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Motor City POCI
Motor City POCI
Newsletter Date
Lead Story Headline
Be Seen and Heard in the Spokes
Around The Hub Calendar of events
2
My 2 Cents
3
It’s Just Me
4
Pontiac Pot Luck
5
Member Story
6
Road Rash
8-9
Norwalk Photos
10-11
1959 GMC Ads
14
November/December 2011
Norwalk, First Time But Certainly Not The Last
By: John Berzsenyi
With my Firebird finally back together and running very well, Norwalk was finally going to be on the list. I had really been wanting to attend this show and it seems every year something had come up to spoil my trip, not this year. A couple of good friends, Mike and Steve decided to join me on the trip. Mike would travel with me, Steve driving his GT37 455 H.O., a very nice ride. We were not going for the entire weekend of festivities but Sunday would certainly do. It was an early morning as we were leaving the Fenton area at 6am, we broke the trip up with a breakfast stop at a Cracker Barrel in Ohio just before the Turn Pike. It was a foggy morning in many spots but as we neared Norwalk the sun showed through the fog and cleared off nicely. Both cars ran flawlessly and received many thumbs up along the way, my riding buddy was good conversation during the trip, we talked cars all the way there. We arrived around 9:30am, cars were filing in to the complex one after another, some very stiff competition for sure. Arriving at the registration area I was greeted by fellow Pontiac lover, Dan Jensen, Continued on page 10
Schedule of Events
JANUARY 2012
1– HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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14-22 - NAIAS Cobo Hall Detroit, MI 19 - Motor City POCI Monthly Meeting @ LaFontaine Dealership Highland, MI
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Schedule of Events 4/5 - 49th Annual Swap Meet At the Fairgrounds Kalamazoo, MI 16 - Motor City POCI Monthly Meeting @ LaFontaine Dealership Highland, MI 24-26 - 58th Autorama Cobo Hall, Detroit, MI
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My
Cents… By: John Berzsenyi
Well…. It’s been a few months since our Hot Summer Nights in Highland Car Show and I’m still going over the details, what did we miss, what did we do right, what did we do wrong. One of the best details/memories of the show that I keep coming back to is my Dad, Richard. What a big help he was, matter of fact, I don’t know what I would have done without him. As the day unfolded every thought in my head was focused on the show, remember this, remember that, don’t forget any details, WOW! I thought I had, and done everything, yeah right! You always forget something, the one thing I was not thinking of was my Dad going with me for the entire day. Just as I was saying goodbye to everyone at the house (Mom & Dad stayed with us for the month of July), Dad piped up announcing he was going with me. ―You are‖ I said ―it’s going to be a long day‖, a lot of set-up was needed and I would not be able to spend a lot of time with him. Dad was ok with all that and was determined to go. Actually, it was nice to have him along, the drive to the dealership provided me some time to not have to think about the show and just enjoy his company. Arriving at the dealership a quick assessment of everything and off I went, Dad said he would be fine, ―go do what you have to do‖. It became evident that some of the club staff had issues and could not make it, unfortunately it was the entire registration committee. Dad to the rescue! Dad and Doug Bousley handled all the incoming traffic, they did a terrific job. People commented on the warm greeting they received at the registration booth and it was very much appreciated. Dad not only helped with that but helped move tables, chairs and whatever else needed doing. The old saying that everything happens for a reason sure rang true this day, I can’t imagine not having Dad there. When I was 16, I remember when I was just getting into fixing cars and Dad from time to time would bring me tools to help me along (Dad worked for Sears at the time). In his own way, he encouraged me in my younger days. During this time I pretty much trashed the garage floor and maybe even the drive-way a little (Sorry Dad). The man that used to get upset at me for losing tools (not always my fault), for trashing the garage, the man that whenever I needed help in any way was there for me, I look back now and see things very different. Everything he did was out of love, then, now, and that day, everyday. Details are important, very important, July 23rd I almost forgot the most important detail. Thanks Dad, for always being there for me!
