John Fay parks his 1966 red GTO on a white carpet. It’s his most recent Pontiac, but by no means his first. That would be a 1961 Ventura, which he recalls buying for less than $2,000. They sell for around $100,000 these days.
“In second gear, you could hit 110 miles per hour,” Fay said. “I just beat the hell out of it, and you could not hurt it. All I ever did was change the oil, the spark plugs and the tires. That was a good-running car.”
General Motors’ announcement Monday that Pontiac’s run comes to an end in 2010 shrieks like tires before a crash to people like Dan Kruse, who became a Pontiac dealer in 1972. In the tri-states, his name is synonymous with the brand.
“It’s a tragic development as a result of this economic downturn,” he said.
Fay has five children and at one point thought it was a great idea to have a Pontiac Grand Ville for each of them. The Grand Ville rolled out in 1971 and lasted through 1975. Fay once owned a ‘71, a ‘72, a ‘73 and a ‘74. One red, one brown and two maroon. All convertibles.
“I was keeping them out at my dad’s,” Fay said. “He was running short of room and I needed some money, so I had to sell them off.”
But the red 1971 Grand Ville is part of family lore. The first-place trophy Fay won at a car show in Springfield, Ill., in 1994 sits in a prominent spot. Of course, he dragged the family along.
“I think it was about 2,200 miles,” said Todd Fay, who shares his father’s love of cars. “Springfield was a long way with seven of us in a Grand Ville convertible.”
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