When it comes to cars and family, distance is not an issue for Mike Griffith.
In 1978, Griffith moved to Calgary from Montreal, bringing with him his 1977 Pontiac Trans Am, a car he ordered new from Champlain Motors in Verdun. Griffith still owns the car.
His dad, Fred, also purchased a new car from Champlain Motors – a 1971 Pontiac GTO convertible. Well, the car was almost new.
“My dad’s the original owner, less two months,” the younger Griffith said. “Someone bought it brand new, drove it two months, and then couldn’t keep it. The salesman knew my dad was looking for a GTO and he phoned and offered it to him. My dad drove straight over and bought it.”
The GTO was a daily driver for several years, through summers and winters. By the early 1980s, the Pontiac was starting to show its age, and Fred parked the car at the summer cabin in Rawdon, a town some 60 kilometres north of Montreal. Time and nature were not kind to the GTO. Water found its way inside, as did birds and mice.
Fred Griffith with the GTO at his home.
Dario Ayala, Driving
Father, 81, and son, 61, are both trained mechanics. The son retired in 2008 after 35 years with CP Rail. He knew he’d be busy with car projects.
“I was coaxing my dad to rescue the GTO,” Mike said, “and, in the mid-1990s, he decided he was going to restore it and took it apart.”
However, the original body was so far gone that Fred had to buy a parts car. This vehicle yielded a decent body, into which all of the original car’s components were eventually transferred.
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And as time passed, father and son managed to restore the chassis and running gear. The GTO’s 400 cubic-inch engine has been massaged with ported, polished and shaved cylinder heads. An Edelbrock intake manifold and carburetor have been added together with a mild performance camshaft to give the car a bit more grunt.
While Fred wanted his son around to help with the restoration, he did do some chores without him. For example, Fred’s young nephew, Rob Martin, assisted him in marrying the body to the frame.
Fred Griffith with his 1971 Pontiac GTO.
Dario Ayala, Driving
Mike would drive or fly to Montreal every two years, and while there, some work would be done on the GTO. It wasn’t until Griffith retired, however, that a push was made to complete the project.
“In 2008, I was down three times – I drove once and flew twice,” Mike said. After that, he visited yearly, usually spending the month of July in Montreal.
His wife, Liz, has driven with him back to Montreal in a 1975 Chevy van. By himself, the son also twice made the trek in his Trans Am.
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“My Trans Am has been rebuilt while I’ve been driving it,” Mike explained. “I used to race it at Calgary International Raceway, and I’ve now got a 455 HO engine from a 1970 Grand Prix in the car, coupled with a Tremec TKO 600 five-speed transmission and 3:42 gears in the rear. It’s dead reliable, and gets 22 miles to the gallon on the highway.”
Mike Griffith poses with his 1977 Trans Am at the Max Bell Arena in Calgary.
Aryn Toombs, Driving
Most restoration parts for his dad’s GTO were purchased in Calgary at Classic Performance. He would pick them up, and then ship the pieces to Montreal. The interior kit, stereo, body and bushing bolt kits, for instance, all came from the local shop.
Fred began his project at the cabin in Rawdon, where there is an oversize single car garage. Once the body had been painted and was back on the frame, the GTO was moved to the family home and its two-car garage in Montreal.
While the 1971 GTO was originally Lucerne Blue, Fred made a decision to paint the restored car GM Cheyenne Red. He’s owned several other cars that were red, including a 1969 GTO and many Cadillacs, so it’s safe to say he prefers that colour.
Work on this GTO started in the early 1990s. It used to be blue!
Dario Ayala, Driving
“We finished the GTO in 2014, and while it’s insured and plated, road ready and road worthy, we still have a bit of tinkering to do,” Mike said.
What the younger Griffith is most looking forward to will happen this summer, when he drive his Trans Am back to Montreal.
“My dad and I are going to cruise the Orange Julep, with both of our cars side by side with the hoods up,” he said.
The Orange Julep is a Montreal fast-food restaurant at the base of a three-storey tall orange. For more than 40 years, on Wednesday nights from May to October, the Orange Julep hosts what is referred to as Hot Dogs and Hot Rods – a night of food and nostalgic rides.
Said Mike, “Visiting the Julep with dad and our cars will simply be the icing on the cake.”
Greg Williams is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Have a column tip? Contact him at 403-287-1067, gregwilliams@shaw.ca, or visit gregwilliams.ca.
