WIBC News Article Quotes Sanders and Belk

Car Clubs Bid Sad Farewell To Pontiac
GTO Was First "Muscle Car"
Article by Stan Lehr posted online April 28, 2009 at:
http://www.wibc.com/news/Story.aspx?ID=1087556

Your father's Pontiac is history. GM is dropping the nameplate born in 1926 and the car clubs are in mourning.

Bill Sanders of Noblesville, President of the Indy GTO Association, says he and his members are "not surprised but our Pontiac flags are flying at half mast." Sanders points to the design of the new GTO introduced in 1994 as an example of what went wrong at Pontiac. He says the car was "less than enthusiastically embraced" when it was unveiled to a meeting of the National GTO Association in Denver.

Pontiac was once a solid entry in the "muscle car" market. Others like Ford have forged a comeback, but Pontiac continued to struggle. Sanders says Ford "had a better idea" with the retro-look Mustang.

Bill Belk of Culver, Indiana, says he hates to see Pontiac die but he understands the decision to eliminate a brand that was not as profitable as some of the other GM nameplates like Buick or Cadillac. Belk, the owner of eight Pontiacs including five Fieros from the 1980s, says the price of automobiles--at $25 to $30 thousand dollars--makes profit margins harder to maintain. He recalls, "You used to buy a house for that kind of money."

Sanders and Belk say GM's decision could add value to their classic Pontiacs. But both say that's not an issue for them or their club members. Sanders says, "We drive our GTO's. Most of them aren't museum pieces."

Bad news about Pontiac Motor Division

The Detroit News - Saturday, April 25, 2009
http://www.detnews.com/article/20090425/AUTO01/904250359
The Wall Street Journal - Saturday, April 25, 2009
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124060030328753755.html
Pontiacs We Will Never Forget - from AOL April 29, 2009
http://autos.aol.com/gallery/pontiac-all-time

Pontiac's GTO could very well be the most famous Pontiac of all and we're sure to never forget it. The 1970 GTO stands out in our mind for a few reasons: it was General Manager John Z. De Lorean's pet project and it also featured Ram Air, the sophisticated air induction system that creates more air pressure the faster the vehicle moves. "The Judge" trim line might look a bit comedic now, but GTO fans (and TV and movies of the time) found it to be all business.

Chrome Carnival

John Jump and Prez Bill represented the club at the Indiana Freedom Cruisers' "Chrome Carnival" on Saturday, April 25 in Noblesville. The start of the festivities featured a live rendition of the National Anthem sung by a local young lady in combination with a vintage plane flyover. Very well done! Below is Bill's car.....

....and John's car.

Also included (below) is Bill's neighbor's street rod ('cuz Bill thinks its "waaay kool.") Its got a Ford 406cid w/3-duces and a 4-spd tranny.



What the ???? a low rat rod ... not for the timid ...

They had a record crowd this year of over 130 cars.

Thanks to Prez Bill for the article and pix!!!
And thanks to John Jump for this additional shot of the Sanders:

April Meeting at MCL Supported Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Great meeting! Thirty gathered for the April 20th meeting at MCL. Prez Bill brought us up to speed (sorry, I couldn't resist) on upcoming events: GTOAA Nationals in Dayton July 7-11, Save the Paramount Theater Cruise-In May 9, Vietnam Veterans Endless Summer Car Show May 3 (see Fitz' post below for details!!!), Mystery Cruise May 16, Indy Firebird Show June 13, Indy GTO Show Sept. 19, Chrome Carnival April 24-25, Edinburgh Fundraiser April 25, Summer Place Car Show May 23, Piston Poppers Cruise-In July 18...Thanks Bill for compiling information about car club events throughout the area. And thanks to members who volunteered for parking duties at several events that we are helping other car clubs with this year. (Click on images to enlarge then hit back arrow to return to blog.)

Member, Shelley Triol, (below) presented an opportunity for us to support her in a fundraising effort for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Hearing about adults and children affected by leukemia and seeing this drawing (below) by the young boy Shelley is sponsoring was more than enough encouragement for us to support the cause!