I would like to wish all of you the very best during the holidays, so… Happy Thanksgiving! And
Merry Christmas! Motor City POCI
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“It’s Just Me” By: Gains McDonald
Hi Everyone, In recent months I've been using this space to encourage everyone to participate in chapter meetings and events, and to solicit your ideas for future events. This time around I'd like to approach chapter participation from a bit of a different angle. I think I've finally come to terms with the fact that not everyone in the chapter wants to be what I would call an active member. It's hard for me to understand, but in any club there are people who pay dues, receive newsletters, and never show up for meetings or events. We don't have many of those, but we have a few. I've also come to terms with the fact that not everyone likes to belong to clubs. I have friends and acquaintances who spend a lot of time and money in the Pontiac hobby but have never joined a local chapter of POCI (or, in some cases, have never joined POCI at all) - or, if they joined a chapter, they soon dropped out. If you're one of either of those types of hobbyists, I'm sorry I won't see you at our chapter meetings and events, though I'll look forward to perhaps seeing you at the Pontiac Nationals or the Trans Am Nationals or some little cruise-in somewhere. On the other hand, if you're like me and you think the fun of a car club (or any other kind of club for that matter) is in the interaction between people who share the same hobby, I say we have some work to do. The work is recruiting more chapter members like us! In every year of our chapter's existence, we've had some people join and some people drop out. Mostly, those who ended up dropping out weren't very active in the chapter, and those who have stayed are the active members I still see at most of our meetings and events. Therefore, I think the key to our long-term growth lies less in trying to motivate inactive members and more in recruiting members who are likely to be active. Last year around this time, I asked everyone to think of fun activities we could plan for the upcoming year. I'm asking the same this year, but I'm also asking everyone to make a strong effort to be an ambassador for our chapter, and to think of ways we can recruit new members. Please send me your thoughts on both topics at gains.m.mcdonald@gm.com. Cheers, Gains Motor City Chapter Executive Board & Chairpersons President : Gains McDonald - gains.mcdonald@gm.com
Vice President: Ken Godfrey – godfreys5@comcast.net
Secretary: Kendra Klein - motorcitypoci@yahoo.com
Treasurer: Lori Woods - snowbaby48356@yahoo.com
Director: Jeff Denison - transamgto@aol.com
Director: John Berzsenyi - wyldgoat65@aol.com
Webmaster: Mike Erickson - merickson29@wowway.com
Activity Coordinator Chair: Dan Aldrich - (248) 681-9025
Please submit stories, ideas and recipes to the Editor: John Berzsenyi - wyldgoat65@aol.com or call (248) 467-9476 This newsletter is ours, the Motor City Chapter of the POCI. Lets make this the best newsletter we can by all of us contributing to its content. Visit our web site at: www.motorcitypoci.com Be heard and seen in the pages of the Spokes.
Motor City POCI
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Pontiac Pot Luck Banana Split Brownie Pizza 1 Package (21.5 oz) brownie mix (plus ingredients to make brownies) 1 Package (8oz) cream cheese, softened 1 Can (8oz) Crushed Pineapple, drained 2 Tablespoons sugar 2 Bananas, sliced 1 Cup Strawberries, sliced 1/2 Cup nuts chopped 1/4 Cup chocolate ice cream topping Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions in large bowl. Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit a large round baking stone. (do not substitute the parchment paper). Pour brownie mixture onto parchment paper; spread into a 14 inch circle. (do not bake without parchment paper or batter will run off baking stone while baking.) Bake 15-18 minutes or until brownie is set. Cool completely. In small bowl, mix cream cheese, pineapple and strawberries. Chop nuts. Arrange fruit over cream cheese mixture; sprinkle with nuts. Drizzle chocolate topping over pizza. Refrigerate. Cut into 16 wedges with pizza cutter.
