Dallas Area Pontiac Association - DAPA

10/09/2026

Most of you know the name , but might not know the story. Below is from Michael Noun

Pontiac History - How John DeLorean Named "The Judge"

Contrary to popular belief, the famous name "The Judge" never actually had a name during its development cycle. It was known internally in memos and correspondence as "What's Its Name". The original proposal, consisting of a 350 H.O. powered Tempest, was presented at the Magazine Writers' Show on July 11th, 1968. It was announced under Option Code WS9, a tongue-in-cheek reference that sounds a little like "What's Its Name". Though the press was enthusiastic, John DeLorean was not sold on the idea. He stated that a "cheap" version of a GTO would hurt regular GTO sales and the whole purpose of this car was to help GTO sales.

The proposal was revamped and eventually would become an option on the 1969 GTO, featuring a 400 cid Ram Air engine, bright Carousel Red paint, and a unique rear spoiler. This appealed to DeLorean because the car would draw people into showrooms, and whether a buyer chose this car or a regular GTO, it still meant a GTO sale. But the car was still unnamed.

DeLorean held a weekly lunch meeting with members of his design team. In August 1968, Bill Porter, one of the Chief Designers, said that during one of those meetings the conversation turned to "What's Its Name" that they were working on. Now this was at a time when the popular TV show "Laugh-In" and the phrase "Here Come The Judge" (heard often in the TV show) had become the hottest catch phrase of the summer. DeLorean and his design team were walking to the cafeteria discussing "What's Its Name" when DeLorean paused and said something to the effect, "They keep saying 'Here Come The Judge', well….we'll give them The Judge!"
And that was the end of that. DeLorean had spoken.

Now for a logo. Bill Porter (Chief Designer) was looking through one of the many art magazines that were inside the design studio, and one in particular had an ad for Carter's Ink. Porter liked the heavy-bottom style "psychedelic look" of the font. He sketched out what would become the now famous Judge logo.

The Judge logo you see above was sketched by Bill Porter back in 2016. It literally took him about 5 minutes to do this. Bill was a true artist, not just a great automotive designer, and his contributions to the Pontiac Motor Division cannot be overemphasized. - MCN

10/08/2026

Day 3 Wednesday 10/7 Cruisin’ the Coast, Downtown Biloxi. And it was a hot one. Largest collection of cars yet. Acres of cars sprawling through every parking lot and street.
Here’s your Pontiacs.

10/07/2026

Day 2 at Cruisin’ the Coast Moss Point (River City). Definitely a different atmosphere with some different cars!

10/06/2026

DAPA’s first full day at Cruisin the Coast and we were able to attend the show at Long Beach. Nice to see some unfamiliar cars. Here are some Pontiacs represented.

10/01/2026

Another great article from Michael Noun

Comparison of a 1969 Camaro vs 1969 Firebird. Before the Firebird debuted in 1967, John DeLorean insisted that his engineers find ways for the Firebird to outperform the Camaro. DeLorean felt the F-Body project was forced on Pontiac and they (Pontiac) didn't have enough input in its design. The pre-production 1967 Firebird sat very low to the ground, but engineers determined the ride was just too rough for the average driver. They compromised and had the Firebird ride about 1.5" lower than the Camaro. In this vintage 1969 photo you can also see how the Firebird sits a little lower in back than in front. - MCN

09/29/2026

Article and Photos from Michael Noun

From a 1959 Pontiac publication, here's a couple photos from Plant 9 at the Pontiac home assembly plant. The woman on the left is Melba Dempsey. Her job was to attach pistons/rods to the crankshaft. The man on the right is Stanley Watt, and Stanley is working the crankshaft balancing machine. - MCN

09/29/2026

While the attached link comes from a Camaro page you will see a Firebird in the body drop process. I thought it was an interesting link to share for those that do not know how the assembly process happened from the raw body shell all the wet to final assembly and inspection.

First-Generation Camaro Research and Restoration Data

08/25/2026

Congratulations to Ricky Blackmon for winning Best of Show at the 2026 Pontiac Southern Nationals! His 1970 GTO is absolutely beautiful!

08/23/2026

On behalf of the PSN committee, all of our volunteers, sponsors and most importantly every Pontiac owner that took the time to bring their car to the show, we say THANK YOU!!
This was a fantastic turnout, we had over 130 inside the venue.
We hope everyone had a great time!
Thank you for being a part of the 2026 Pontiac Southern Nationals!