WIDE TRACK NEws issue 69£2.50 (Free to Pontiac Owners Club Members)

Pontiac

AUTUMN/WINTER 2010

The days are getting colder, the nights are getting longer, no more shows, but the meets carry on!

CONTENTSP4 Regional Focus - HertfordhsireP5 Regional Focus - EssexP6 Billing Summer Show ReviewP8 Feature - FieroP10 Mersea Motor Madness Show ReviewP11 Regional Meets & Upcoming EventsP12 Forum Photo CompetitionP13 Getting To Know The MOT TestP14 Our Sponsors

DON’T FORGET THE CLUB WEBSITE AND INTERNET FORUM:

WWW.POC-UK.ORG

The best place to stay in touch with other members, get technical advice and find out the latest about club events and meets. You can also have your car featured in the Members’ Gallery on the club website. Just email some photos of the car and a short description of your vehicle’s features to our Webmaster: webmaster@poc-uk.org

THE COMMITTEEpresident & founderRobin Gray T: 02088 945 930chairmanSteve Fullam T: 07860 412 181 E: chairman@poc-uk.orgvice chairmanJames Armstrong T: 07702 827 302 E: vicechairman@poc-uk.orgtreasurerChris St. Clair T: 07769 905 839E: treasurer@poc-uk.orgeditor - wide track newsMyra Armstrong T: 07961 951 481E: editor@poc-uk.orgmembership secretarySarah Sykes T: 07767 740 036E: membership@poc-uk.orgevents co-ordinatorMatt Everest T: 07759463954E: events@poc-uk.org area rep liaisonNeil Mancini T: 07764 143 788E: repliason@poc-uk.orgmerchandise (web)Fiona Roylance E: merchandise@poc-uk.orgmerchandise (events)Matt Everest T: 07759 463 954E: events@poc-uk.org publicity managerDave Wayland T: 07850 365615E: publicity@poc-uk.orgwebmasters/WTN DESIGNMark McCubbin T: 07921 908 591 Mark Jarrett T: 07875 250 626 E: webmaster@poc-uk.orgclub photographerCharles Bagley E: photographer@poc-uk.org

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WANTED Reps for the following areas:

HampshireWest MidlandsSouth West CoastNorth West Coast If you are interested in becoming a rep please contact Neil Mancini via email at: repliason@poc-uk.org

POC regional reps represent the club at local and national events. You will have full support from the Committee in promoting the club and have access to your own exclusive regional area on the forum.

REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVESESSEX - David BrydenT: 07922043540, E: essex@poc-uk.org

HERTS - Grant PattersonT: 07810543716, E: herts@poc-uk.org

KENT - John GraddonT: 02083061884, E: kent@poc-uk.org

LONDON - Andy KayE: london@poc-uk.org

NORTH EAST - Scott BainbridgeT: 07790989337, E: northeast@poc-uk.org

MIDLANDS - Mark BrettT: 07504048593, E: midlands@poc-uk.org

SCOTLAND - David MaciverT: 07931607932, E: scotland@poc-uk.org

EAST ANGLIA - Barry LoveT: 07768728329, E: eastanglia@poc-uk.org

SURREY - Sam KnightT: 01737353104, E: surrey@poc-uk.org

SUSSEX - Paul MarshallT: 07791080836, E: sussex@poc-uk.org

THAMES VALLEY - Tim MarottoE: valley@poc-uk.org

WALES - Matt WattsT: 07747441341, E: wales@poc-uk.org

WILTS & GLOCS - Iain HookerT: 01793877399, E: wiltshire@poc-uk.org

YORKSHIRE - Stuart HazelhurstT: 07955488248, E: yorkshire@poc-uk.org

Cover photo by Mark McCubbin, Hayling Island

chairman’s Baffling BabbleHi everyone. Once again it has been a really

good few months, local meets have been very busy I have attended a few myself.

Unfortunately the Hampshire show was canceled by the land owners this year. The Hampshire show is normally our last show of the year so I was disappointed to hear that it had been called off and at such short notice.

The Ace/Billing run was a big success with a glorious sunny weekend, many thanks to all of you that came along.

