Quote:
Originally Posted by gto4door
Thanks for asking around. I was hoping we could find out more about the Towne Pontiac 68-1/2 Ram-Bunctious Firebird. Maybe the modifications made on that car were a precursor to the Blackbird or vice versa.....who knows? Hopefully someone with info on Towne Pontiac will come forward someday. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
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I just got an e-mail from Jim Wangers regarding your question about the Towne Royal conection. Remember the whole theory behind Royal Pontiac was to show case "Streetable" performance. Having a daily driver that you could go racing with on the weekend. Drive to the track and drive home.
Here is Jim's response to me;
Eric,
Sorry for the delay in my response. I do indeed remember this incident. The guys from Towne Pontiac / Cadillac located in Winnipeg Manitoba came to Royal and did spend a great deal of time with Milt Schornak, Dave Warren and even Brian Balish. This was late summer 1967, shortly after the Firebird became available in Canada. They returned to their dealership and built a pretty competitive car. In spite of their aggressive invitation nobody from Royal ever went to Canada.
As they became more experienced, they learned more about Super-Duty and aftermarket equipment, including manual-lash valve train, building a serious non-streetable Racecar, and went far beyond the Royal Bobcat concept. They became just another Dealer who sponsored a competitive Racecar and expected their customers to flock to their shop just to admire THAT car. From mid-'68 we never heard from them again as they felt they had surpassed the Royal Bobcat level.
Hope this helps. Regards to the family.
Jim Wangers