Mac McKellar was Chief Engine Engineer at Pontiac. He played an integral role in Pontiac V-8 performance development. This 1977 executive photo of Mac comes courtesy of GM Media Archives.
If I ask whom you consider your Pontiac hero(es), who comes to mind? Maverick general managers Bunkie Knudsen, Pete Estes, and/or John DeLorean probably do—and deservingly so. How about Malcolm “Mac” McKellar?
To Pontiac performance enthusiasts, Mac is immortal. In fact, his tenure at Pontiac began before any of the aforementioned (in 1937, to be exact) and his success with the Pontiac V-8 during the ‘50s and ‘60s helped propel Knudsen, Estes, and DeLorean’s legacies to legendary status.
Mac began at Pontiac in 1937 and his friends and coworkers at Pontiac held a retirement party for him in 1982.
As Chief Engine Engineer, Mac humbly preferred keeping a low profile, instead letting his product speak for his talents. Within the Division he was respected and admired by coworkers. His contributions played an integral part in propelling Pontiac as the brand to beat on drag strips and oval tracks alike, and that made Mac’s name noteworthy to the competition, too.
When you were as talented as Mac McKellar, the spotlight sought you. I grew up reading about Mac, his powerful V-8 achievements, and the infamous camshafts he developed—including the hydraulic numbers 068 and 041 and the venerable mechanical number 10 that bears his name—in various Pontiac books and magazine articles.
Mac gained stardom with the general automotive public when he appeared on the cover of Hot Rod Magazine’s March 1968 issue.
I knew Mac’s name from a young age, but never expected to see him in person. My dad and I attended our first POCI National Convention in Moline, Illinois in 1996. While walking through the show field, we happen across Mac’s 1963 Grand Prix and its experimental OHC 421 that Pontiac gifted him upon his retirement. As we took in his beautiful car and its unique cammer V-8, there stood Mac, just behind the car. I recall my dad and I looking at each other and saying “There he is! There’s Mac!” At most I offered a casual “hello” because 1) I was in awe that we were in the presence of McKellar and 2) we didn’t want to bother him. If you knew Mac, however, visiting with Pontiac hobbyists was never bothersome.
My dad and I first happened across Mac’s beautiful ‘63 Grand Prix at the 1996 POCI National Convention in Moline, Illinois. Shortly after snapping this picture, we found Mac standing just out of view. He was always a pleasure to visit with.
Within a few years I began writing for High Performance Pontiac magazine and I used that as an opportunity to professionally contact Mac for various articles. Each time we spoke he was always courteous and happy to answer my questions and share his recollections. While I can’t say I was personal friends with Mac like some, he knew who I was and always took an interest in the project I was working on whenever I phoned. I still recall how saddened I was when I learned of his passing in April 2011.
Mac and I shared a mutual friend in Jeff Denison (who recently retired from a lengthy and successful career at GM Design Staff). You’ll recall Jeff as the facilitator who helped me acquire my ’74 Formula 455—a Pontiac yearned since my youth. Jeff had been close friends with Mac for years and would regularly organize lunches and dinners so Mac could spend time with his friends and former coworkers.
Beneath the hood of Mac’s Grand Prix we found this experimental OHC 421 that Pontiac gifted Mac upon his retirement.
When Mac passed, his daughter entrusted Jeff with cleaning out Mac’s garage and selling his vehicles and parts to those that would appreciate them. She also allowed Jeff to keep several mementos that Mac saved from his tenure at Pontiac. Most might consider trinkets from work insignificant and of little value, but to Mac’s friends and fans, they were vestiges of his venture through Pontiac history.
Jeff has been gifting certain pieces of Mac’s to friends who he’s certain will cherish them. One day this past February I received a text message from Jeff informing me to be on the lookout for a gift he dropped in the mail. He said it wasn’t anything valuable but that I would find it invaluable. He added that I’d probably have to spend a little money on it and hoped I wouldn’t mind.
In February 2021 Jeff Denison sent me an envelope. I was astounded to find it contained Mac McKellar’s nametag from the 1973 Pontiac Press Preview where the division introduced the SD-455. Notice Jeff’s note at right offered a suggestion on how to display Mac’s nametag.
There I sat, wondering what it could be. I decided to wait in suspense as opposed to speculating because with Jeff, you never know what lies in store! A few days later, a standard sized envelope arrived in my mailbox. I carefully opened the envelope to prevent damaging its contents. As I unfolded Jeff’s handwritten note I was stunned to find Mac McKellar’s nametag from the Pontiac’s 1973 Press Preview.
Many might question what makes a nametag from a press event so special? For Pontiac performance fans—particularly second-gen Firebirds fans—that Press Preview, which took place on Black Lake at GM’s Milford Proving Ground during the summer of 1972 is where Pontiac introduced its new-for-1973 Super Duty 455 to the automotive world!
Jeff’s personal note to me. I am honored to have a memento of Mac’s!
As an SD-455 fanatic, I’m continually attempting to learn more about the 1973 Press Preview and the engineering test mules Pontiac had on hand. The event was written about in most new-car magazines of the day and each author shared their impression of the SD-455 and test vehicle performance. Most were resoundingly positive, complementing Pontiac for having the guts to introduce a race-bred engine back at a time when others were shying away from performance.
Pontiac’s 1973 Press Preview has intrigued me for decades and Jeff knew this. Reading and rereading all those articles, visiting with those who were in attendance that day (from Pontiac and the magazine writers), and collecting paperwork and pictures from the event is about as close as I ever imagined I could get to being there that day. Little did I know that part of that day would come to me via Jeff!
As I held Mac’s nametag in my hand, I was flooded with thoughts of all that transpired on that June 1972 day. Undoubtedly, that 2 x 3-inch piece of dyed material absorbed the words Mac shared from the podium along with Herb Adams’ commentary on the SD-455. It absorbed the excitement magazine writers expressed as they beat the snot out of the Super Duty Firebirds, Grand Am, and GTO available for testing. And it absorbed exhaust fumes and tire smoke from those very cars. I could almost hear and smell all that being emitted just for me.
To accompany Mac’s nametag from the 1973 Pontiac Press Preview, I selected a press photo from my collection that I felt best encapsulates my impression of that day. Marty Schorr (of High Performance Cars lore) provided me with this photo for my 70-81 Firebird book.
So, what should I do with Mac McKellar’s nametag from the Pontiac event I find most interesting? Jeff’s note suggested that I mount in a custom frame with a press photo from that day. Heeding Jeff’s advice, I went through my photo collection and selected one I felt best exemplified the event. I visited my local JoAnn store, explained to the framing attendant what I sought, selected the colors and museum quality glass, and within a few days, I took possession of what I consider the centerpiece of my Pontiac memorabilia collection.
After having both mounted in a frame at my local JoAnn store, I consider this the centerpiece of my Pontiac memorabilia collection.
While a personalized nametag from an event is throwaway to many attendees, I wonder what prompted Mac to keep this one over others? Did he know the 1973 Press Preview would hold special meaning to Pontiac fans years later? Or did he find that day special because it marked the beginning of second pinnacle of Pontiac performance with the SD-455. No matter if for specific reason or sheer happenstance, I am extremely fortunate to have a piece that physically connects me with that day, but also to Mac McKellar himself, because of Jeff Denison. It’s a gift I will always treasure!