Many thanks to Adrian Flux for paying for the trophies and for bringing the Flux babes along so that the trophy winners could have a photo taken with the girls and their car. {www.fluxbabes.co.uk}Big thanks also to Autopontiac/Robin for laying on a great BBQ and many thanks to the POC committee for helping to make it all happen.

Next year there will be a few changes with regard to the shows, we shall be trying out a few of the other shows such as Silverstone. We hope to have a list of the shows available for 2011 by Jan/Feb time.

We are almost ready to roll out the new forum with its new features; we will let you know the date when we are ready to go live.

I please to say Sarah (Big Bird) is on the mend after her big operation in July. She has already been

sorting out memberships, there’s just no stopping her! It won’t be long before she is back on the road giving it hell.

Well that’s it from me for now, see you soon and drive safely.

Steve “Cowboy” Fullam

EDITORIALDoesn’t seem that long ago we were preparing

for Wheels Day and the show season has come to a close! Next year we’re planning on some new events around the country so keep your eyes peeled on the events section for news when we get it, if we don’t get any news then Lutonmatt get’s it!

So now we’ve got a bit of a lull I’m doing some tinkering with my Poncho, and the interior gets a bit of attention this time. I’ve managed to find some 4th gen leather seats which are now bolted in after some extensive restoration to the drivers seat, new carpet is on the way from the States (I hope) and

I’ve got some cunning plans with the door cards donated from Firebreather to breath some life back into them.

Let us know what winter projects you have in store folks and send those pictures in.

Finally let me wish everyone a Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New year. Happy Cruising.

James “Banker” Armstrong

GOLD SPONSORADRIAN FLUX INSURANCESERVICES

For full details turn to page 15For a quote email

quotes@adrianflux.co.ukOr visit

www.adrianflux.co.uk

BRONZE SPONSOR

AMERICAN TECHNIQUEFor full details turn to page 14

Or call 01923 225237

CLUB FOUNDER & SPONSORAUTOPONTIAC02088 945930

Enrolment and First Year:£25.00 (PayPal payment £26.00)

Annual Renewal:£20.00 (PayPal payment £21.00)

Annual Joint Renewal:£25.00 (PayPal payment £26.00)

Cheque payable to: Pontiac Owners Club UK

Please post to:Sarah SykesMembership Secretary 199 Eglinton Road, Plumstead, London, SE18 3SN

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Promote your business to over 400 Pontiac Owners and enthusiasts.

We offer great exposure on our Website, the Online Forum and our Wide Track News magazine and Club Events. We have Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsorship and advertising packages to suit your budget.

Please contact our Publicity Manager:

Dave Wayland: 07850 365615publicity@poc-uk.org

CLUB SPONSORS

MEMBERSHIP

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HERTSHi, some of you may already

know me but I thought I should introduce myself. I am the local representative from the Hertfordshire area and my name is Grant Patterson. Those of you who use the forum will know me as ’plumberone’. I have been the Hertfordshire Rep and a member of the club for almost 3 years now and the POC is the first car club I have been a member of.

I am a happily married to my lovely wife, Louise and have two children, Tom and Amy. I have had a very long interest in American cars and the GTA I have is the 3rd yank which I have owned. My first was a ‘77 Mustang (sorry) followed some time later by a ‘86 5 litre HO Firebird which I sold when the children seemed

imminent 13 years ago! A car I wished I had kept. The GTA is a real running project, which I enjoy making a better car (spending money) with the help from Rocky of American Technique - as do a few of us.

The Hertfordshire meet has been a great success at the Red Lion since I started it along, with loads of support

from loads of you guys which I thank you all for. I arranged a Mega meet at the beginning of the year, which the weather managed to put some of you off attending but was a great day for all those that attended. I am looking forward to arranging another for the early part of next year.

I was lucky enough to be awarded to ‘Rep of the year award’ at Billing, although I know many other Reps deserve it more than I. I am looking forward to the coming times with this great club of ours and meeting those of you I haven’t yet met.

Hertfordshire meet: Red Lion Pub, Digswell Hill, Welwyn Garden City, 3rd Sat of the month March till September.

By Grant Patterson

REGIONAL FOCUS

In April, those of you that visit the forum, may have seen a subject which I posted. It was about a good

friend of mine and was about an event that changed my outlook on life and happened on the evening of Good Friday 2010. The night of Wheels day, of all days. The Pontiac Owners Club makes an event of Wheels day and I was looking forward to my first visit to the show.

