| Jim Wangers understands the importance of
creative marketing, perhaps as well as anyone in the auto industry today. The legendary
"ad man" for Pontiac and the marketer behind the Pontiac GTO and several other
Pontiac specialty cars, Wangers helped establish the "musclecar" of the Sixties
to it’s rightful niche in the history of American car marketing. No, he didn’t
invent the GTO. That credit goes to John DeLorean, Russ Gee and Bill Collins, but Wangers
was certainly the man who created the mystique that surrounds America’s original
musclecar, the Pontiac GTO. Now that many of the folks who were teenagers when the GTO
first came out in 1964 are older and wealthy enough to afford near-perfect restored
versions of their dream machines, Wangers is more well-known and more in-demand than ever. |
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Wangers was born in Chicago. After returning from
a stint in the Navy, he enrolled in college with dreams of becoming an automotive
engineer, only to learn he wasn’t very good in math. With the advice of a counselor,
he soon discovered that while designing cars was great, someone also has to think about
selling them! So Wangers entered the marketing, advertising and public relations field,
which he found, much to every future car nut’s benefit, he really loved.
He first found work in the auto-advertising field in New York
City, eventually finding his way to Detroit, working at Campbell Ewald, the advertising
agency then servicing Chevrolet. Wangers’ personal career theme was then, as it is
now, "If you want to be perceived as a winner, you have to beat somebody." This
is the concept which has guided his career to this day.
In 1956, he persuaded Chevrolet to back a young factory engineer
named Zora Arkus-Duntov to drive a Chevy up the famed Pike’s Peak road course,
blowing away records that had existed for years, proving the capabilities of their hot new
V8 engine. The stunt worked... Wangers would go on to prominence with another GM Division,
Pontiac, while Zora Arkus-Duntov would later become known as the "Father of the
Corvette." |
| Throughout the early ‘60’s
Wangers’ marketing style was pronounced throughout the Pontiac Division. Wangers
himself drove a Catalina Coupe to the Division’s first-ever NHRA National drag racing
title at the 1960 Nationals in Detroit. He conceived many of the finest and best-known
marketing programs of that day or any other day, from the Thom McAm GTO shoe ("The
world’s first high-performance shoe") to the Division’s involvement with
the incredibly popular NBC-TV show "The Monkees". He also was closely-connected
to the writing, production and promotion of some of the musclecar-world’s best-known
songs, including "GTO" by Ronnie and the Daytona’s. Wangers also was
instrumental in getting the then-popular rock group "Paul Revere and the
Raiders" involved in the 1969 advertising launch of the famous GTO Judge |
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Royal Pontiac became the "unofficial"
testing garage for Pontiac’s high performance cars and equipment. Wangers organized
the entire Royal Pontiac program, which remains to this day one of the most respected and
important landmark mail-order performance automotive sources ever established. A Royal
"Bobcat" is today one of the hobby’s most collectible musclecars.
Perhaps the single car Wangers was closest to, and still his personal favorite is the 1969
GTO Judge, the wildest GTO ever created. In a 1969 ESQUIRE Magazine article written by Dan
Jedlika, now automotive editor of the Chicago Sun-Times, |
| Wangers was called "the
man who invented Woodward Avenue" (Detroit’s legendary drag racing street). If
anyone in the auto industry put Detroit’s Woodward Avenue, the mythical epitome of
muscle-car "cruising" into the legendary status it now holds, it was Jim Wangers
and his now-famous late-night "testing" sessions with some of the hottest cars
Detroit ever produced. In fact, for the last several years, while the famed "Woodward
Dream Cruise" has drawn more than a million enthusiasts each year to the still hot
suburban Detroit site, Wangers has been an honored guest and speaker. |
He is the author of the highly
successful book Glory Days which has proven to be one of the most authoritative books on
Pontiac performance history ever printed. After all it was written by the guy who was
"there" both behind the scenes and out on the streets.
Wangers is the former owner/publisher of Pontiac Enthusiast
magazine and continues as a columnist sharing his insights and remembrances of
Pontiac’s glory days. Today at 80 years young, Jim Wangers
is co-authoring with Art Fitzpatrick a new Pontiac book titled Pontiac PIZAZZ! |
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He is known to have type
"P" blood (for Pontiac) and can be seen at countless annual Pontiac events
around the country. His greatest joys are gained by spending time with Pontiac musclecar
enthusiasts of all ages.
For more information about Jim Wangers, the Godfather of the GTO
or to book Jim in at one of your events contact Dave Anderson at dave@geetotiger.com or 310-995-0778.
Jim Wangers Related Links:
GeeToTiger | Jim on Amazon | Jim
on eBay | Jim on Alibris
Jim on
YearOne | Jim on
Bently Publishers
© 2008 Jim Wangers Productions |
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Take a tour down the famous Woodward Avenue with Jim.
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