Click here to see more pics on my Bravenet Photo Album site
After travelling to look at cars in Ohio and Illinois, I finally found the one I was looking for in Colorado. I purchased this car in Denver in January 1999. It made the 600 mile trip without skipping a beat, used no oil, and got 27 MPG. The car was stolen from a previous owner, and taken for a joyride. Subsequently, it was put in a ditch, causing the damage I have addressed below. It had 98,000 miles on the clock when I purchased it...it now has 105,000. It has power windows, locks, and mirrors, tilt, cruise, A/C, AM/FM Cassette with the Performance Sound option (factory subwoofer), rear defog, rear spoiler, and a factory sunroof. It IS a manual transmission car....unfortunately, it's a 4 speed, and not the more desireable 5 speed Getrag. The interior on it looks like new...none of the typical driver's seat wear, warping or separating of the interior panels, etc. One of the previous owners painted the ground effects and mirrors white to match the rest of the body. Initially, I was going to repaint them the factory silver color...but after looking at it this way for a while, the monochrome paint scheme grew on me, and I decided to leave it the way it is. I'm a member of a local club, Midwest Fieros, and am also a member of FOCOA and a Lifetime Member of CFOG-I. I've missed having a car to "play with"....I plan on doing some catching up and making the most of this one.
In February of 2000, I had all the damage repaired, and the car repainted. Dan Bojanski of Frank's Body Shop in Louisville, NE did the work, and I'm extremely pleased with it. It looks like a new car, and draws a lot of stares when I drive it! Probably because the driver is such a freakish looking dork, but hey...they're stares, just the same! Now comes the fun part...showing the car. I'm still working on some of the interior pieces that need some attention, but they are all just small items. Seems like I never get everything done, though... as soon as I fix one thing, another one pops up!
So on to the shows. I made it to the St. Louis show in April of 2000, in which I didn't trophy, but learned a LOT of valuable tips. Next, it was on to Wisconsin Dells in May, through storms and flash floods, a couple of which we got caught in! Regardless, I trophied there! It was a great feeling. Then, in July, I entered a local show. I took second place in my class, beating a 95 Corvette! Wow, did THAT feel good! And I didn't even have to bribe the judge!)
Since then, I've entered several more shows. I entered the local show the next year, and took 1st place in my class. I've entered the Pontiac Owner's Association show the last two years, taking a Silver Award the first year, and a Gold Award this year. The icing on the cake was at the FOCOA National Show in Osage Beach, MO, this past August, where I took 1st place in Street Prepared, Early GT. Since that time, I've entered many more shows, including the World of Wheels show in Omaha two years in a row. I've done extremely well...the car usually wins a trophy in every show I enter. Not bad for a car that once sat in a wrecking yard. Showing has become a lot of fun...well, AFTER the car is cleaned up and ready! Seriously, I've met a lot of neat people, and made a lot of new friends!
Finally got the new wheels and tires on!
Before.....
And after.....
This is a picture of the car that started it all...my son's 86 SE V6 5 Speed, next to my then new GT. Unfortunately the SE is no longer ours. After grenading the clutch for a second time in 4 years, I bought a different car for him to drive, and trailered the SE home. Paul Duff of Midwest Fieros was gracious enough to help me put a new clutch in the car. At the time it blew up the clutch, my daughter was turning 16, and needed a car to drive. After repairing the SE, I tried to teach her to drive a stick... but it was not to be. I sold the SE to a local guy who was planning on restoring it. He did do some work on it, but after about a year, he needed a pickup, and so the SE was traded. I've been trying to track it down, and found that it went to the local auto auction, and was sold to a car lot in Des Moines, where it was then sold to a private owner. So, if you're from Des Moines, you own this car, and you're reading this... I'd like to talk to you! The SE is sadly missed...