![]() ![]() auto industry of the early 1960’s the six cylinder engine was choice of few beyond tightwads or conservative old-timers. When he saw the need for a six cylinder engine at Pontiac he sought something a little different. His tastes were far more exotic than was the norm among the other execs in Grosse Point. DeLorean did not think like the rest of the managerial pool at General Motors. But what really fascinated me was that engine. And having been irritated by flaws displayed on cars of my own over the years, his urge to improve is understandable.īut of course that does not stop me from loving this one exactly as it is. ![]() ![]() Only one of us owns the car so only one of us has an opinion that really counts. He is in the “it has too many flaws and needs some refreshment” side. I am firmly in the “leave it alone” camp, as the car is fully functional and presentable, and thus truly unique. The owner of this car and I chatted for a bit but stood on opposite sides of that great fence in the world of old cars – leave it alone or restore it. He confessed to replacing the original 3.8 engine with the slightly newer and larger 4.1 liter (250 cid) version from 1968-69 due to a cam lubrication failure on the original, but otherwise the car is almost completely as Pontiac built it. He has owned this one for decades, using it as a second vehicle through most of the 70’s and 80’s. He was kidding, but said that he was in the process of a full restoration on the car. The best parts are the first thirty seconds, and then again after 1:30 when the driver gets free of traffic ahead.Īs I began shooting pictures I heard a voice say “Hey, don’t take pictures – it’s not finished yet.” It was the owner. What’s that? You’ve never heard that sound? Well try this. The sound of that OHC 6 in front of the four-speed was unlike any of the garden variety V8s that filled our neighborhood in those days. Bordner would start the car and drive away. I remembered the black decal stripe that ran low along the sides of the light green car with the “Sprint” lettering within it. One of his cars was a 1967 LeMans Sprint. ![]() Kevin’s mother had a string of GTOs, while his father’s tastes seemed to run in a more European direction. My next door neighbors were Pontiac People. I knew about this engine from an early age. And then I saw the “3.8” and knew exactly what that meant – this car had the unique Pontiac OHC 6 powerplant. At least this one looked pretty original. You all know that I am 1) not a big fan of red cars, and 2) am not a big fan of highly popular models. It was a small show this year and as we walked towards the few intrepid souls who brought their automotive treasures out to share, we walked past this in the parking area.Ī red Firebird convertible. I went this year with one son, gambling that the rain that had been blanketing the area for days might break off for a few hours. I have written up many finds over the years from an annual car show held in nearby Noblesville, Indiana. There was aqua car with a 326 V8/automatic and a blue one that claimed to possess the big 428 V8/stick, though it was surely not built that way. It would appear that we have stumbled across two 1967 Firebirds in the past. ![]()
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