Joe Bortz to display 4 historic concept cars at POCI Convention
The 1954 Bonneville Special was one of the two Pontiacs shown at the 1954 Motorama. It is in completely original condition and has about 400 miles on the odometer.
Four Pontiac concept cars from the legendary Bortz Dream Car Collection will be featured in a special display at the 2012 Pontiac-Oakland Club International (POCI) Convention, which will be held at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Ill., from July 17-21.
“No matter where these cars are displayed, they always set attendance records,” said Joe Bortz. “The public’s interest in them hasn’t waned over the years, it has actually intensified.”
The four Pontiacs, the 1953 Parisienne, the 1954 Bonneville Special, the 1960 Bonneville X- 400 and the 1964 XP-883 Banshee, each have an incredible story, both in terms of their construction and display but also of their rescue from destruction. Non-production vehicles such as these are normally destroyed after their purpose is served, to avoid product liability litigation.
The 1964 XP-833 Banshee features a powerful 326 HO V-8. Of the two built, it was the only V-8 example. Had it gone into production, it could have given Corvette owners fits.
This was a very bitter pill for designers to swallow - having their fruits of their creativity and hard work being destroyed. “It was like telling an artist that when we're done showing your statue here, we're going to smash it,” Joe explained. “These designers would go to the front office and cry. Now and then, they managed to save one but were instructed that it was never to be seen in public again.”
“We are thrilled that Joe Bortz agreed to share his cars with our membership at our annual meeting,” said POCI President Les Iden. “The unique nature of these vehicles and their historical significance in the automotive industry make them an ideal fit for our convention.”
Open to the Public
Historically speaking, POCI Conventions have been open only to POCI members but in the past few years, they have been opened to the public. This year is no different. While the admission price and other details have not yet been ironed out, the idea is to set it at an affordable level for families to participate.
As an added bonus for convention-goers, Mr. Bortz will conduct a seminar during the convention. He will talk at length about the discovery and rescue of his dream cars with the special emphasis on his Pontiacs. He’ll tell how he found them, what he went through to rescue them and how he went about researching and restoring them to their current show condition. He will also tell the exciting story of he and his son Marc managed to rescue four Motorama Dream Cars from a salvage yard near Detroit.
In addition to show duties, the supercharged 1960 X-400 was used by GM Styling vice president Bill Mitchell as his daily driver. It is one of, if not the, first Pontiac to receive a four-speed manual transmission.
Joe is also active in the collector car market and will also relate his philosophy on collector cars in general and his work with other collections and auctions.
Joe Bortz’s Dream Car seminar is sure to be one of the most popular ones featured in the entire history of POCI. Be sure to plan to be a part of it!
Bortz Dream Cars on the Web
Mr. Bortz was an early proponent of the Internet and its ability to reach people with like interests. As a result, he has a strong internet presence with his collection website, www.bortzautocollection.com and his auto auction consulting business, www.takeyourcartoauction.com, as well as his video channel on YouTube. The video channel has interviews, driving impressions of his dream cars and footage of cars being restored. It is a fascinating collection of videos that keep any car enthusiast busy for hours.
The first Motorama Pontiac was the 1953 Parisienne, an open chauffered town car. It was based on a production model but was heavily modified at GM Styling. It featured a pink leather interior and predicted the look of the rear of the 1955 production Pontiac.
For more information on the 2012 Pontiac-Oakland International Convention, please visit the POCI website at www.poci.org or call tollfree (877) 368-3454.
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