The 50/50 drawing was a great success.

And we received this very nice Thank You from Shelley:

Dear Goatsters,
Many, many heartfelt thanks for your support of my Woman of the Year fundraising campaign for the Indiana chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS)!

I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am for the donation by way of Monday night’s 50/50 raffle and the club match. It was truly overwhelming.

Your belief in the cause enforces what we hope will be true – that some day, we will use words like “easily curable” and “eradicated” when we mention blood cancers.

You are the best – and on behalf of the LLS and all those whose lives are touched by leukemia and lymphoma, we thank you!!

Shelley Triol
www.in.llsevent.org/shelley
striol@seasegerig.com

Second note from Shelley May 8th:
Hi Betsy!
Please convey to the Indy GTO Club my heartfelt thanks for their involvement in this year’s Woman of the Year fundraising campaign for the Indiana Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS)! My grassroots campaign - through which dozens of individuals and groups graciously participated - raised $5,235! That is extraordinary! The Club’s belief in our organization’s efforts to find cures for blood cancers helped this year's total fundraising campaign collectively raise $145,200! What makes this particularly poignant is this fact - despite our challenging economy, that sum is nearly 20% higher than the chapter's fundraising goal for this year's campaign, and I certainly have each of you to thank for making it such a success! Again, I offer to each of you my most heartfelt gratitude for your participation and support!
Shelley Triol

Update on the Vietnam Vet's May 3rd Car Show

We would like to see a Grrrrrreat "Gathering of the Goats" for this one, so please try to get your Goat dusted off and be at Lawrence Park on Sunday, May 3, 2009.

Since this is an "open" show, tell your friends with Fords, Mopars, Harleys, or whatever... the Vets need our support!

As we noted in the previous posting on the VVA Show, the Vietnam Vets have generously offered to donate a portion of their proceeds to our charity, the Elysian Foundation, so your participation is especially important.

The correct flyer for the show, including registration form, will be emailed to everyone. Due to a technical error, the "Vendor" form was previously published. Please note that the $15.00 pre-registration (with event t-shirt) ends on April 24. Day of show cost will be $20.00. Registration will be from 8:00 to Noon. Since time is short, please send in your pre-registration as soon as possible.

For more information, see the VVA website at www.vva295.org

At last night's IGTOA meeting at the MCL we got nine volunteers to help with show duties on May 3rd... THANKS y'all !!! There will be a "dry run" (for volunteer coordination purposes) Saturday evening, May 2nd, at 6:00 p.m. If possible, it would be helpful to have our volunteers present to be sure our 'ducks are properly aligned'. This should be a fairly short meeting with, in all likelihood, a brewski and a sandwich to follow. The assembly point will be at the back of Lawrence Park. Enter off Franklin Road and follow your nose or give Fitz a call at 753-6310 if you get lost.

Click on image to enlarge and print:

Spring Cruise April 18, 2009

It was a wonderful day! Lots of fun! Put over 300 miles on the Goat w/the top down. About 8:30 am we headed to Rockville, IN. We buzzed the courthouse then headed south to Bridgeton and the old grist mill. Next to the mill is the new restored covered bridge. (The original was burned down back in 2005). The restoration is really well done. From there we headed south to Stohl's Lakeview Restaurant at Boggs Lake on US231 for a great fried chicken buffet lunch. Next we cruised south to The French Lick winery. After wine tasting we buzzed over to the beautifully restored West Baden Springs Resort. The place is awesome! From there we headed back north to Grey Bros Cafeteria in Mooresville. Since we were not that hungry, and John Jump had just called me to let me know he and Pat Siler were at the Suds in Greenwood, we did a drive by at Grey Bros, got some fuel nearby and headed to Greenwood for the Suds. The place was really hopping when we arrived about 6:30 pm. Pat Siler was there with his newly restored triple black '70 GTO HT. It is a very nice car.
Cruz'em if ya Got'em
Prez Bill

About 15-20 cars assembled to make the trip.

