The city of Pontiac, Michigan may not be as widely-known as Detroit, Dearborn, or Flint as far as automotive production is concerned, but their motoring history is rich enough to support a new museum. Recently opened in an old elementary school, the Pontiac Transportation Museum houses dozens of Pontiacs, GMC Trucks, and lesser-known nameplates from those nascent days of the American motorcar. My wife and I decided to take a day trip in our ’74 Firebird and return to Pontiac’s ancestral home to check it out.
We were immediately greeted by a staff of nice volunteers who explained that the museum was opening in phases. Only about 20 cars are currently on “display,” but they also noted that we could take a tour of the unfinished part of the facility, which ended up being our favorite part of the trip. In the finished section, we found not only cars but also an impressive display of memorabilia.
Among my favorites was this commemorative piston. Pontiac diehards assert that Pontiac truly died in 1981 when the last 301 rolled of the line.
What was the purpose of these tiny floor mats? It doesn’t matter; they’re now on my shopping list.
The main floor had an early Pontiac, this 1927 model.
And it had the last Pontiac built, a 2010 G6 that was originally sold to a rental fleet but ended up in private hands.
The line workers had signed the car wherever there was free space. One may wonder why GM didn’t hang onto this car, but in 2010, GM’s bankruptcy was still very fresh, and they were in the process of selling off a great deal of their less-valuable cars. The last Oldsmobile was auctioned off several years after it was built in 2004 (it was an Alero, by the way).
There was a ’68 Firebird Ram Air II and a ’64 GTO convertible on the floor, as one might expect. The Firebird was a knockout.
There was a one-off 1973 Grand Am wagon, built for Bill Collins as a company car. Apparently, a Grand Am wagon was planned but canceled at the last minute, so this was the only one produced. The 1972 Grandville in the background was used to haul a “Customer Services Mobile Training Unit” from dealer to dealer to train technicians how to work on the new models.
This 1940 GMC truck was right up my alley, and most likely yours if you like old trucks at all. It was built in Pontiac.
Pontiacs from the 1930s through the mid 1950s seem as if they’re overlooked in collector circles, but this 1935 model makes it hard to understand why.
As does this 1938 model, which is one of my favorite cars in the museum because it looks original and it’s not perfect. The museum houses plenty of Pontiacs and Oaklands from the early days; for those of you who don’t know, Oakland came before Pontiac in General Motors’ early Sloan ladder. The Pontiac was introduced in 1926 as a companion model, and unlike GM’s other aborted companion models such as LaSalle, Marquette, and Viking, Pontiac hastily outsold and replaced its Oakland parent.
Our guided tour through the back of the museum made our trip. The section that is officially open is admittedly limited for now, something that the volunteers seemed almost apologetic about. One of the volunteers named Steve told us he’d take us for an extended tour, and it couldn’t have been better. Steve was a retired GM line worker, and he was knowledgeable, friendly, and not showoffy at all. He was also a true believer in the need for museums to preserve our heritage that could so easily be lost. I can’t say enough nice things about him.
Steve and I both loved this 1942 Pontiac, a rare one from that final model year before World War II.
Nothing to see here but the nicest lineup of Colonnade Pontiacs you’ve ever seen: a LeMans, a Grand Am, a Can Am, and a ’73 GTO.
Steve explained that money was the main issue in expanding the new museum, as every museum must understand. This part of the building was once the school library; notice the ’66 Bonneville peeking out from around the corner in the darkened back room.
Here’s a Pontiac T1000, a Chevette clone from the early 1980s.
I love when museums proudly own “everyday” cars from a company’s history, such as this like-new ’79 Bonneville. Although I’d much rather drive my red Firebird (or that ’38 Pontiac shown earlier), it’s important to remember what the average car on our roads looked like back then.
It was impossible to not take a long look at this Canadian Parisienne Safari, complete with Chevrolet underpinnings. Notice the narrow track compared to its “wide-track” American counterparts.
Or how about this mid-’70s trifecta: two Venturas and a Grand Prix.
I fell in love with this Vauxhall Victor from across a crowded room. Why was it at the Pontiac Museum? Before the Tempest was introduced in 1961, Pontiac dealers sold British Vauxhalls as a compact alternative to their big Wide-Track Catalinas and Bonnevilles. I don’t recall ever seeing one in person, so this was an exciting part of the day for me.