Myself and Virgil Rob a friend of mine and my brother Dave along with our boys, arranged to meet up with a few of the A602 chaps and cruise down together. The event had a great buzz about it and the only spoiler was the rain! You may remember the front cover of a past WTN.

We had a great day. An uneventful drive home and a swift pint before going our separate ways ended an almost perfect day. Almost until it went very bad indeed, around 10.30pm I got a call from Virgil’s partner Sonia. He had taken a fall. An ambulance was on its way and could I come over to help out?I immediately ran to his place, not far from me. As soon as I left the house the rain poured - a bad omen. After the short run from my house I found horror. Virge was at the bottom of the stairs with 3 paramedics crawling

over him - and what a real bloody mess he was in.

While carrying his daughter up the stairs to bed he lost his footing and fell backwards. With his girl in his arms he was unable to resist the fall and his head took the full impact at the base of the stairs. He was rushed to hospital with a fractured skull and a bleed on the brain. From Lister hospital he was rushed to the Royal Free in London where he was put in an induced coma. I didn’t think he would make it through the night.

Well how wrong was I. After a long haul Virgil is now almost back to himself and has made a 99.9% recovery and will make a full one. (If he ever learns to relax and let Nature do her stuff!). I would like to thank all those that kept their fingers crossed for him, and also for

the fantastic world of help he received from the staff at the Royal Free who did an amazing job of bringing him back from a very bad place.

Grant “Plumberone” Patterson

You Never Know what’s Around The Corner

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ESSEX

By David Bryden

Hi all, this is my first article for the WTN as the new

Essex Rep. I thought I would look back to when I first took the role on, so here we go.

As you know this year did not exactly get off to a good start for all of us with all of the snow and rain we had for weeks on end. But it finally cleared and allowed us the chance to have our first Essex meet of the year at the Checkers diner on 7th March. I would

like to thank everyone who turned up to make our first meet a great one with a nice variation of cars (mine and dad’s GTAs, Ben’s 4th gen Camaro, Baz’s Fiero, Davy J’s 78 Trans Am and Jeffrey’s 73 Trans Am). We all had a good laugh - mostly due to poor Ben locking his keys in his Camaro (sorry mate it had to be mentioned)! It is just a shame we did not get a chance to get inside the new diner but they were packed all day. Dad and I did our traditional burnouts when we turned up and left just to leave our mark.

The Mersea Motor Madness has been and gone now. It

was a great show with another great turnout for the club with 12 members who turned up and I would again like to thank them all for coming down and helping to show the club off to everyone. We may have gained a couple more through handing out leaflets and cards to other Pontiacs that were there on the day.

For the latest news and updates on upcoming shows and meets in the Essex region check out the club forum at www.poc-uk.org

Whilst you are there why not introduce yourself and post a picture of your car on the Essex region.

Not much has been done to my GTA this year. Just spraying the side panels of my spoiler and re-spraying

and pollishing my wheels. But I have got a line-lock to fit, so I can do even more impressive burnouts, and a B&M mega shifter. Hopefully they will be fitted sometime soon. Then I will re spray my bonnet then get a new exhaust because the one on the GTA is getting a bit old now.

CAR Update

As some of you may know a club local to the Hertfordshire area has been a great supporter

of the POC Herts local meet. The A602 Hot Rod club has supported the Red Lion meet from pretty much its start and have been a great source of info and fun.

Stewart the chairman of the club and Grant (yes another Grant) have been along with other members of their club for almost all of the meets and I would like to thank them for doing so. Their club supports many local meets and there is a great social aspect to their club which I find great.

They started a new car show this year called Autorama which was a massive event for them and a great success with over 200 vehicles attending. I hope to give them more support in this show next year with a Pontiac Owners Club stand to show off our great vehicles, so will be looking for support there people.

They have a local meet in Stevenage on every 3rd Tuesday of the month.

Check out their site and say hello on their forum:www.a602sstreetandstriprods.com

SOME Like It Hot

The POC Billing weekend is normally on the June weekend around the 18th to 20th (Fathers day

Weekend), however this year the problem we had was that the Ace Café event had been moved to slap bang on the same weekend as Billing. There wasn’t much we could do about it so after a little thought we decided to run with a double event incorporating a cruise to Billing from the Ace - the idea being that we would meet at the Ace Cafe between 11am-4pm then at 4pm cruise up to Billing. Billing on the Saturday is pretty quiet anyway so it should work we thought.