It just not a cruz if you don't get lost at least twice and somebody gets stuck turning around :)

Restored covered bridge

Bridgeton Mill

Carl's '68 at the grist mill

Cruz'n with friends on a sunny day - wonderful therapy. Zipp'n down the highway in a '66 GTO convertible at 70mph - exhilarating. Having your wife steer from the passenger seat while you take a picture of the action in the rear view mirror - PRICELESS !!!

Jennifer Mowery in the Mowery's beautiful "arrest me" red Firebird T/A Convertible

One of the Brandywine gang topping off the tank... just in case!

No indoor plumb'n at the grist mill

Covered bridge

No, I wasn't standing up in the drivers seat while Rita drove from the passenger side ... but the thought did cross my mind :) Rita took this one.

April 20th Meeting 6pm Castleton MCL

The Indy GTO Association April Meeting will be held Monday, April 20th at 6:00 pm in the banquet room at the Castleton MCL Cafeteria 5520 Castleton Corner Lane, Indianapolis 317-845-5717. www.mclhomemade.com We could use a good turn out as we are planning our May calendar - lots going on there! Additionally, we need to make some decisions on our cruise-in for Sept. The club's portion of our 50/50 that night will go to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Our guest speaker, Shelley Triol, has been nominated as a candidate for the Indianapolis Man & Woman of the Year campaign benefiting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Winners are chosen based on their success in generating funds in honor of local blood cancer survivors, Josiah Nelson & Alyssa Lewandowski, the Boy & Girl of the Year. Shelley will fill us in on what the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society does for folks in our area. Shelley Triol is currently a Vice President at Sease, Gerig & Associates; past Executive Producer; Assignments & Ops Mgr. at WTHR-TV and Managing Editor, Producer, Assignments at WXIN-TV. (Click here for Shelley's Leukemia & Lymphoma Society page.)

See you Monday night!

Sunday Meeting at Dave Himes Canceled

April 19th meeting at Dave Himes Automazing Performance Center is CANCELED due to soggy lawn parking. Prez Bill is making arrangements to have the April meeting at another location to be announced soon.

Scott Gibbs has moved his business

We had a February meeting at Gibbs in the Castleton area. I (Prez Bill) stopped by there earlier this week and it was ... gone! Just by happen stance, I was on my way to Dave Himes shop in Westfield to retrieve my old 4-spd tranny he had been storing for me and there was Gibbs new shop at the corner of US31 and Thomlinson Rd (where you turn off US31 to go to Dave's shop. This is the building where someone sold Corvettes and then high priced imports (BMW, Mercedes, etc) for a while. It's a nice place for their business and he was doing a lot of work.

Here is their new info:
Gibbs Auto Interiors
18318 U.S. 31 N.
Westfield, IN 46074
317-804-9102 (new phone number)

Rocker We Donated Delivered to Riley

A report from Prez Bill Sanders:
Fitz and I delivered the Amish furniture rocker to the Newborn Infant Intensive Care Unit tonight. Our rocker resides in NICU module #2. I want to thank everyone in this club who helps us out along the way each year so we have the funds to do these sort of things." (Pictured below: David Fitzpatrick with the rocker in NICU-2 at Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis, IN )

"It is always a sobering experience to visit the NICU. The babies in there are incredible fragile. It is simply amazing what these folks can do for a premature baby that only a few years ago would have had no chance at life." (Pictured below: Bill Sanders, David Fitzpatrick and a NICU RN)

"The RN's were very glad to see us and thanked us a lot. Perhaps we can deliver another rocker or two by years end." (Pictured below: NICU Staff)

Editor's note: Thank you Bill and Fitz for presenting this opportunity for our group to be a part of something so meaningful.

Before closing this post, I'd like to thank Bill and Fitz for this comic relief. Bill titled this one "Fitz will never grow up." I'm thinking "Fitz' new ride!" - Betsy

Vietnam Veterans Car Show - Sunday, May 3

Prez Bill and Fitz have been slightly involved in the planning for this event and will be requesting help from the membership the day of the show to assist the Vietnam Vets with parking and logistics. In return the VVA has promised some portion of the show proceeds for our charity. A good showing of IGTOA Goats for the show would also be greatly appreciated. Should be a fun time and much different than most of the shows we attend!

