Car Guy Magazine Car Guy Magazine Issue 914 | Page 50

Cowboy Collectors buy “Holy Grail” Pontiacs

F

ans of the Discovery Channel’s
Fast ‘N’ Loud enjoyed the account of Gas Monkey Garage’s
epic acquisition, restoration and sale
of two very significant muscle cars.
The first and second Firebirds ever
built, two of Pontiac’s “Magnificent
Five,” were bought from Chuck Alekinas, former UK and NBA basketball
player. Having acquired the pair, Gas
Monkey’s Richard Rawlings made a
striking deal with their new buyer,
but it came with a punishing rider:
restore them to museum condition
in just sixty days, or pay a $10k a day
penalty for every day over deadline.

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The team at Gas Monkey rose to
the challenge and enthusiasts got
a chance to enjoy the historic pony
cars at the 3rd annual Concours
d’Elegance of Texas on May 4th,
when their new owner unveiled
them to the public. They now reside
in a permanent pride of place in a
private museum in Colorado.
Having watched the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro enter
the pony car market, Pontiac had
joined the race in 1967, creating a
unique identity for its new Firebird.
Rather than offer one car with multiple options, it instead presented

“The Magnificent Five,” each model
offered with its own distinctive style
and different engine. “The discovery
of the very first and second Firebirds
ever built, two of the Magnificent
Five, was an enthusiasts dream,”
said JD Pass, entrepreneur, collector,
cowboy and long-time friend of Gas
Monkey Garage. He and his business
partner, a lifelong Pontiac enthusiast,
were branding cattle on a Dakota
ranch when they learned of the discovery of the “Holy Grail” Pontiacs
“over the mooing and bellowing of
hundreds of cattle”. “Having done the
deal and bought the cars from Gas