1968 Pontiac Firebird is perfect purchase made back in high school

By the time Mark Salmon had hit his high school years, he was already loving big, powerful, American cars. Mark has his older brother, Chris, to thank for his intense, four-wheeled passion.

“He owned an aqua '68 Pontiac Grand Prix that we'd go cruising in together,” says Mark, who grew up in West Chicago and now lives in Park Ridge. “We'd go up and down Prince Crossing Road and hang out at the Cascade Drive-In for hours.”

With big bro's motoring influence, teen Mark purchased a used 1967 Chevelle, piloting it as his daily driver. After some time, he began to long for something else.

“I really liked my brother's Pontiac,” Mark recalls. “It had class and style.”

Wanting something sporty, too, Mark started eyeing Firebirds, preferring the pizzazz this Pontiac offered over other ponycar alternatives such as the Mustang or Camaro.

In 1980, during his senior year, Mark was looking hard for a used Firebird and finally landing one in nearby LaGrange. It was rough but just right. “There was a lot of things wrong with it; it had been raced, stuff was missing, and the A/C was torn out - but it did drive,” Mark says.

Working on it a little at a time and driving it to and from Wheaton Academy where he attended school, Mark enjoyed his classic 'Bird, racking up miles on the odometer and taking many memorable trips, including the one to prom. As he entered out-of-state college and moved away, the car was stored more and more. Wheel time only happening on his brief visits back home.

Career and family took over for a while until the Pontiac's importance came back into focus.

“I realized what I had and wanted to do something with it,” Mark says. “I always had wanted to take it to the next level and knew it was the time.”

In 1991, he began buying and stockpiling all the needed replacement parts for a proper restoration, which wouldn't come until 2007. It was a good thing that day arrived, as the years of winter driving had taken their toll on the floorboards, rusting them through.

While the car was a blast from Mark's past, there was another connection to earlier times tied to the rebuild. “My high school friend, Jeff, gave me a hand with the overhaul,” Mark says.

Taking the opportunity, the enthusiast added some options and parts he wanted but the car never had, such as a functional ram-air intake, a rear spoiler, a hood tachometer and some aftermarket speakers. The engine was rebuilt and today is barely broken in, having just several hundred miles since the rebuild. Mark plans to change that with loads of driving time scheduled in the very near future.

He better hurry. Just as the Firebird caught his eye as a young man, there's another young guy itching to get behind its wheel: Mark's son, Evan.

“He's caught the bug, too. Feeling all that power under the hood is something else.”

Share your car's story with Matt at auto@dailyherald.com.