Here’s another perfectly imperfect example of an everyday car: a 1950 Pontiac sedan.
The front end of the 1967 Pontiacs is a bit polarizing, but I like it, especially on this wood-sided 1967 Executive Safari with a 428 under the hood.
Or this “perfect blue” 428-powered Bonneville; Steve explained that this was a contest giveaway car back in 1967.
How about this four-seat Fiero?
Or this 1980 Firebird Esprit Yellowbird? Or not one, but two Pontiac 2+2 NASCAR homologation specials in the background?
The museum wants to restore this GMC Motorhome, perhaps in conjunction with some restoration classes for younger people.
We hung out at the museum for over an hour, and then we raided the gift shop for a t-shirt, a “Fisher Body” hat, and a highball glass. I’m excited to see how the museum expands over the next several years, and I hope that they’re successful. Michigan’s automotive heritage is endless, and it’s important that we don’t let it all slip away. I’m glad that some Pontiac fans are putting up their time and money to support their favorite brand.
P.S. Just to make it a Pontiac History kind of day, we drove about 15 miles into Utica to see the building where my Firebird was shipped back in October 1973. USA Tire was once Kelly Minnick, Inc., a Pontiac-Buick-Opel dealership – it was kind of cool to take the old ‘Bird back home.
What a shame Pontiac had to be canned when GM filed for Chapter 11.
It has a heritage to kill for although it lost its way from the mid ’70s onwards (except for the Firebird and maybe the Grand Prix models) as the market moved from performance to personal luxury.
The museum should have a display of the more famous Firebirds that graced the silver screen and TV air time – the Smokey And The Bandit Trans Am and the Rockford Files Firebird spring to mind. Maybe even the Brewster Green Trans Am used in the John Wayne movie, McQ, if any of the cars used still exist?
Finally, how about an ’80s Korean built Le Mans to partly explain why the make faded away?
The Vauxhall Victor is an amazing find as they rusted really quickly owing to poor quality steel used in its construction and many moisture traps in its body design.
Still, it became Britain’s most exported car with 390,000 units sold between 1957 and 1961. It was popular in Canada where a mildly re-styled version was sold as the Envoy – Chevy and Oldsmobile dealers got these while Pontiac and Buick stores got the Vauxhall for some strange reason.
It also proved popular throughout the British empire and several Asian markets.
Plenty of Victors came here and they rusted like mad but there seem to be a lot of survivors.
In the 1960s Canada encouraged immigration from the UK by actually paying them to come. Upon arrival, many bought Vauxhall products, thinking the US brands were wasteful. They didn’t last long in the cold winters of the era combined with the prodigious use of road salt.
They must have exported a lot of these Victors to Commonwealth countries as I don’t remember seeing THAT many in the US, compared to MG, Triumph, even Morris Minor. All of that era.
I have a book of antique advertising that I’ve had since I was a kid, and this ad (this capture is from eBay) was my introduction to the Vauxhall in America. I don’t think I’ve seen this ad (or the car, until now) in person.
Aaron, this was great. I’m glad you and your wife went. These museum tours we periodically have are terrific.
Might this be the biggest gathering of Pontiacs currently found anywhere?
It would be interesting to know how the Renault LeCar (next to the T-1000 and behind the brown ’79 Bonneville) made it there.
Thanks, Jason. I chuckled to myself about the LeCar (or Renault 5?) because it seemed so out of place, but I didn’t ask about it.
Thank you very much for this excellent tour Aaron. Great, lead photograph! Fantastic pics and comments, of some memorable Pontiacs. They have gathered some classics, well-representing the brand. GM always managed to give Pontiacs, their own distinctive appearance. If a bit over-the-top, at times. They usually did a solid job, of creating legitimate model brand distinction, from their Chevrolet brothers.
That Grand Am wagon would have strongly appealed to me, as a little kid. Loved Colonnade wagons, and the extra sporty looks of this one, would have stood out among ’70s wagons. I liked that GM resisted, putting loud tape and stripe graphics on these.
Funny, to see the T1000 and the 1938 Pontiac, parked over what appear to be former washroom floors. With their tiling and grout. We never got the T1000 in Canada. Rather, they were branded as ‘Acadians’.The poor Renault, really appears, out of place.
Hopefully, this museum will become popular as a must-see, for many North American Poncho fans! Your Firebird, perfectly compliments the collection! Your car appearing quite iconic here, as an auto best representative of the Pontiac legacy. Thank you!
