North Coast Chapter (Ohio)10/11 Update

North Coast Pontiac Chapter (Ohio) The featured car for the month of October was Ken Diersing's 1989 Trans Am. Ken's first new car was a 1966 GTO. He enjoyed the performance plus the style of the Goat was very appealing. When Ken was ready to purchase another new car he once again turned to his favorite make, the Pontiac. In 1968 he purchased another GTO. In 1977 Ken purchased a Grand Prix from Jay Pontiac. While friends were attending car shows and cruise-ins, Ken was content to drive around town in one of his Ponchos. Ken enjoyed the superior road handling of the Pontiac with the element of speed; he was definitely hooked and became a fan of racing. The 20th Anniversary Turbo Trans Am had the honor of being selected as the official pace car for the 73rd Indy 500 held on May 28, 1989. The only modifications required to the Trans Am were the safety requirements. The '89 pace car was driven by three-time Indy 500 winner Bobby Unser. The two pace cars and the giveaway pace car for the winner were named after three California cities since they were built at the Van Nuys plant. The cities were Van Nuys, Beverly Hills, and Malibu. Presently, one of the pace cars is in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, and one is in the Pontiac Motor Division car collection. The third was a gift to Emerson Fittipaldi who was the winner of the 1989 Indy 500. That car has been sold to a private collector. Ken was fascinated with this stylish, beautifully sculpted machine. Analyzing the TA's statistics increased his interest. The performance level GM listed was very impressive: 0-60: 5.5 sec, 1/4 mile: 13.5 sec, 60-0: 139 feet. Ken realized this car was the total package. His interest soared. As luck would have it, he found and purchased an '89 Turbo Trans Am pace car in 1991. This white (paint code # 40) Poncho with saddle tan interior can really fly when the rubber meets the road. Ken was so enthusiastic about the TTA's fast bold performance; he has added three more pace cars to his Pontiac collection. Ken enjoyed a recent club event, Drag Day at Thompson Drag Raceway. His '89 ran a respectable 12.21 with the greatest of ease. Ken's favorite three words: PONTIAC, PERFORMANCE, SPEED. Upcoming events: At our November 16th meeting we will have the election for 2012 officers. Our Holiday Dinner Party will be held at D'Agnese's Restaurant in Seven Hills on December 11th . For more information on the North Coast Pontiac Chapter of POCI, contact Carolyn Kucia, 127 Willard Avenue, Bedford, OH 44146, or email onecleannut@aol.com , or please check out our web site at http://northcoastpontiacchapter.org &&You can also search for North Coast Pontiac Club on Facebook (www.facebook.com/northcoastpontiacclub). Meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 7 PM at Jay Pontiac, 18800 Rockside Road, Bedford, OH If you are in the area, please join us.