Chief Pontiac Lives

There's an old joke that a cop will stop to give a Corvette or a Porsche a ticket for speeding, even if it's parked! There used to be a television commercial that used that idea. I believe, most of us, do indeed characterize and personify certain cars. A Hummer and a big Mercedes are often thought of as tanks, riding roughshod over anyone that gets in the way. Perhaps big Dodge, Ford and Chevy trucks are thought of in the same way, and are advertized that way. I remember thinking that a small Fiat was a bucket of bolts and that a VW Bug was a pesky little thing. Certainly, I think that most people though of top of the line Cadillacs, Lincolns and Imperials, at one time, were the "hoi polloi" of chariots, the way to go if you had a "black tie" function at an exclusive country club. Times have changed and the Lexus, Avalon, Bimmer, Benz, Rolls and Jaguar, are now the "elite fleet."

Driving around Welland, the family car seems most likely to be a van or an SUV, domestic or foreign. The traditional Chevy, Ford and Dodge sedans are still around. For the singles, or couples without children, young and old, the small to medium Toyotas, Hondas, Fords, Buicks, Chevies, Dodges, Pontiacs, Mercuries, Kias, Nissans and VWs are still popular. I felt a pang of loss with the disappearance of the fast and luxurious Oldsmobiles, the fins and the chrome, and the magnificent front grill of the Buicks. Especially I miss the Cutlass,with it's huge engine enabling jack rabbit starts, the Cordoba, with it's fineCorinthian leather, as explained by Ricardo Montalban and the Chrysler Imperial with it's crystal prismatic pentagon as a hood ornament. There's still a small fleet of yacht sized sedans around which bring back memories of the old days when gasoline was reasonably priced.

I have an impression that folks with Pontiacs drive the fastest. Just this morning a Pontiac Firebird passed me on Division and another passed me on East Main. Perhaps they are the busiest people in Welland with an urgent need to get to the stop sign before you do. Perhaps the speedy personality is a hold over from the Bonneville, whose name reflected the Bonneville Salt Flats where the world's fastest land speeds have been achieved. Perhaps Pontiacs have an inferiority complex and need to try harder than the others with whom they have to share the road. Perhaps the name Pontiac, the name of a great North American Indian Chief, suggests that the Native American is trying to reclaim his territory.

Perhaps my impression is incorrect. In Europe, the VW's and Fiats, Minis and Opels, seem to be the little cars that try hard to keep up with the Benzes and Bimmers. Perhaps, here in Welland, we are lucky that driving is not as adventurous as it is in Tokyo, Tel Aviv, Mexico City and Turin. Perhaps, the Pontiacs don't drive as fast as I think.

Thank you for listening.

Sincerely,

Izzy Sommers, Welland, Canada

Cogito. Ergo, sum!
Je pense. Donc, je suis!
I think. Therefore, I am!
Ich denk. Also, ich bin!

I didn't think. Therefore, I wasn't. ;-(