I still remember picking up this 1982 Acadian brochure, at Perkins GM dealership in Perth, Ontario. During one of my high school lunch breaks. I was surprised GM chose to employ an illustration for the cover. As automotive art had become passe in new car brochures, well before the ’80’s. In fact, the illustration style looked very uniquely like Adobe Illustrator-style vector artwork. A type of artwork, that would later become very common much later, by the late 1980’s.
I’m traveling in Canada right now, and just this weekend I saw a GM T-body car parked in front of a house. Excitedly, I thought it might be an Acadian… but it was “just “ a Chevette. Still unusual, but not quite enough for me to stop and photograph it.
Welcome! Happy Canada Day! Bonne Fête du Canada ! Hopefully, you can locate some fun events today, eat a Beavertail, and catch some fireworks.
This country is a great place to start for survivor Chevettes/Acadians. Typically, more rural areas, often the two-door variety. And owners that are good at fixing cars, using unconventional methods. lol
Thanks – Happy Canada Day! You called it on the Chevette… it was a two-door in a rural area.
No beaver tail yet, but we enjoyed fried cod tongues for dinner last night. Just found out that national park fees are waived for Canada Day, which is a bit of good fortune since that’s where we’re headed today. Enjoy the holiday!
You’re welcome, Daniel. I have actually ridden in an Acadian. My parents owned an absolute lemon of an ’83 LeSabre. We were on a vacation in Canada when it was no more than a year old, and it died on the expressway. It was towed to the dealer, who loaned us an Acadian to use for the day while they got it back on the road. I was fascinated by the little differences between some of the Canadian cars and the cars I was accustomed to at home.
What a great museum – I knew nothing about this place. It’s now added to my list of places to go in Michigan. Interesting, too that the museum was able to reuse a former school building… so preserving both industrial heritage and community heritage.
I love the everyday vehicles here that are mostly overlooked, like the 1930s and ‘40s Pontiacs and the generally unlamented 1970s cars.
Amusing how the “names” signed in the trunk of that last G6 include things like Mona Lisa and Googy Moogly. Definitely indicates GM didn’t intend to preserve that car from the beginning.
Oh, and I like the picture of your Firebird in front of its original dealership!
Thank you! The G6 is a bit sad in that something far more dramatic should have been the last Pontiac, but that’s the way it was!
Wow, where did that 4 seat Fiero come from? I like it!
https://www.motor1.com/news/391395/pontiac-built-four-seater-fiero/
It’s a Pontiac prototype!
Aaron, thanks for another great museum write-up and for placing this museum on my radar for a future visit! Although I dare say that if I ultimately wind up there after the building is finished its renovations I would rather have seen it as you and your wife did. I absolutely adore old school buildings and love seeing how this one is transforming into a new and different level of usefulness.
The CC effect is strong, as usual. Just this past Saturday, I encountered a lovely early 1950s Pontiac just parked in a shoe store parking lot. What a great set of logos/mascots on this generation of Pontiac.
(hummmm…for some reason that picture shows up as upside down. Well, you get the idea.)
They’ll never replace old Buicks in my heart, but early ’50s Pontiacs have been on my radar lately. There was a Jimmy Stewart movie filmed in the Upper Peninsula back in the late ’50s called Anatomy of a Murder. It was based on a bestselling book by one of our state Supreme Court justices, and Stewart’s character drives a ’50 Pontiac convertible. I’ve been watching the movie again on streaming and was reminded of the car.
I agree about the Buicks.
Anatomy of a Murder is a great movie!
What I saw, I believe, is a 1953 Chieftain Sedan. I give it extra credit as a survivor for being 4 doors.
From Ann Arbor, Michigan, Brownsville Station, with some music suitable for a school converted to a museum.
Works for me. 🙂 Saw Brownsville Station live in ’77, they put on a great show.
Great tour we didnt get many actual Pontiacs, mostly the Cheviac versions fun trivia they werent sold here by GM franchises, Dominion motors sold them along with BMC products in the 60s.
Thanks! It sounds like the Cheviac was the export of choice. 🙂
Thank you for the article and pics, Aaron. I wasn’t aware of this museum and will have to check it out.
It’s always a great start in the morning to see pictures of your beautiful Firebird. I miss Pontiac, look at the great job they did integrating the impact bumpers in the 1974 and up ‘Birds.
