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Earlier this November, the Arizona chapter of the Pontiac-Oakland Club International (POCI) held its Western Regional Roundup. Over 100 vehicles, including a huge GMC bus, were present for the Poncho faithful to appreciate automotive history in 86-degree heat.
The event started on Thursday, November 2nd with a mixer and a seminar from Thom Sherwood, who detailed a behind-the-scenes look how his pair of 1967 GTOs were transformed into the cars used in the movie xXx.
On Friday, three more seminars were presented for those of the Pontiac persuasion. First was Jeff Lovich of “Pet Peeves of Arizona” fame, going over his critiques the “quirky, clever, or just plain dumb fixes and mechanical maladies and modifications” you may stumble upon during Phoenix’s auction week. Next was Dave Anderson, Jim Wangers’ right-hand guy who told the tales of Jim’s final decades before his passing this past spring. Lastly, Jeff Sawruk flew in from Michigan to spin stories of growing up in a Pontiac household, as his father was a Pontiac engineer in the brand’s heyday.
On Saturday, the car show and swap meet brought in both attendees and spectators. Scheduled seminars included Bill Schoening, the owner and restorer of the 1963 X-400 show car, and Gerson M. Goldberg, who shared memories of growing up in a family that owned a Pontiac dealership in Connecticut.
A nice mix of Pontiac history was on display, including many that were produced when Pontiac was number three in the industry. While Pontiac was never number one — that was Chevrolet’s by birthright — it would not be incorrect to say that everyone in the industry wished they were working for Pontiac.
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