Fans of Pontiac vehicles saddened by latest news

By Jon Moffett

GM’s announcement spells grief for hobbyists.

YOUNGSTOWN — For its first birthday, the Northeast Ohio chapter of the GTO Association of America had all of its presents taken away.

When Scott Hudler, who formed the local chapter last April, got word Monday that General Motors had dropped the Pontiac brand, he didn’t take the news well.

“The news makes me sad, I can admit that,” said Hudler, the president of the Northeast Ohio chapter of the GTO Association of America. “I was hoping they [GM] could get through this without getting rid of Pontiac.

“It’s a dark day.”

Hudler, 44, of Cortland, has been a fan of Pontiac vehicles since he was a child. He founded the local GTO chapter last April after realizing there were others who shared his passion for Pontiacs.

“I’m still kind of coming to grips with it myself,” he said of Monday’s announcement. He said Pontiac enthusiasts had heard rumblings of the line’s demise, but were still not completely prepared.

“It caught a lot of people by surprise,” he said.

Many aficionados expected a cutback, but not a complete product line cancellation.

Officer Marty Kane, 58, a captain with the Youngstown Police Department, is another member of the faithful who is disappointed the iconic Pontiac has hit the end of the line.

Kane said no other company offered Pontiac’s allure.

“I just think it’s sad because the Pontiac line has kind of been known as the excitement and muscle car line,” he said. “Even though in the past few years it hasn’t been known as that, they were coming back with some cars with some more power, and now it’s gone. It’s a shame.”

Vintage cars, including older Pontiacs, have become family heirlooms for hobbyists and collectors.

Kane owns a 1967 GTO and plans to give it to one of his two sons.

Hudler has fond recollections of going to a dealership with his aunt when he was 5 years old and falling in love with her new car, a 1971 Firebird. Twenty years later, Hudler purchased the car from his aunt and has owned it since.

He, too, hopes to pass it down to one of his sons, Josh, 8, or Matt, 13.

“There was just something about that car, and I became a fan from that moment,” he said, discussing the instant attraction to his dream car. “I have to thank my aunt for that.”

In addition to the Firebird, Hudler also owns a 2006 G6 and two 1969 GTOs, one orange and one silver.