A Thank You from Pat Wyman at the Spina Bifida Association of Central Indiana

Dear Indy GTO Association,
Thank you so much for your generous donation to the Spina Bifida Association of Central Indiana. You are always so kind to include us every year in your donations. As you know, we serve over 90 families in the Indiana area - so the money will be well spent.
Thanks again,
Pat Wyman
President - SBACI
http://www.sbaci.org/htm/home.htm

April 11 Linders Technical Service Car Show on Gasoline Alley Road

Saturday, April 11, 2009 The Indiana Street Rod Assn (ISRA) and Linder Technical Service (4-D Gasoline Alley, Indianapolis, In 46222) are having a car show and walking poker run, with visits to local Gasoline Alley specialty shops. Linder Tech is having a cookout at noon and free injector service is available, but this year the injectors will have to be left behind for service with shipment the following week. The building will be open at 9AM. Members may enter the car show, as all cars are welcome. The car show starts at 10:00am. Walking Poker run: until 2:00pm

Open house to all the listed businesses – all on gasoline alley, no sign up, free, open to public, folks drive their hot rods, show cars etc weather permitting. 11 different shops for the open house and walking poker run.

OPEN HOUSE and POKER WALK - $100 BEST HAND
(Poker walk starts at Linder Fuel Injection)

1. BUBBA'S HOT ROD SHOP
2. LINDER FUEL INJECTION
3. PRO MAX CARBS
4. OL CAR VENTURES
5. WATERMAN RACING COMPONENTS
6. STEVE LONG CUSTOM RADIATORS
7. ACT ADVANCED CORROSION TECHNOLOGES
8. AUTOMOTIVE HAMMER ART
9. VAN CRAFT
10. PETE'S SPEED AND FAB
11. FREELANCE LETTERING

Click on map to enlarge - use back arrow to return to blog.

A word from our Prez

Some info I picked up reading the March 12th issue of Old Cars Weekly News and Marketplace:

Mecum May auction Indy (May 13-17) will feature a very rare Shebly Cobra. Its a 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra coupe CSX2601. One of only 6 built by Carrol Shelby. This car has a storied race history as well as some dude in N. Dakota bought it many years back, after its racing days were over and drove it 300 miles/day to his six gas stations to pick up the receipts for a few years. This car one many races including the World Championship in 1965 with Bob Bondurant behind the wheel. This car is expected to bring over $10,000,000 !!! That's a lot of zeros !! If that happens, this would be the highest bid ever paid at auction for a US manufactured vehicle in history.

Crane Cams has shut its doors in Daytona beach, another victum of the economic downturn.

A one tank trip might be in order to the A-C-D museum in Auburn, Indiana. The artwork of nationally acclaimed automotive artist David Chapple will be displayed March 12th thru April 12th. Don't procrastinate or you'll miss it!

We had a great turn out for the ACC-I meeting at Ray Skillman's Classic car sales on March 14th. We accomplished a few things related to the classic car hobby and managed some time to wander thru the collection and drool.

We also had a successful club mtg at MCL on Monday March 23rd. John Jump graciously accepted the chairmanship of the September cruise-in ... wherever it may be.

Cheers,
Bill S.

March 16th Meeting 6pm Castleton MCL

The Indy GTO Association March Meeting will be held Monday, March 16 at 6:00 pm in the banquet room at the Castleton MCL Cafeteria 5520 Castleton Corner Lane, Indianapolis 317-845-5717. www.mclhomemade.com

Sort of Good News re: SEMA Alert

Indy GTO Association member, Brent Robertson, met with State Representative Jerry Torr on Monday, March 2nd and shared the concern regarding plans for the 25+ year old autos the ACC reported. According to the info found at the State House (after talking to his peers), the proposed ruling are only for Lake and Porter Counties and are based on Federal compliance. The program is ongoing and will not be expanded. (There are no plans to expand the requirements beyond the 2 existing counties.) Jerry will let Brent know if that changes.

