Turn it on, wind it up, blow it out GTO

The first new car I ever owned was a 1969 Pontiac GTO. All my cars before that one had been used, a '49 Chevy, a '52 Kaiser, a '55 Ford, and a '63 Ford. But that GTO was some stylin' car. Right after I bought it, my girlfriend at the time and I decided to make an extended car trip, triggered by the fact that we learned the original New York Cast of "Hair" (which included Diane Keaton) was moving to Los Angeles. I purchased a pair of opening week tickets and we planned our entire road trip around seeing "Hair."

That trip resulted in a number of firsts for me -- my first visits to the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, the Hearst Castle and Salt Lake City. I remember driving the GTO north from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon thinking "I'm going a long way out of my way just to see a hole in the ground." That "hole" turned out to be one of the most awe-inducing sights I've ever seen and, as a result, I now make regular pilgrimages to the Grand Canyon.

Anyway, I thought about that adventure in that particular car today when I read this New York Times story about the demise of the Pontiac as a stand-alone GM division. The Pontiac used to be a great American car and I'm betting just about everyone over 50 has some kind of memories associated with a Pontiac. Can't honestly say I'm going to miss the Pontiac -- I really never thought of getting another one after that original GTO. But I will always remember my first new car and how it took me to my first Grand Canyon experience and to see Diane Keaton live and totally nude in "Hair."

"Take it out to Pomona and let 'em know that I'm the coolest thing around. Little buddy, gonna shut you down when I turn it on, wind it, blow it out GTO. Wa-Wa ....."