Well, I arrived at the ace at around 1pm and the car park was full of Pontiacs. Just what I like to see! After having something to eat and a chat with the lads 4pm soon came and a group of us got ready and left for Billing. For the first 20mins or so some of us had been split up by a set of traffic lights but we were soon together again on the M1 cruising to Billing.

We finally pulled in to our usual spot just at the back of the show ground only to find; yes! More Pontiacs and some happy campers. We all had a chat, looked at the cars and after a few hours James, myself and Fiona headed up the road to the motel that we normally stay at when we are at Billing. We are not happy campers like some of you guys are ha-ha! Plus this motel has a very nice curry house with cold draft beer attached to it, get the picture?

Well, as you guessed, after a nice curry and a few beers we finally called it a night and arranged to meet for breakfast in the morning. After breakfast we made our way down to Billing, passing along the way loads of Rolls Royce’s, old and new. A few jokes sprung to mind at this point as we roared past in James’s beast of a car!

We arrived once again at the show ground at around 10am and as always our area was full with cars that were still pulling in to the stand area for most of the day. This year we managed to get Adrian Flux to come along with the Flux babes to help present the club trophies and for the winners to have a photo taken with the girls. Looking back at the photos I see Tom Gray has a firm grip on his flux babe ha-ha. Thank you to Adrian Flux for their support at the show this year.

We also had AutoPontiac’s great BBQ, cooked to perfection as always. Thank you to Autopontiac for providing the BBQ, they never let us down.

On the whole it was a very successful weekend. Loads of cars, trophies, Flux babes, new memberships taken, lots of merchandise sold, food, drink and it was great to meet you all once again. Thanks to all those that came along and thanks to all those that helped out on the stand. Thanks to Andy Kay for arranging the Ace Café meet and I look forward to seeing you in 2011.

BILLING 2010BY STEVE “COWBOY” FULLAM

BILLING 2010 POC TROPHY WINNERS

BEST 60’s:Simon Webber

BEST 70’s:Andy Georgallis

BEST 80’s:JAMES ARMSTRONG

BEST 90/00’s:Jon House

Members Choice:Tom GRAY

War-torn but still kicking!

Matt Watts

REP OF THE YEAR:GRant Patterson

MEMBER OF THE YEAR:Matt Watts

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All of the body panels are non-structural, that is to say, the chassis, minus all of the body panels, can be driven (although it would not be legal to do so on the street!). Some of the panels (door skins, wings, bumpers) are made of a flexible moulded plastic while the bonnet, roof and bootlids are made of a more rigid fibreglass/plastic mix. There are two basic body styles (although there are variations within them, depending on year and model), the notchback, the fastback and then there is the “re-body”.

As a result of the way the panels are separate from the chassis, the Fiero has long been popular for the basis in re-bodying projects. Common re-bodies are Ferrari 308 and 355, as the dimensions of the chassis are very similar to the Ferraris.

The Fiero was never marketed outside of the US and Canada - most of the cars available in the UK are personal imports, with a smaller number having been imported by specialist dealers. Only about

one in 10 has been converted to right-hand drive. Although very rarely seen in captivity, there are approximately 200 of these rare creatures in the UK.

What are they like to drive? This depends on a number of factors (age, condition of suspension, engine/gearbox combination, condition of brakes, etc). In my own experience, they are not difficult cars to drive, although the lack of steering can make parking a bit of an effort (power steering was not a factory option). The 4-cylinder engine is a bit asthmatic and, if you like a bit of acceleration, I’d go for the V6. Remember, though, that you are talking early ‘80s here - the 140 BHP V6 in stock form is not a screamer (about the same horsepower as a bog-standard new Mini Cooper S). The brakes, when in good condition, will deal with most challenges thrown at them, and the handling is, mostly, neutral. It is not at it’s best when pushed hard on narrow winding roads, as it was conceived as a nippy commuter, rather than an out and out sports car. As a motorway cruiser, however, it is fine.

The Pontiac Fiero

If you’ve never seen one before, the first question is - What is a Fiero?

