A free atlas and tourist information at every Pontiac Pontiac’s Tourist dealer. SMOKE Information Service SIGNALS GR RRR The Official Publication of the Pontiac - Oakland Club International July 2017 • 1918 Oakland Memories • GMC Motor Home Retrospect • Firebird Day at POMARC • ‘68 Performance Brochure ‘52 Chieftain Wagon This Pontiac is a Hollywood Starlet What Are the Odds Two ‘73s With Unlikely Origins Skydiver FOUND!1967 Firebird Show Car! SMOKE SIGNALS The Official Publication of the Pontiac - Oakland Club International Volume 45, Issue 7 • July 2017 • www.poci.org page 8 FEATURE STORIES 8 ........The Skydiver Show Car Found! 10 ........1918 Oakland Roadster 12 ........What Are the Odds? 1973 “A” Body 14 ........ The GMC Motor Home 18 ........Firebird Turns 50 • Firebird Day at POMARC 22 ........Pontiac’s Tourist Information Service page 12 26. ........1952 Station Wagon is a Hollywood Starlet 38 ........Printing Pontiac’s 196.8 High Performance Brochure DEPARTMENTS 5 ........Editor’s Note 6. ........Ridin’@ Random page 14 44 ........President’s Message 44 ........Vice President’s Message 45 ........POCI Club History 56. ........Chapter News 53 ........Member’s Bulletin Board 54 ........Operation Pontiac Resurrection page 18 58 ........Calendar of Events 6.2 ........POCI Directors & Chapters 6.4 ........Tech Advisors 6.5 ........Classified Ads (background photo - Fiero display, Pontiac-Oakland Museum (cover photo by David Pascal) page 26 JULY 2017 • SMOKE SIGNALS 3 USE SALE CODE Save* % SIGNAL LIMITED TIME OFFER * some restrictions apply | cannot combine offers Pontiac Catalogs Print: Firebird (1967-81)20 (1982-02) Lemans/GTO (1964-72) (Also available online) YEARONE 17" ALUMINUM WHEELS LIMITED TIME OFFER! Get yours Today! FREE SHIPPING ON WHEEL KITS (Online Only - Lower 48 states) | Wheels are Discount Exempt 1-800-932-7663 SS017 © 2017 YEARONE Restoration & Performance Parts for GM, Ford & Chrysler Muscle Cars 4 SMOKE SIGNALS • JULY 2017 EDITOR’S NOTE POCI OFFICERS President Drive Time! Wayne F. Beran, 5128 Oak Center Dr. Cruise nights, parades, tours, shows and Oak Lawn, IL 60453 (708) 425-2826 up-to-date with Smoke Signals. As in the past, [email protected] national conventions are now in full swing. It’s this issue offers a great variety of fresh material time to be driving your car, but be sure to give that shouldn’t be overlooked. Vice President it a good inspection first. We are proud to reveal that a Firebird fac- Larry Crider, 12510 West 67th St., Sapulpa, We have already had a successful trip to tory show car that was previously thought to OK 74066; 918.798.2765 Kansas City in the 1972 Grand Ville (story have been junked or lost years ago has recently [email protected] forthcoming) but very soon we’ll be hitting surfaced! Read the details in Mike Noun’s story. Secretary the road again in another Pontiac that has Featured on the cover is a beautiful 1952 Peggy M. Cox, 7345 Old Springville Rd. been sitting for some years. I recently drove Chieftain wagon with an interesting past Pinson, AL 35126 (205) 602-6463 it around town, got some gas, and let it idle which includes some time in the Hollywood [email protected] a while. spotlight. Everything seemed pretty good, but I was Elsewhere in this issue we have a mem- Treasurer not happy with the brakes. They felt a bit ber’s memories of his 1918 Oakland and a Simone Young, 4803 NE 144th St. spongy, so we’ll flush the system and do a brief retrospect of the hugely popular GMC Smithville, MO 64089 (816) 820-0239 thorough inspection before heading out on the Motor Home. [email protected] next trip. Anything can happen with vintage Also, read about Firebird Day, a pair of ‘73 cars, but you can head-off unforeseen prob- “A” body cars, Pontiac’s 1950s version of AAA POCI BUSINESS OFFICE lems with a little preventative maintenance. and much, much more! Office Manager Along with the many fun outdoor activi- Paul Bergstrom, PO Box 68 ties happening this time of year, its great to stay Maple