Smoke Signals - Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals

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Mike Burkholder's 1970 Orbit Orange Judge graced the cover of the
December issue of Smoke Signals and it was also seen here at MCACN.
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ere is no oubt about it- if you are a
ThPontiac fan, you are never given the
second-fiddle treatment at the Muscle
Car and Corvette Nationals. Held the
weekend before Thanksgiving every year at
the Donald E. Stephens Center in
Rosemont, Illinois, the MCACN (pronounced "Muh-cackin") has become the
premier event for fans of Muscle-era
machines and as they rightfully deserve,
Pontiacs get the full hero treatment.
Last year, Bob Ashton and his staff
located and delivered six of the eight 1969
Trans Am convertibles built. This year,
these miracle workers managed to get six
of the fourteen 1963 Swiss Cheese
Catalinas built. To say it was an impressive
display would be an understatement. To
help bolster the Super Duty presence, was
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another '63 lightweight, owned y
Robert Lozins, as well as two '61 Super
Duty Catalinas. Other Pontiac musclecar models were also well-represented,
with various Firebirds, Trans Ams,
GTOs, even some full-sized machines
were in attendance.
The seminars were also fun and
informative. A glitch in the program
turned into a really fun matchup. Both
John Gunnell and I were scheduled at
the same time to give our seminars- his
was on getting your car into a magazine
and mine was a Department X program
on muscle-era experimental Pontiacs.
As it turned out, we did both programs
together and I have to say that I had a
great time working with a real pillar of
the Pontiac hobby.
The Smoke Signals Editor's Choice
award was presented to longtime POCI
member Jim Early, Jr. and his beautiful
1973 GTO. Jim is the original and only
owner of this gorgeous machine and
though the restoration was done nearly
twenty years ago, it looked as fresh as if
it just rolled out of the paint booth.
Jim's GTO is one of those cars that is
turning enthusiasts' opinion of the
'73s, which have been the red-headed
step-child of the GTO family. With
their superior chassis and suspensions,
as well as their low production numbers, they are now becoming the subjects of high-end restorations and we
expect that they will become more
sought-after as time goes by.
One of the most interesting cars at
the MCACN this year was the running
chassis restoration of the rear-engined
Corvette XP-819 prototype. Pontiac
fans will note that this car was developed by Chevy with a two-speed
Pontiac TempesTorque automatic,
which was stronger than the Corvair
versions.
Mark your calendars for November
22 and 23rd and be at the Stephens
Center for the MCACN. Log onto
www.mcacn.com for updates. is
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The 2013 Smoke Signals Editor's Choice Award went to Jim Early and his gorgeous 1973 GTO. Jim's car was part of the Original Owners Display and is a shining example of the breed. He is seen here with his grandson, Julian.
Jim Early's 1973 GTO is an older restoration but you would never know it from
its appearance. After decades of being shunned and getting zero recognition,
'73 GTOs are just starting to receive the respect that they deserve.
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Peggy Sieffert's 1964 GTO convertible is called "Mocha Delite" and it is an engineering tour de force, using a full Art Morrison chassis, L53 power, 4L65-E and
a complete custom interior. This car has received a lot of magazine coverage.
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Irwin Kroiz brough out the Van Winkle Swiss Cheese
Catalina. It was originally raced out of Texas but now
resides in Pennsylvania.
Dana Mecum's Swiss Cheese Catalina was originally campaigned by Packer Pontiac in Detroit and driven by Howard
Masales. It was restored by Scott Tiemann for previous
owner Randy Williams.
Bob Knudsen's '63 Swiss Cheese Catalina is the actual Royal
Pontiac car, originally driven by Jim Wangers.
The Union Park Swiss Cheese Catalina is owned by Frank
Gilchrist. Tim Thorpe did an amazing restoration on this
one, returning it to its original configuration after having
been converted into an altered-wheelbase car.