M E R R Y
Motor City POCI
C H R I S T M A S Page 5
Motor City POCI Member in the News Hi -My 1969 LeMans is an unrestored "survivor" with about 81,000 miles. It was purchased new for my parent's real estate company that was based in downtown Pontiac from the 1920s to the 1980s. My dad was always diligent in buying Pontiacs to support our hometown industry and knew that it would be a two-way relationship -- that when the local plants and suppliers were developing and building cars, their employees would have the resources to buy local goods and services, hopefully including homes and other real estate. Best wishes. Bruce J. Annett, Jr. Executive Director, Marketing and Public Affairs Lawrence Technological University bannett@ltu.edu
Story appeared on the cover of the August 28, 2011 edition of the South Oakland Eccentric newspaper. SOUTHFIELD — Bruce Annett doesn't have to go to the Woodward Dream Cruise every year to see classic cars. The Waterford resident has one in his garage — a blue 1969 Pontiac LeMans. That's a whole lot of chrome. Annett, who is executive director of marketing and public affairs for Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, said he has been attending the Dream Cruise since 1996. With him this year were his wife and two daughters, ages 15 and 19. ―My 19-year-old daughter really loves mid- to late-'60s cars,‖ Annett said. ―I enjoy seeing the variety of vehicles and experiencing the mellow, congenial atmosphere.‖ The Dream Cruise is an opportunity to celebrate, he said. ―People there really are celebrating our area's heritage as one of the world's great centers of innovation and technological achievement, as manifest over the years in some very beautiful and exciting automobiles,‖ Annett said. This year, Annett and his family took up a post along Old Woodward in Birmingham. ―... (C)rowds seemed a bit smaller but maybe that was because we were there between 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Woodward itself seemed to be crawling with cool rides. We missed the bad weather.‖ Annett was referring to a storm that blew through the area about 4 p.m. that day, forcing Royal Oak police to temporarily reroute traffic off of Woodward. Now Annett has his view pointed toward the future of classic cars. ―I met a fellow at the Pontiac lot who has a 1949 Pontiac similar to a 1950 model that I'm restoring,‖ he said. ―He was very encouraging and offered to help me troubleshoot problems and view his car in the future to see how parts and pieces fit together. ―Making that new friend and experiencing that helpfulness as a result of the Cruise is a real plus.‖ —By Sandra Armbruster
1971 Pontiac GTO Judge Convertible 455 HO, Automatic - Auction Lot S87
Only 17 Judge convertibles were built by Pontiac in 1971, making them among the rarest of all the great cars to wear the hallowed GTO badge. This 1971 Judge convertible is arguably the most exclusive of that edition, as it is the only one finished in rare Tropical Lime Green with Black interior and top. It has been the subject of a complete rotisserie restoration to factory configuration with great attention to detail, and retains its matching numbers 455 CI High Output engine and Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission. Generously equipped with power steering and brakes, Rally gauges, bucket seats with center console, Sport mirrors and honeycomb wheels, this rare and striking Judge convertible has been driven only a few test miles since its completion.
Motor City POCI
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Road Rash
By: Ken Godfrey
Gas Wars, Part 2 So, in the last issue, we proved beyond the shadow of a doubt how utterly pointless it is to get all wound up (like we all do every day) about gas prices when we need to fill up the daily driver. But, what about that classic Pontiac out in the garage, you ask? ―That thing is a gas hog. I can’t possibly afford to fill it up and take it cruisin’! It’ll just have to sit there until gas prices go down.‖ The question that begs to be asked here is, ―How low do gas prices have to go before you’ll pry that Poncho out of the garage?‖ Back down to $3.50? $2.50? Under a dollar? 19.9? We get so hung up on that price. ―Dammit, I remember when you could get Hi-Test Ethyl for 29 cents! And, they pumped it for ya!!‖ Yeah, and I remember when phone calls and Cokes were a nickel. Hey, even I remember when the gas stations had to put in all new pumps to add an extra digit when the price first went over a dollar. We thought that was the end of the world! And, who do you think paid for those new pumps? But, we older guys need to stop and think about something, here. The last time we paid 29 cents for gas, how much were we earning? Probably about a buck an hour. So, if you’re making over 10 bucks an hour now, gas is actually CHEAPER than it was ―way back when‖. Think about it. But, the real point here is, how much does it really matter anyway? Let’s say I want to drive the classic to my favorite burger joint cruise-in. I’m going to park it when I get there, and walk around and look at the other cars. It runs alright on premium unleaded, gets 12 MPG, and the cruisein is 25 miles from home. The total cost for the trip is around $16.50. So, that’s too much money? That’s going to break the bank? What else can you do to have that much fun for a few hours for under 20 bucks? Take the kids to a movie? Let’s see, family of four, $6.50/ticket, popcorn and pop for everybody… that’s about 60 bucks for 2 hours of ―fun‖. Or, drop the kids off at Grandma’s and spend the night up in Frankenmuth? Standard motel room 10 miles outside town, $139, plus 11% ―just because we can‖ tax, plus sales tax, plus dinner out, and don’t forget gas to get there. Total damages, about $240. But wait, we were only supposed to be talking about the impact of higher gas prices. So, if you could fill up on premium that was a dollar cheaper per gallon, what’s the cost of attending that cruise-in? About $10.50. The extra cost due to the ―outrageous‖ price of gas these days is…6 bucks.
Motor City POCI
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Road Rash
Continued...