The Fiero is a small (in North American terms) car built in relatively low numbers from 1984-1988. It was quite advanced for it’s time, with a mid-mounted engine, independent suspension, 4-wheel alloy disc brakes, galvanised steel space-frame, non-metallic body panels, etc.

The original Fiero was equipped with a 2.5l 4 cylinder engine, but later became available with a 2.8l V6. Gearbox options, over the life of the car, were 3sp automatic, 4sp manual, and 5sp manual. Many of the parts came from other models in the Pontiac line-up, although many more were unique to the car. The engine and gearboxes were originally found in front-wheel drive cars – they were simply re-positioned to a point just in front of the rear axles.

BY Paul Broadbent

IF YOU’D LIKE TO SEE YOUR CAR FEATURED IN WIDE TRACK NEWS

Please submit your story to editor@poc-uk.org

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What are the bad points? There are a number of minor issues - the handbrake mechanism is a bit fiddly, and if not properly maintained, will seize (a common MOT failure point, but easy to sort). The calipers are unique to the Fiero, and so are not that common here in the UK, but the various re-build parts can be found, and the job is fairly simple. Because of the design of the car, there are very few rattles - most are related to worn suspension components. There are a number of parts specialists in the UK, covering the majority of consumables (spark plugs, distributor cap, etc). Body panels and glass are a bit rare, and you may end up having to get them from the US. Germany is also a good source of spares for the Fiero.

Being left-hand drive can be a bit of a problem but mostly on narrow country lanes, at night, with big hedgerows cutting down visibility. Driving one on single carriageway does mean that you have to put a bit more thought into overtaking, but that is true of any left-hand drive car over here. Fuel consumption is fair, depending on driving style – I can 35 mpg from my V6 but using the loud pedal a lot will have impact, although the worst I’ve had is about 18 mpg. It will be no surprise that a 2.5l 5sp driven gently will return better figures than a V6.

There are stunning price variations on these under-appreciated cars but, generally, you can buy an MOT’able car with a 4-banger and automatic gearbox from about £300. At that price, however, you should expect a fair few flaws but, if they are cosmetic, it can be good value for money. Be prepared to spend some time replacing lost screws and fasteners, re-routing the wiring a previous owner re-routed, etc – all the jobs common to any car pushing 25 years old. At the top end, for a 1988 GT with

5sp manual, low mileage, in excellent condition, you shouldn’t have to pay more than £6000. As usual, you get what you pay for.

On the insurance front, prices vary tremendously, so shopping around is a must. Bargains can be found, however. My own car (an 88 V6 parked on the road) is fully comprehensively insured as my main vehicle (therefore earning a No Claims Bonus) for less than £150 per year (yes - I am over 25!!).

Just remember to do your homework, and if you need to know more, try posting to the Pontiac Fiero UK Facebook group www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=139427288930 - the members there are knowledgeable about Fieros in general, and may even know the car you want to buy.

One last thing - Fieros had a reputation for spontaneous combustion - this reputation was a result of poor quality control on some early 4-cylinder cars, along with a poor attitude from General Motors, who blamed the owners for not maintaining their cars properly. The risk was that low oil levels would cause overheating which then caused breakage of connecting rods (often through the side of the crankcase, spilling oil, etc on the hot exhaust and brake parts), resulting in a vehicle fire. The Fiero was subject to a recall to resolve the issue and many of the cars around now have had the necessary work carried out.

My own opinion of these cars is that, whilst they are not the best “sports cars” around, they are different, fun, practical (within limits) and very good value for money, so go out there and enjoy yourself. I bought my first one in 1985, and my most recent one last year, so there must be some attraction!

Paul Broadbent

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MERRY CHRISTMAS

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year from us all on the POC-UK committee. Hope you get lots of shiny car parts

in your stockings.

www.poc-uk.org

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MERSEA MOTOR MADNESS

First I would like to thank the guys from the AHRA and AACI for putting together another fantastic show.

After a full day of polishing our GTA’s on Saturday we were ready for the show and when Sunday morning came we put the banners and last few bits in the cars and headed for a long 2 mile drive to the show ground. We let everyone know we were coming by doing a few burnouts on the way there with dad getting impressively sideways many times. We were welcomed at the gates by the guys from the AHRA, AACI and Turtlespeed and again after a couple more burnouts we headed on to the field to find DavyJ already there.