You’re welcome! I’m biased, but I think the Firebird was the best looking ’74 model out there (at least in America).
What a great museum and pictures .
I don’t see any DiNoc on that red wood-sided 1967 Executive Safari with a 428 under the hood.
I wonder where the children will go whenever they close a school .
-Nate
The fake wood starts behind the front wheelwell, Nate. I couldn’t get a better picture of the car, so you’ll have to trust me. 🙂
Pontiacs from the 1930s through the mid 1950s seem as if they’re overlooked in collector circles, but this 1935 model makes it hard to understand why.
I’ve never been a Pontiac fan – I think I was too young to get bitten by the Wide Track bug. So, let me give my opinion about why early Pontiacs are underrepresented in the Pontiac pantheon.
Without a doubt, Pontiac was a Boomer brand. Their rise and fall reflect that generation. So pre-1955 Pontiacs aren’t appreciated as much as the “Wide Track” years. It will be interesting if this brand continues with its pop legacy as that generation continues dying out. The X generation’s relationship to the brand is almost 180 from the Boomers’. Pontiac went from a competetent “me-too” brand with chrome stripes across the hood and trunk, to Boomer glory days, back to a competent “me-too” brand with plastic ground effects across the rocker panels and bumpers.
There was really not a strong reason to ever have Pontiac in the GM portfolio, other than as a car with extra styling and a strong sporty marketing image. Just as finned spacemobiles hold a fascination to a specific generation, the screaming chicken hood decal, spoilers, hood scoops, and muscle car credentials are generation specific as well, in my opinion.
I don’t disagree with any of this. Boomers often get a hard time, but I like a lot of the same things they do (I’m late Gen X), so I’m already a little melancholy about how things are changing. Get off my lawn! 🙂
A four-seat Fiero who knew?
Great tour Aaron! Thanks for sharing. Nice to see that your beautiful Firebird is doing well!
Like others have said, I also really miss Pontiac. While yes, they lost their way towards the end, they did make some great cars even during that dark time.
I had no real complaints about the one Pontiac that I owned back at the turn of the century…
You’re welcome! We drove the Firebird about 250 miles that day, and it’s really a nice car for long distances (if you’re OK with not having air conditioning).
Excellent tour! I will definitely check the PTM this summer.
The 1997-2002 Grand Prixs were excellent cars. My first new GM product was a 1997 Grand Prix with the 3800. It was a little big for me, but it looked good, handled and performed well (for a sedan), and was reliable, roomy. I may be pushing it a bit, , but I thought of my Grand Prix, with its big steering wheel and “big six” as modern, FWD, 1977 S-class mercedes…
In Metro Detroit, it was very popular. When I bought mine, it was one of the few GM products (Corvettes and pick-up trucks being the only others) where many dealers would not give the “GM discount” price, as they could sell the car for more.
It was really, the last “good” Pontiac, even if it was GM W-car with a Buick engine at this point.
I leased a new G6 for a year–great ride and handling and looks, but the 3500 pushrod V6 was not as quick as the Grand Prix, and it got about 2 mpg less.
The G8 was a good car, but it was a rebadged imported car–a Holden.
I had to wait another 5 years to get a good sedan from GM–a 2011 Malibu (which was built in the same plant as the 97-02 Grand Prix).
This was a great online tour, thanks for this. Pontiac was probably second only to Oldsmobile in my extended family and neighborhood when I was a kid, so I have some serious nostalgia for Chief Pontiac’s cars.
I love the Grand AM wagon! My mother’s 74 Luxury LeMans had a very competent chassis. The Grand Am’s tweaks plus some extra power would have made for a really good driver.
You’re welcome! Pontiac is second for me, too, but it’s behind Buick in my case.
Great article and pics. I’m still puzzled by the way GM handled the Pontiac division and the same could be said for Oldsmobile. GM went from making beautiful and desirable models to cars no-one wanted. For several years I drove a 1969 Pontiac Parisienne, dark green with a black vinyl roof. It was an attention-getter and a great drive.
It was often said that the Pontiac GTO was the muscle car that left all others of its type in the shade.
Question: does anyone know how long the widetracks were in production? And were they confined to the Bonneville?
Thanks! Wide Track was a bit of advertising and a bit of reality. In 1959, Pontiac did actually widen the tracks of their entire lineup, and they used that as a springboard for a really successful advertising campaign (they even brought it back for Grands Prix in the ’90s). I’m not sure how long the track was actually wider than their divisional counterparts.