So, we’re really complaining about spending an extra 6 bucks?! Really? That’s what all the fuss is about? That’s the reason for leaving our classic Pontiac that we brag about, that we love to drive, that we’ve put all that work and money into, parked for the summer?! But, what if the event is bigger, longer, or farther away, you ask? OK, let’s look at the Woodward Cruise. Let’s say you go 3 days, and it’s 50 miles from home. That’s a total cost of about $94 in fuel. If gas was still a dollar cheaper, that total cost would be about $69. That’s a difference of 25 bucks. That’s all. So, skip a couple of ―pops‖ at Duggan’s, and ―all that extra money it’s costing‖ just went away. We need to do ourselves a favor. Before we get stubborn, and vow that the old girl won’t be moving under her own power anytime soon, because the price of gas makes it ―too darned expensive‖ to go, we need to do the math. How much of an impact does the spiraling cost of fuel really have on the overall cost of attending any upcoming car event? Even if it’s out-of-state, like the POCI convention, or the Tri-Power Nat’s, I’d bet that once you actually crunch the numbers, you can cancel out the increased fuel cost by simply eating cheap one night, or staying a couple of blocks away at a cheaper hotel. There’s nothing wrong with trying to save a few bucks on a fill-up. There’s nothing wrong with crabbing about the price of gas – we all do it. But, don’t let that be the reason your classic Pontiac didn’t see the light of day all summer. These cars are supposed to be fun, that’s why we own them. And, unfortunately, fun costs money. Let’s keep our Poncho’s on the road, where others can see and appreciate them, and we can enjoy them the way they were built to be enjoyed.
October 6, 2011 Road Clean-Up It was a beautiful night to pick-up trash along our designated two mile stretch along Hickory Ridge Road. We enjoyed record attendance in the effort as 12 members showed up to help. Clean-up went swiftly with the crew being split from one end to the other. One notable item from the evening event was Marge Sawruk showed up in her newly acquired 2007 Red Solstice GXP. Thanks to all that participated, it was great to have you all there! Motor City POCI
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Norwalk... Continued From Page 1 who was glad to see the Firebird on the road especially since he was the one who rebuilt my motor. It was a little difficult to hear our instructions from Dan since the drag racing had already begun, but it was a sound we were glad to hear. As we were parking I noticed some other good Pontiac friends, the Saulnier’s, we would visit with them later in the day. What a field of cars! 500+ Pontiac’s all divided into classes by gender and year, the Firebird line was very full, many beautiful cars! Steve’s GT37 sat along with it’s brethren in another row behide me. We quickly cleaned the cars for judging and then it was off to see all we could see. Our first trip was through the vast swap meet, goodies abound, it was a candy store. Unfortunately we did not come home with any trinkets. In the distance we could hear the drag racing, one right after another, it sounded wonderful. We decided though to walk through the show vehicles since we were right there, we may not come back if we got to the drags. WOW! So many beautiful Pontiac’s, camera don't fail me now. You’ll enjoy some of the photo shoots deeper into this issue. The one end of the show car field had us very close to the drag racing and we couldn’t resists any longer, we walked over to the track, to the thunder of sweet Pontiac engines roaring down the track. To see so many Pontiac’s at one time was absolutely mind numbing, we stationed ourselves behind the burnout pits and got some great videos of the action. We stayed there for a good hour and started feeling guilty about not finishing the show cars so back we went but not before we had a little something to eat. On our way back we decided to check on our door prize tickets and Steve had won passes to the sky box, air conditioning, finger foods, drink and the best view of the track. We got side tracked once again from going back to the show cars, but well worth it. We eventually got back to the show cars but time was short since awards were scheduled for 3:30pm. Six hours seems like a long time unless your having a great time! Well it was time for the awards and we headed for the tent that housed the trophies. So many trophies, so many classes, thought it was going to take forever. It went very quickly and before you knew it I was being called up for a second place trophy in my class, I was quite surprised! Jon and Jen Saulnier also received a first place trophy for their car as well. The day was over and with a tinge of sadness only because we had such a great time and we knew we had a long trip home. We came, we saw, we will return! Another fantastic car show, as I mentioned in “My Two Cents” article last issue, it takes a lot of work to put on a show. This show is one of the best organized shows I’ve been to, so much going on and everything appeared to be running very smoothly. If you have never been to Norwalk you owe it to yourself to make the trip, it was well worth the “Road Trip”.
***Motor City POCI Shirts and Sweatshirts*** You asked and we are listening, please send a response to Kendra and let her know what you would be interested in, shirt color, size and of course how many. Prices will not be determined until demand is known but we need to have an order of at least twelve shirts or sweatshirts or a combination to avoid set-up charges. E-mail Kendra with your order or questions:
k.s.klein2009@gmail.com Motor City POCI
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Norwalk 2011
Motor City POCI
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Motor City POCI
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1959 GMC Advertising