Alluring peek sparks love of 1968 Firebird
Chet Kumm ordered his 1968 Pontiac Firebird new, but only because he was “late to the game.”
His 1960 Pontiac Ventura had recently died and he needed wheels in the fall of 1967.
“I went car shopping. I knew exactly what I wanted,” the Huntley resident said. The then 21-year-old was laser-focused on a gleaming GTO when he walked into Seltzer Pontiac in Chicago.
“I had all the options already picked out. But I was too late to place my order,” Kumm recalls. Still, muscle transportation alternatives were plentiful at the time, and the young man spied something he liked in the corner of the showroom. The vehicle was under a cover with just the front fender exposed.
“I could make out it was a 1968 Firebird. I didn't see much but I really liked what I saw,” Kumm said.
A salesman frantically ran to re-cover the vehicle as it was too early to show the next year's model. The quick look was enough for Kumm. He arranged for a test drive and upon returning sat down to order one himself. The young man ticked the boxes for a 400 Ram Air engine, a four-speed transmission and Verdoro Green paint.
“Most of the Firebirds I had seen on the streets were blue and black,” Kumm said. “The one in the dealership was green and I really liked it.”
All told, his order rang up at $4,231.08. Eight weeks passed — an “eternity,” according to Kumm — before his newly created street machine arrived. On the November day Kumm took delivery, a heavy layer of snow and ice coated the streets.
“I had never driven a four-speed. In addition, being so cold, the car was idling high. Just letting out the clutch a bit caused the car to spurt forward,” Kumm said. He made it home and months later, when the weather warmed, Kumm made some personalizations.
He added a rear spoiler, traction bars and hood locks. In addition to around-town errands, Kumm traveled on longer drives with his 'bird. In 1969, he journeyed to Niagara Falls in New York, and cruised around Lake Michigan. The vehicle was driven heavily throughout the 1970s, at which point Kumm changed jobs.
A new perk included the use of a company car, allowing him to put the Pontiac in storage. The Firebird's fate came close to changing drastically in 1981. With the nation's first gasoline crisis in full swing, Kumm put the car up for sale. The asking price was $1,900 and several potential buyers came knocking.
“They really liked it but none of them could take it on,” because of concerns over rising gas prices, Kumm said. In 2000, he pulled the 'bird back out and embarked on a restoration.
His three-month overhaul included such things as taking care of rust on the front body panels, removing the hood locks and filling the holes they left behind, and a total repaint. All of the original sheet metal was retained. The engine had been leaking oil from the rear main seal and was removed and rebuilt.
Many original components have been retained, such as the glass, vinyl top and interior. Since the project, Kumm has shown his Firebird at many judged events, attaining high levels of accolades. The vehicle has won such awards as a perfect 400 out of 400 point score at the Pontiac Oakland Club International (POCI) 2001 National Convention in Red Wing, Minnesota, and Champion Awards at other POCI events in suburban St. Charles and Greenville, South Carolina.
The decades with this Firebird have brought many happy memories and Kumm doesn't regret his purchase.
“(Last) summer I saw a GTO exactly how I wanted mine to be,” he said. “It looked great but I happily returned to my Firebird.”