"Tonto IV," was originally raced by Alan "Cub" Collingwood
of Collingwood Motors in Greybull, Wyoming. It is now
owned by Alan Witte.
Bob Knudsen's other Swiss Cheese Catalina was originally
delivered to the legendary Mickey Thompson.
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This is neither a dune buggy nor a VW-powered kit car. It is
actually the chassis of XP-81 9 rear-engined Corvette prototype. It was rescued in pieces and is being restored by
owner Mike Yager. Why is it pictured here? The answer is...
...because it uses a Pontiac TempesTorque automatic
transaxle. A reverse-rotating 327 Chevy hangs off the tail.
As one might expect, trouble keeping the front wheels on
the ground and its tail-happy nature killed the project.
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The Pontiac-Oakland Museum and Research Center's display quickly became the home base for the POCI members
in attendance. Rob Collova's '68 Ram Alr II Firebird did a
great job of attracting attention to the display.
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Keith Curry's '61 Batwing Catalina features a 368-horse 389
Super Duty with a rare Mickey Thompson crossram intake.
This is a very rare and unusual car with a great history.
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"Irish Eyes" is a '70 GTO Judge convertible owned by Kevin Callahan. Power comes from a healthy 455 hooked to a 700R4.
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Fraternal twins in Canyon Copper: Mike Sparks' 71 GT-37 sits next to Dan Jensen's '71 T37. Both are 455 HO-powered and
are extremely rare machines. Note the hood pins on Mike's GT-37 and the early-season stripes.
This fixed-headlamp '68 GTO is owned by Bob Brzek and
sports an attractive Alpine Blue over black color combo.
Dave Brewer's '65 GTO droptop is a solid choice for MCACN,
with its Montero Red/Black combo and Rally I wheels.
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Joe Sparks' 73 GTO was another rare example of the breed,
shod with Honeycomb wheels and red accents. This car is
also 400-powered.
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This year, Robert Lozins brought out his baby blue '63 421
Super Duty lightweight to MCACN. This car was part of the
"Class of '63" display.
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Carol Curry's '63 Catalina wagon is a one-of-a-kind Safari
with a 421 HO, 4-speed, heavy-duty frame and 3.42 Safe-TTrack rearend. The 8-lug wheels round out a great combo.
Batinovic's '73 455 Super Duty Trans Am is an original, unrestored survivor that was part of the "Class of '73" display. It
is hard to beat Buccaneer Red with the hood bird!
Th e owner of this super-rare '69 Firebird convertible was a
bit of a mystery, though we don't know why they wouldn't
want to shout it from the rooftops. After all, it is an original
factory Ram Air IV car.
Nick Spensieri's gorgeous Cardinal Red '70 Judge convertible was one of several cars that represented the Cruisin'
Tigers GTO Club.
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A '66 Bonneville is a gorgeous machine and Chris Vegas' 421 Tri-Power coupe is a real head turner. Love those 8-lugs!
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We aren't sure who owns this '69 Catalina Safari, as there
was no registration card visible. Nevertheless, we enjoyed
seeing this beautiful B-Body wagon.
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Another historic non-Pontiac is this prototype front-drive
Olds 442. Originally built by Hurst using a Toronado drivetrain, including a 455, this car made its debut at MCACN.
Quezal Gold and a 455 HO makes Dan and Julie McGuire's '71 Late model muscle is also welcomed at MCACN, allowing
GTO a rare machine. It was ordered after the Judge option Charles Singer's 2006 GTO into the fold. Charles and his Goat
was discontinued and was a graduation present for a girl! are members of the Cruisin' Tigers GTO Club.
It is a little-known fact that '74 GTOs are among the most
successful Pontiacs in sanctioned sportsman classes. Jody
Traylor's Goat is a frequent Pure Stock competitor.
This amazing '61 Catalina, which is an original Super Duty
car with aluminum bumpers and has just 1,340 miles from
new. It was recently sold from the Floyd Garrett Museum.