results from the 4th Annual GTO Track Day along with their LS1gto.com user names where applicable.

This is now the fourth year in which members of LS1gto.com have worked together to create an outstanding event. The event was held at Bradenton Motorsports Park on Sunday February 8th and there was an excellent turnout. Spectators and racers were treated to warm Florida rays all day without a hint of rain. Last year was much colder and made for some pretty excellent racing conditions as Goats were getting new personal bests all day. This year was sure to impress, too. Goats from across the US gathered to be punished down 1320-feet and spectators were fortunate enough to witness a new late model GTO ET record set by Mick Barger in his 2004 Twin-Turbo GTO.

The Ames Performance Tri-Power Pontiac Nationals, the largest Pontiac show of 2008, was held August 8-10 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio. As has been tradition over the last 17 years, the event pleased racers, vehicle owners, and show-goers with another great weekend of Pontiac-themed excitement.

Part I: 1959-1968
American auto shows have cultivated a rich history by providing a venue in which the automakers may present themselves in a positive light and reach a broad audience. For more than 100 years, everything from dream cars to purpose-built show cars and production models debuted at auto shows across the country in an effort to gauge public opinion on the latest trends, styling, and technology. By the '50s, the pageantry of some of the introductions and the lavish visuals surely made in-house auto industry accountants convulse, but such was the norm back when computers needed their own rooms, television screens were 12 inches diagonally, and the yearly introductions from the automakers were a major event on Main Street, USA.