We parked up along the edge of the sea wall next to the Skyline Owners Club and set out the area ready for the rest of the members for when they turned up a little while later. We set up the banners and Matt had brought a couple of flags with him to set up aswell.

After the first hour the show ground was packed with a great variation of cars, bikes and a couple of big Kenworth Trucks that sounded awesome. It was not long before the other cars that were turning up had to move on to another field because the main one was full. The weather stayed dry for us and we even saw the sun at one point and a lot of people still got sunburnt from what I heard.

It was nice to meet some new members from the forum and see their cars (sorry we could not fit you all in due to lack of space). I would like to thank everyone who turned up to help promote and show off the club to everyone. Speaking to a few guys from other clubs they all commented on how good all our cars looked - especially Jeffrey Bloomfield’s (Jeff73) 73 Trans Am. They all said that they would love to own it so you had better keep your keys safe mate! I cant wait for next years show to get here again.

David “BRYDENGTA” Bryden

10H142 – Paul Bradshaw - Southend on Sea10H143 – Gordon Dennett - Sale10H144 – Philip Pollard - Feltham10H145 – Phil Robinson - Meopham10H146 – Rachel Lulham - Seer Green10H147 – JD Thomas - Cambridge10H148 – Vinny Roberts - Penarth10H149 – Hans Bjelkhagen - Dyserth10H150 – Tony Mahan - Benfleet10H151 – Hassan Abdul-Hamied - London

10H152 – Sandy Funnell - Shoreham by Sea10K153 – Earnest Vig - Feltham10K154 – Ray Mitchell - Morden10K155 – Andy Eagle - Swindon10M156 – James Cowdery - Colchester10M157 – Peter Yule - Colchester10M158 – Peter Finn - Stafford10M159 – Mark Hammond - Grimsby10M160 – Jason Parsons - Benfleet10M161 – Gordon Bolton - Stockport10M162 – Gavin Argent - Chichester10P163 – Lium Dunn - Norwich

10P164 – Jamie Anderson - Shurlock Row10P165 – Richard Woods - Helston10P166 – Mick Clark - Dartford10P167 – Alan Lyons - Middleton10P168 – Steve Thompson - London10P169 – Amir Hussain - Mancester 10P170 – Mr & Mrs Goodfield - Stroud10R172 – Anthony Dew - Holbeach10R173 – Jason Clark - Biggleswade10S174 – Rob Randall - Willenhall10S175 – Dekker Vermeulen - London 10T176 – Kadri Ozelci - Edmonton

NEW MEMBERS

EVENTS

COWBOY COUNTY MEET LINGFIELD4th Sunday of the monthSmith & Western RestaurantEastbourne Road, Blindley Heath Lingfield, Surrey RH7 6JJSam Knight, 07737 866059

KRISPY KREMESDOUGHNUT MEET3rd Sunday of the month from 8amShannon Corner, New Malden197 Burlington RoadNew Malden, Surrey KT3 4NASam Knight, 07737 866059

KENT AMERICAN MEET 1sr Sunday of the month from 12pm onwards.Riverview Diner, Bybrook Barn, Ashford, TN24 9JZ

CROYDON MEET 2nd Sunday of the Month 4.30—7pmMcDonalds & Burger KingUnit 1, Valley park Leisure Complex, Lathams way, Croydon R0 4XPSam Knight, 07737 866059

DORSET MEET Sundays through the year from 2pmView Point, Poole,Dorset BH14 0QB

GUILDFORD CRUISE1st Sunday of the month from 4.30pmLadymead Retail park(Burger King) Guildford, Surrey GU1 1AJSam Knight, 07737 866059

WILTSHIRE MEET 1st Thursday of the month from 7.30pm (April to Sep)The Sun Inn, Marlborough Road (A4259), Coate, Water, Swindon SN3 6AAIain Hooker, 01793 877399

HERTS MEET 3rd Saturday of the month 11am—1pm (March—Sep)The Red Lion, Digswell Hill, Welwyn, AL6 9AJGrant Patterson,07810 543716

NORTH EAST MEET2nd Wednesday of the month from 7pm.Metro Retail Park, Metro Centre, Gateshead NE11 9XUScott Bainbridge,07790 989337

