In the summer of 1990, Andrew Williams was behind the wheel of his Dodge Caravan minivan driving his family to Chicago from Minneapolis. He noticed a small light in his rearview mirror that was gaining speed rapidly. When he looked up again a few seconds later, the car had already pulled up next to him, and then quickly blew past him down the road. The car? A cherry red 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT.
"I looked over at my wife and said `I want one,'" Williams said recently via e-mail, recalling the story. "She said `when you can afford it you can have one.' I had two small children, a mountain of debt and a minivan - it did not look good."
Well, happily, things turned out okay. These days, Williams, who now lives in Omaha, is the proud owner of a pristine, white 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT. He has owned the car and been only the second owner since 1994. It has been shown in two Pontiac shows in Nebraska and has won "Best of Show" and "Gold Place" awards. "I drive it only in the summer. It has 94,000 miles and is factory spec. I have it serviced only by Pontiac."
His story was one of several memories sent in to the Star Tribune Cars section in response to a recent request from readers to send in their Pontiac stories or their choice for a favorite Pontiac model. As General Motors closes down its Pontiac division as part of the automaker's restructuring, Pontiac lovers everywhere are reminiscing.
Marty Coddington, an area resident, said via e-mail that he's loyal to the Firebird, especially since "my Firebird has been in our garage for over 41 years" (see photos). He said he's long been a General Motors loyalist, owning a number of models and GM brands. His list of Pontiacs that have been a part of his "stable," is an impressive one:
• 1961 Tempest with the trimpackage that would be called LeMans in 1962
• 1964 Bonneville Brougham, black/black/black
• 1966 Bonneville sedan
• 1968 Firebird convertible (the gorgeous one still in his garage)
Duwayne Virnig, Coon Rapids, has happy memories owning a 1978, two-door Pontiac Grand Am. "Hardtop sport model, mag wheels, small V-8 ... it would be plenty fast for a family car," Virnig explained. He included a long list of amenities but said, "The nicest thing was the color, two-tone: Desert Sand over brown."
Additionally, the car was "always fast enough off the green light, and yet no engine or tranny work for 200,000 miles."
The car was later damaged in an accident, though, fortunately, Virnig said, no one was injured because he had installed a full set of seat belts.
Kris Palmer, our own Weekend Garage columnist, remembers a sweet Pontiac that has been (and still is) parked at his grandmother's house since the 1970s: "A 1953 Pontiac Chieftain loaded with decorative goodies, like spats on the back wheel openings, brightwork everywhere, two-tone paint (light and dark green), and my favorite, the hood ornament - Chief Pontiac's noble face in amber glass, which illuminates with the lights at night."
Ultimately, though the brand is being phased out, Pontiac's long legacy will live on. From cool rides like the Fiero and Firebird mentioned here (and others such as the GTO and Trans Am) to industry-leading innovations (one of the first to use fuel injection and automatic transmissions), Pontiacs won't soon be forgotten.
