For years I have been collecting vintage amateur photos with Pontiacs in them. They are in a variety of formats— 3 x 5” or 4 x 6” prints, 35-mm negatives, 35-mm slides, etc. Most are black-and-white but many are in color. Some were as simple as an impromptu photo with the family Pontiac in the background while others are as specific as an owner photographing his new Pontiac. All, however, provide a glimpse of everyday life of times gone by.
While recently rummaging through my collection looking for a specific image, a couple of photos really grabbed me. They are of wrecked Pontiacs that, at the time of the incident were very new. One was of a beautiful ’68 Firebird 400 and the other a classy ’68 GTO. Both were significantly damaged.
This September 1968-dated photo depicts the crash scene of a nearly-new ‘68 Firebird 400. The significant roof damage suggests a roll over. No additional details are available.
As I stared at the photos I started thinking about these two cars and their owners. Pontiac was at the top of its game in 1968. And its Firebird and GTO were two of the hottest vehicles on the road at that time. These two particular Pontiacs were new vehicle purchases for someone earlier that model year and delivery day had to be quite exciting!
As I surveyed the vehicle damage, I began thinking about how disappointed each owner had to be when their new Pontiac met its untimely demise. In an instant their prized possession went from a beautiful piece of industrial art to a mangled mess of crumpled metal, and the damage was such that no insurance company would pay to repair. As I pondered what the owners replaced them with, it occurred to me that these photos weren’t just of wrecked cars. It’s quite possible that someone could have been gravely injured in the respective crash. Without any details, I can’t make any assumptions so I'm simply hoping that wasn’t the case in either instance.
This August 1968-dated photo depicts a nearly-new ’68 GTO that had been t-boned and likely totaled. The Ohio license plates are dated 1968.
These photos made me reflect about the stories we’ve all heard about an original owner driving his or her new Pontiac off the dealership lot and crashing it within hours of taking delivery. One tale I was told involved a Midnight Blue ’65 GTO with Tri-Power induction and 4-speed manual transmission. The original owner was in his late teens at the time and his parents cosigned on the loan. According to his acquaintance who told the tale to me, supposedly the GTO was too much for him to handle at such a young age and he wrecked it badly just down the street on his initial drive home. I can’t attest to any or all of it being fact or fiction, however.
So what Pontiac photos do you have in your collection? And what stories do they invoke for you?