Plain, MN 55359 Tim Dye Phone: (877) 368-3454 Fax: (763) 479-3571 [email protected] SMOKE SIGNALS Magazine Editor Tim Dye, 205 N. Mill St. Pontiac, IL 61764 (815) 844-0282 [email protected] Creative Design/Graphics Pontiac Vintage Press 205 N. Mill St. Pontiac, IL 61764 (815) 844-0282 [email protected] Commercial Advertising Coordinator Paul Bergstrom, PO Box 68 Maple Plain, MN 55359 Toll Free (877) 368-3454 Ph: (763) 479-2111 • Fax: (763) 479-3571 [email protected] Contributors to this issue Mike Noun, Thom Sherwood, Bill Flora, Derik Olfield Scott Scheel, Aspen Pittman Smoke Signals (ISSN 1042-4571), July 2017, Volume 45 No 7. Published monthly by Pontiac-Oakland Club International/Pontiac Vintage Press 205 N. Mill St., Pontiac, IL 61764. Periodicals postage pending or paid at Maple Plain, MN mailing office. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to: POCI, P.O. Box 68, Maple Plain, MN 55359. Articles, letters and editorial comments found in Smoke Signals represent the views and opinions of the individual authors and are not necessarily those of POCI or any of its officers or staff. The Pontiac/Oakland/GMC Trademark(s) are used with the permission of General Motors. JULY 2017 • SMOKE SIGNALS 5 Ridin’ Random @ WHAT’S GOING ON IN OUR HOBBY WORLD! News - New Products - Literature - Trivia - Information and More If you have material for Ridin’@ Random, send it to [email protected] MOTORAMA Dreams Fulfilled The one-of-a-kind 1953 Pontiac Parisienne has been a proud part of the Chicago-based Bortz Auto Collection since the 1980s, but it wasn’t until just recently that POCI member/restorer Joe Bortz could consider this particular Motorama Dream Car “complete.” Through the combined efforts of Bortz, Dave Holls (former GM Vice President of Design) and a talented fabricator, the Parisienne’s long-missing removable Plexiglas roof panel that was meant to enclose an otherwise exposed chauffeur’s compartment, has now been accurately reconstructed from scratch and will soon be ready for its debut! Smoke Signals readers can look forward to the complete story of the Parisienne and how its newly-resurrected roof was meticulously designed and built during an upcoming installment of our ongoing Road to MOTORAMA series. RIGHT: Longtime POCI members may remem- ber the Parisienne being on display at the 1990 convention in Kansas City. Last Call for xXx GTO Ride Along Contest Entries! Hurry! If you’re planning to attend the 2017 POCI Convention in Fort Worth later this month, you’ve only got a few days left to enter the xXx GTO Ride Along Contest announced last month. One lucky winner will be taken on a thrilling one-lap ride around the banked oval NASCAR track at Texas Motor Speedway in the actual screen-used xXx GTO Flame Car (buckled-in to the very same seat that Vin Diesel once rode in!) during the Ames/POCI Welcome Night festivi- ties on Wednesday, July 12th. The winner will also be presented a $50 gift certificate from Ames Performance Engineering. Be sure to submit your entry question or short essay by email no later than Saturday, July 8th. For complete rules and entry details, see page 59 of the June 2017 issue of Smoke Signals. Good luck, and hang on tight! 6 SMOKE SIGNALS • JULY 2017 Power. Play. Summit Racing Equipment is the source for parts, tools, and accessories for everything Pontiac, and more. Plus, you’ll get unbeatable service, expert tech advice, 24/7 ordering, and fast shipping. Millions of Parts. One Source. 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JULY 2017 • SMOKE SIGNALS 7 Skydiver 1967 Firebird 400 Show Car FOUND!by Mike Noun Pontiac-Oakland Museum receives his description that the exterior of the car had at one point also phone calls and emails from Pontiac been painted orange. enthusiasts around the world nearly With a certain amount of pride in his voice, he then in- every day asking for information, photos, and documentation formed me that the car’s VIN ended with ‘00004’ — indicating pertaining to Pontiacs.