What a fun tour – especially the unfinished part of the museum! With some care and planning, it seems as though one could easily spend a week in Michigan hitting all the major car museums…something I might do in the near future.
My favorites include the Grand Am wagon and the row of Colonnades. My absolute favorite Pontiace of all time is the 1963 Grand Prix – I hope there’s room for one once the museum is complete.
As always, good to see pictures of your Firebird!
Thank you! I agree with your assessment of the ’63 GP, as I’ve long had a thing for them (and ’63 Catalina Sport Coupes).
What a great set of photos! It is really too bad that the Pontiac brand was axed during GM’s belly up event. It was always a popular brand in Canada. My Dad bought a new1970 Strato Chief in 1971. As a six year old, I was obsessed with the high beam indicator that showed Chief Pontiac.
Dad was a skinflint in a lot of ways. His car didn’t even have power steering or radio. Previous generations had a large steering wheel for added leverage and the small wheel made the car a bear to park. I can remember my mom asking me to help her reef on the steering while attempting to parallel park the beast!
Cars didn’t last that long in those days. By the time we left Quebec for the West Coast in 1976 the car was full of rust holes. My older brother drove it so hard he even managed to break both front springs, no doubt having done a Dukes of Hazzards jump.
That Chief Pontiac high beam indicator is super cool. Unfortunately, my Firebird doesn’t have it.
Beverly Rae Kimes had a wonderful, in-depth article about Pontiacs from 1926-1954 in Automobile Quarterly, Third Quarter 1978. I highly commend it to anyone interested in this phase of Pontiac’s history. Coincidentally, her family had a 1938 Pontiac when she was a kid, and it she used the goodness of that car as the hook from which she developed the article.
I think Pontiacs from this era are a prime example of how a car is more than the sum of its parts. Other than the Silver Streak styling, there was not really much you could point to that was outstanding…they weren’t the fastest, the most economical, the cheapest, the most expensive, or any other superlative, but for many buyers they had a combination of qualities that hit the sweet spot. To most people, they seemed like a lot more car than a Chevy for not a lot more money, and their high resale value reflected the public perception of their durability. There was always a market for a used Pontiac, it seems. The dull-but-good philosophy was eventually a dead end–we’ve heard the Knudsen/Estes/DeLorean story many times–but it leaves the early Pontiacs without a clear narrative to appeal to collectors.
Anyway, that’s my theory.
Thanks for the museum tour!
You’re welcome! I’ll have to look for a copy of that article. There’s a local guy who’s really into ’53 Pontiacs in particular, and I stopped to talk to him a couple years back about his Chieftain sedan. I think that’s when I really started getting into them.
Apologies if this is a duplicate post; a previous version seems to have been eaten.
Beverly Rae Kimes wrote a delightful history of Pontiac 1926-1954 in Automobile Quarterly, Third Quarter, 1978. Her family had a 1938 Pontiac growing up, and the goodness of this car was the hook she built the article around.
I think the Pontiacs of this era are a prime example of how a car is more than the sum of its parts. You can’t point to anything particularly outstanding–the weren’t the fastest, the most economical, the largest, the smallest–but for many people they had a combination of attributes that made them very desirable. To most people, they looked like a lot more car than a Chevy, which shared the same body, and their high resale value was a testimony to their perceived durability and attractiveness. There was always a market for a used Pontiac, it seems.
These attributes are hard to explain to anyone who wasn’t there, thus the relative lack of collector interest.
That’s my theory, anyway!
Thanks for the museum tour!
The mini floor mats were probably drink coasters since I’ve seen the same thing from Subaru recently.
I really like the one off Colonnade wagon, sort of like the various EL Camino conversions
Speaking of wagons does the museum have a clam shell era Safari?
I think I’m going to have a hard time finding those mini coasters! I don’t think I saw a Safari of that vintage: you mean ’55-’57, right?
“The front end of the 1967 Pontiacs is a bit polarizing, but I like it,…)”
This comment caused me to think back to when these cars were new (I was a teenager) and I don’t remember anyone in my corner of northern IN ever expressing that notion. Pontiacs were wildly popular at the time and neighbors, friends, and family had every model. The 67 full-sized Pontiacs were very everywhere. But now that you mention it, that beak is pretty prominent. I guess it worked for most because it got somewhat lost in the vast size of the car. The year that Pontiac took front stage for me was 1959. The wide track and split grille were mesmerizing. The sixties – wow – Pontiac was on top of the world.