Meeting Recap: Gibbs Auto Interiors

Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009 we had a good turn out for our meeting held at Gibbs Auto Interiors: www.gibbs-auto-interiors.net

We would like to thank our hosts, Scott and Heather Gibbs, for their hospitality.


Art Lauer brought a bare '68 front bucket seat for Scott Gibb's to use to demonstrate his area of expertise.

We were all fascinated as we watched Scott work his magic on the seat.

Ta Da! A beautiful job done in less than 45 minutes!

Pontiac's long road comes to an end

Feb. 20, 2009 MSNBC Nightly News with Brian Williams had a feature with James G. Cobb, automotive editor of the New York Times, talking about saying goodbye to the Pontiac, one of America's most storied car brands that brought the stylish muscle car to the masses.

The Garden State GTO Club had 26 seconds of bitter sweet fame in this piece starting at 2.21 with Mike Spizziri's car and finishing with Harold Murray's car.

Links to a story you won't want to miss:

MSNBC Nightly News with Brian Williams intro including the James G. Cobb Piece
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/vp/29307802#29307802

James G. Cobb New York Times Automobile Editor Only
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/vp/29307802#29306980

SEMA Action Network Legislative Alert

Indiana Regulators Propose to Redefine Antique Vehicles to Force More into Emissions Tests

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is proposing to redefine the term ‘antique vehicle” in order to force more of these hobby cars into the emissions inspection program. Under existing law, an antique vehicle is defined as “a motor vehicle or motor scooter that is at least 25-years old.” Under the regulation, the definition would be revised to require that the vehicle must be at least 25-years old, registered and plated as a historic motor vehicle, driven a maximum of 3,000 miles per calendar year, and include Federally required pollution control equipment for that make and model year. Under the plan, the vehicle would be periodically forced into a vehicle emission test site to verify that these requirements have been met. We (SEMA Action Network) Urge You to Submit Written Comments Opposing This Regulatory Proposal by March 13, 2009

Existing law in Indiana exempts any vehicle 25-years old and older from emissions testing. Indiana’s current emissions testing exemption recognizes the minimal impact of vehicles 25-years old and older on vehicle emissions and air quality. Vehicles 25-years old and older constitute a small portion of the overall vehicle population and are a poor source from which to look for emissions reduction. Antique vehicles are overwhelmingly well-maintained and infrequently driven (about one-third the miles each year as a new vehicle). Legislators and regulators are feeling the heat from a failed effort to meet air quality goals and are looking for a convenient scapegoat. The old car hobby should not carry the burden of their mistakes!

Mailed comments should be addressed to:
#08-674 (APCB) I/M Program - "Antique Vehicle"
Manda Clevenger: Mail Code 61-50
Rules Development Section/Office of Air Quality
Indiana Department of Environmental Management
100 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204

Hand delivered comments will be accepted by the receptionist on duty at the tenth floor reception desk, Office of Air Quality, Indiana Government Center North, 100 North Senate Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana. Comments may be submitted by facsimile at the IDEM fax number: (317) 233-2342, Monday through Friday, between 8:15 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. Please confirm the timely receipt of faxed comments by calling the Rules Development Section at (317) 233-0426. Comments must be postmarked, faxed, or hand delivered by March 13, 2009.

Please e-mail a copy of your letters to us (SEMA Action Network) at stevem@sema.org Terms under which this service is provided to you: sema.org/disclaimer SEMA's mailing address: 1575 S. Valley Vista Dr., Diamond Bar, CA 91765 Copyright 2007 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) To view their original email as a web page, please follow this link

Hemming Muscle Machines March 2009 issue

Goatfans,
Thinking of tackling a frame off restoration? It can be done. Check out Mike Spizziri's '69 GTO Convertible project showcased in Hemmings Muscle Machines March 2009 issue #66
Prez Bill