Hundreds Gather For The 35th Annual Pontiac Oakland Convention

Friday, July 13th 2007, 8:36 pm

By: News On 6

Pontiac is a town in Michigan, just a little bit north of Detroit. But for this weekend, Tulsa is the center of the Pontiac universe, as hundreds of devoted fans of the Pontiac nameplate converge on Green Country, bringing with them the very best of the brand. This is the 35th year for the convention. The News On 6â€™s Steve Berg reports they go to a different city every year, and this year, the Pontiac fans are in T-town.

Tulsan Jack Keane is like a kid in a candy store.

"Beautiful show, there's just some excellent cars here,â€ Keane said.

Like a candy-apple red Pontiac Bonneville from 1958. Donna Boggs says there were only 9,000 of them built. Even more rare is gas-cap configuration, tucked away behind the left rear turn signal. Don't let your friends try to filler up.

"You'd better tell them where it's at. They'll tear everything off trying to find it,â€ said Boggs.

Behind every car, it seems, there's a story. Boggsâ€™ car belonged to her husband Richard Boggs who passed away two years ago next month.

"It's full of memories,â€ she said. â€œWe'll do him proud."

Bob Case is the proud owner of maybe the most memorable model, a 1964 GTO, the first year they made the GTO. He says he picked his up from the dealer on December 7th, 1963, and he's believed to be the longest original owner in the world.

"Just held onto it and very glad that I have,â€ said Case.

So what is it about the arrowhead that inspires such devotion? We asked Phillip Rauch.

"Well, the nice thing about the Pontiac is they're low RPM, high-torque motors. You don't have to wind them up to get them to go. They'll just power right off the line, and that's where you want it,â€ Rauch said.

We didn't think it was the naugahyde, although that is vintage 41-year-old stuff.

"You want a road warrior, you get an Indian, you get a Pontiac,â€ Rauch said.

"Just brute power, they had lots of power, and I always had good luck with them,â€ said Case. "In my younger days, I did race it, street and otherwise."

The icons from every era are here. Occasionally though, they'll be out and around the streets of Tulsa.

"Sure, you know, massage the concrete a little bit. Nobody likes shiny tires, makes it look like you don't drive them,â€ Rauch said.

They've got brand-new models at the show too, like the Solstice, a very, sharp looking convertible roadster, the G8 concept car and one thatâ€™s not even on the lots yet, a V8 rear wheel drive performance Sedan that goes on sale early next year.

The show goes on all day Saturday. It's free of charge.

Watch the video: Green Country Plays Host To The Pontiac Oakland Convention

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