A fun tour and trip down memory lane, thanks.
You’re welcome! I’m coming at the polarizing comment from the perspective of someone who wasn’t there the first time. I know I’m read/heard more than once that people don’t always care for the beak on either the ’67/’68 (but not as strongly as the ’70).
The only Bunkie Beak I truly hate is on the 70 Thunderbird. The one on the 67 Pontiac is subdued in comparison.
I forgot to mention that the boss at my high school job had a new 67 Grand Prix – burgundy with black vinyl top, burgundy interior. What a great looking car. The hidden headlights and other details made the front look entirely different from the other models. The same burgundy is on the 67 Grand Prix convertible in the American History Museum in DC. I hope this museum has some samples of the the best of the Grand Prix, especially the 63 and 67.
Suuuuuper-cool, Aaron! I knew this would be great from the lead photo. I love the variety of eras represented at this museum, and also that it includes workaday models like the T1000. Was a beautiful thing to see that row of Colonnades, and also somehow comforting to see that the final 2010 G6 resides here. One always hopes that a vehicle that represents something significant, no matter how sad the circumstances (the end of Pontiac), is saved for the future.
I need to put this place on my list.
Next time you come home, Joe!
Aaron, as life long Pontiac owner and huge fan, this was real treat! I’ve owned and driven too many to list and am still keeping the faith with my current DD 2003 Aztek. I hope they add one to the collection. The GrandAm wagon is amazing. What’s lurking behind the blue 67 428 Bonneville? Fiero 4 door? Wow.
Sorry, four place Fiero.
Thanks, Cang! I didn’t see an Aztec, but there’s room for one. 🙂 It’s a Pontiac 6000 limousine behind the Bonneville, which has to be a unicorn.
Thank you to everyone for you nice comments about the PTM, it is a huge project and a passion of everyone involved. I thought I would respond to the questions about the Lectric Leopard. It is the only car in the building not connected to our main mission of Built in Pontiac. it did live out its days just a few blocks from the museum and sold at the local Lincoln-Mercury dealer. A company in Boston contracted with Renault to purchase LeCar bodies with no drivetrain and then made electric cars out of them in 1981. There is 16 deep cycle batteries and one normal 12-volt. The sticker price was over $10,000, as you can imagine they did not sell well. The local dealer had this one and two others sitting around for three years, finally they took them to an auto show, put $2,995 on them and rolled them. This may possibly be the best remaining example as it has just over 500 miles on it. I took it as a donation because I thought it might be a good STEAM or STEM project down the road for some college kids to upgrade the electric motor and battery system. Incidentally, the same week we got this car we accepted a 6000LE Diesel as a donation, turned out to be alternative fuel week at the museum! Tim Dye, PTM Executive Director
Thanks for filling us in, Tim! Those 6000 Diesels must be thin on the ground these days; I assume it’s the Olds 4.3?
Thanks for the great tour. I’m going to have to check it out this summer, as I’m only about 15 miles away.
You’re welcome! Being that you’re so close, there’s no reason not to. 🙂
Great article. And many thanks for writing it. Many things hit home with it. Your 74 Firebird looks amazing. Of course, I’ve got a soft spot for 74s, especially when I graduated high school that year. And being from Michigan, I know a lot about Pontiacs, and if I still lived there today this museum would be on my bucket list. Maybe still is. My dad was a GM man back in the day and he owned a number of Pontiacs all of which we both loved. And probably those mini car mats were just promotional items that the dealership gave away when you came in to test drive a wide tracker. Ha ha. I remember 1967. My uncle had purchased a brand new Pontiac Bonneville four-door hardtop and I thought I’d never seen a car so sleek.. Still is to this day. My dad had a 70 Bonneville four-door sedan that car just kind of growled along. Had the 455. Anyway, thanks for allowing my thoughts and thanks for the great write up. Oh, by the way, if you ever get to the Gilmore Car Museum in Michigan it’s well worth the trip. Even though I haven’t been there in probably 50 years.
Thank you! I visit Gilmore every year or two; if you make it back, you’re in for a treat. They’ve expanded it a LOT over the last 20 years, but they haven’t changed the general vibe very much (and that’s good).