NORTHAMPTON MEET1st Wednesday of the monthOld Orleans, Sixfields, Northampton, NN5 5QLMark Brett, 07504048593

WEST MIDLANDS MEET 1st Sunday of the month from 3pm (April to October)OK Diner, A5,Bridgetown, Cannock, Staffs, WS11 0BN

ESSEX MEET2nd Sunday of the month from 12pmCheckers DinerAmaryllis House, Montrose Road, Dukes Park,Chelmsford, Essex. CM2 6TEDavid Bryden, email: essex@poc-uk.org

I would like to thank everyone who has come out this year and made it to the shows. And to the ones that

did not - why not?! Haha!

It was a mixed year this year with some light rain, some heavy rain and the odd bit of sun. We’ll all have to do the sun dance for next year, but please not naked in the garden - it’s a bit cold for that at the moment anyway! Plus James did this at the start of the year and thanks to him we had lots of rain.

Next year we hope to have some new shows on the cards including Silverstone Classics and a few others.

Keep an eye on the forum for these, and any others which tend to pop up at the last minute! Before the show season starts we have our own POC Mega Meet on 23rd Jan (see below). Lets make this a good turnout!

Until then I hope your cars are nicely covered up and hiding from the snow, or for the brave - or perhaps fool-hardy - being used as they should and sliding everywhere! Lets hope for a sunnier 2011.

Matt “Lutonmatt” Everest,Events Co-ordinator

POC REGIONAL MEETS

23 January 2011New Year POC Mega Meet!7 Hotel & American Diner,London Road, Polhill,Halstead, Kent, TN14 7AATel 01959 535890

16-17 April 2011Spring NationalsBilling Aquadrome, Northants

22 April 2011 Good FridayWheels DayRushmore Arena, Aldershot, Hampshire

17-19 June 2011Summer NationalsBilling Aquadrome, Northants

19-21 August 2011Late Summer NationalsBilling Aquadrome, Northants

FORTHCOMING events

(Shows in red are our Official POC events with trophies!)

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David Bryden

Forum Photo Competition

Mark McCubbin

Some more good photos have appeared on the forum in the last few months. The themes this time around were Location (July), Sports Day (August) and Sunset (September).

Tony Jukes gets the back cover with his photo of a silhouetted sunset by the sea, whilst sporting an exceptional Hasselhoff hairdo, ruffling extravagantly in the wind, at the same time!

Robert Cass

David Bryden

Matt Watts Matt WattsSarah Sykes

Mark JarrettJeffrey Bloomfield

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HISTORY OF THE MOT

The MOT test began in 1960 due to cars and light vans

being bought after World War II that were not sufficiently road worthy.

It applied to any car or van that was over 10 years old, until 1967 when it was reduced to 3 years old.

The MOT name means Ministry of Transport.

Some things have changed over the years others have not changed at all.

The MOT test is a minimum road standard set by the people in government and in the EU.

THE MOT TEST

The MOT covers most areas of the car steering, brakes, suspension, lights, tyres, body and emissions.

Some important years:

01/09/1965 and before may have indicators incorporated with side lights or stop lights (e.g. red indicators). After 1965 you must have amber indicators.

01/04/1980 and after must have a rear fog light which is fitted to the centre or offside

01/01/1973 and before may use black registration plates with white grey or silver characters.

JOHN’S TOP TIPS

Get it done in plenty of time; you can have it tested up to 4 weeks before it expires, just in case it fails.

Clean it, inside and out. A clean car is nicer to test and puts the tester in a better mood (always an advantage).

Make sure you have enough petrol or diesel in it.

TOP TEN TIPS

1. Buy chocolate biscuits for tester

2. Check all lights work

3. Check tyres, tread depth, size and pressures

4. Check levels, engine oil and coolant, and washer fluid

5. Check washers work and wipers clear the screen effectively

6. Check bodywork for sharp edges caused by rust or accident

7. Check exhaust for leaks, condition and mountings

8. Check seatbelt condition and operation

9. Check brakes, operation and wear (you can often see pads with wheels on)

10. Check windscreen and mirrors for damage

If you ever lose your VT20 (pass ticket) any MOT centre can do a duplicate for you as long as you take your V5 (log book).

