Some 40 years later, Lake Zurich resident finds another '62 Catalina
Where were you in '62?
That well-known line from "American Graffiti" brings memories racing back for Pete Lettecci of Lake Zurich.
It was the year Lettecci, then an 18-year-old high school senior, walked into Seltzer Pontiac on Irving Park Road in Chicago and spent $4,300 to drive off in a shiny new, light "Yorktown blue" Pontiac Catalina.
Back in 1962, kids from all over would gather and hang out at Skip's Fiesta Drive-in on North Avenue, across from Kiddieland in Maywood.
"Everybody was driving Pontiacs," Lettecci said, because of their fast, powerful engines.
Lettecci and a buddy had matching Pontiacs. On weekends they would routinely drive 60 miles up to Union Grove, Wis., and the Great Lakes Dragaway. There, he put his four-speed, two-door hardtop to the test.
"There was no such thing as Christmas tree lights in 1962. In those days, when you saw the starter wave his flag, you popped the clutch and you were gone," Lettecci said.
Lettecci says he'll never forget his best time, covering the quarter-mile track in 13.89 seconds, hitting 89 mph.
In 1963, Lettecci reluctantly sold his Pontiac after being drafted into the Army. Life then ensues.
Fast forward some forty years, and those fond memories of his first car come roaring back. Lettecci, a ceramic tile setter and instructor who has long read the classified pages in search of that elusive Pontiac, learns about an ad for one in Indianapolis.
In 2001 he buys a perfect '62 Pontiac Catalina replacement - all original factory equipment and body, Cameo Ivory with red tri-color Ventura trim. Better yet, it's spent virtually its entire life in California, protected from the road salt and rough Northern winters.
"We all have to have toys, and this is it (for me)," he said.
Last July, Lettecci took his car to a large national Pontiac and GTO convention in Dayton, Ohio, where a host of classic car owners were gathered. Show organizers there had set up a quarter-mile racetrack on which owners could compete for the fastest times.
Lettecci, 66, decided it was time to experience the thrill of drag racing once again. His heart was pumping and the adrenaline was flowing as he eased up to the line, then sped down the track.
"(I did it) just for the memories. I wanted to have that feeling again," he said.
The times of Lettecci's two runs were in the sub-17-second range, not as fast as in 1962. But the level of fun more than measured up.
Most of Lettecci's drives these day are at a more leisurely pace. He enjoys attending car shows with his wife of 43 years, Barbara, and taking their four grandchildren for a ride.
"When I bought the car nine years ago it had 31,000 miles on it," he said. "Now it has 50 (thousand)."