Or you can look on the Direct Gov. website and find out all your MOT’s for your pride and joy. Additionally, if you wish to buy a car, you can also check this website to see if it has passed over the last few years and check the mileage.

The MOT test is only good for the time the car is tested, not 6 months later when something falls off. It does not mean that it is good for a year. Remember things wear out, just because it was good last year does not mean it will be good this year.

GETTING TO KNOW THE MOT TEST AND TOP TIPS HOW TO PASS

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TECHNICAL ADVICEDon’t forget, if you need any advice or help with problems on your Pontiac, have a look on the technical section on the club forum where John Bryden (superchargedgta), Rocky and many other helpful and knowledgable members, will do their best to help. If you are near (or not so near) Colchester, and are a club member, you get a discount on MOT tests at Anglia Tyres (01206 871846, ask for John Bryden). Surrey Rep Sam Knight and Events Man Lutonmatt (the Luton in Kent, not the Luton in Luton...) will also MOT your Poncho.

At American Technique we offer a wide range of services and advice from quick and easy repairs to long term restoration projects. We specialise in

bodywork & chassis tuning modifications & improvements.

We are the only company in the UK to design & build sub-frame connectors and our own selection of suspension/brake products. We can manufacture unique parts for your vehicle.

By sourcing parts as required we are able to supply from some of the US major distributors: Eibach, YearOne, Magnaflow, AirBagIt, NPD, SLP Engineering, Spohn Performance.

From minor blow ins to full car re-sprays we guarantee a high quality finish.We offer very competitive prices with discounts for club members without compromising on the quality of workmanship which we pride ourselves in. See the results for yourself at

www.americantechnique.co.uk

Tel: 01923 225237

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• We are now approved to reunite vehicles with their original year of registration using the V765 scheme [see DVLA website for details].

• We will be in the DVLA booklet of approved owner clubs for all to see.• We will be on the DVLA website for all to see.• We as a club will be able to provide letters of proof of year of manufacturer after VIN has been

decoded by us or a 3rd party.• We also have a direct point of contact for DVLA via phone or email should you need any advice.• Insurance valuation letters will carry more weight with insurance companies now we are on the DVLA’s

approved list of owner clubs.

POC points of contact for contacting DVLA are via Steve Fullam, Sarah Sykes or James Armstrong.

DVLA APPROVED!

www.autopontiac.co.uk

Phoenix House10-12 Hounslow GardensHounslow

MiddlesexTW3 2DUTel: 020 8894 5930

adrian flux insurance servicesgold club sponsor

The Pontiac Owners Club has tied up with specialist broker Adrian Flux Insurance Services that gives members discounts on insurance, not only for Pontiac’s and other cars but also in loads of other areas including home

insurance. Flux was one of the first brokers to insure American cars, developing pioneering schemes back in the early Seventies. The company also has plenty of experience in dealing with car clubs - in fact Flux has set up a dedicated owners club team.

So, Flux knows clubs and it knows American cars, which makes the broker a great choice as POC’s preferred insurance provider. Flux’s Club Liaison Manager Craig Darwin explains some of the benefits: “I guess the headline offer for most members will be that we give up to 15% discount on your Pontiac’s insurance. On top of that, members can claim up to 10% discount on insurance for house and contents, cars, motorcycles, kit and custom vehicles, motorhomes, caravans and even trikes and quads.”

American-car-friendly service, insurance and breakdown cover

Flux offers several other benefits for members - such as agreed values, free legal expenses cover and an American-car-friendly breakdown service, including homestart, relay and roadside assistance, that costs only £45 a year.

“We try to make things as easy as possible for Club members” says Craig. “For example, we have a dedicated Club phoneline that means your call will go through to specialists who’ll know what you’re talking about - they understand what you drive, whatever the model or modifications, and will be able to answer your questions quickly. Of course, they should also be able to sort out an excellent deal on your insurance, and give you instant quotes and instant cover. They’ll also be able to help you sort out an Agreed Value figure.”

If you want to find out more about the special deals on offer, freephone the Flux Club quoteline on 0800 089 0035 or visit www.adrianflux.co.uk/american. When asking for a quote, mention you are a member of the POC and Flux will apply the appropriate discount.

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Photo by Tony Jukes