'Brazen' Pontiac performs in powerful film role
While Jim Feurer now pilots a late-model Pontiac GTO, his love for the iconic muscle car runs deep. So deep in fact, that as a 22-year-old, the Wauconda resident ordered a new 1966 example.
He purchased it from Peter Epstein Pontiac in Skokie. “I went in with a best friend,” Feurer said. “We both ordered identically equipped 389 Tri-Power GTOs.”
While the driving was a blast, a need for college tuition forced Feurer to reluctantly sell his ride just two years later. The vehicle moved on but Feurer couldn't shake the feeling, even after he and his family moved to a new neighborhood.
“Years later I would occasionally see a GTO drive by our neighborhood and swear it was mine,” Feurer said. His suspicions oddly enough came true late one night, nearly two decades after selling the vehicle.
A new owner found the car's protecto-plate with Feurer's name and tracked him down. He was inquiring about some historical information.
“We made arrangements and he brought the car by,” Feurer said. “It turned out he had it stored in a garage less than a mile away — and the car I had seen every so often was mine!”
Feurer offered to buy his classic back but to no avail. Still itching for a performance Pontiac, he spent time looking for a suitable candidate.
“Rather than an old vehicle, I wanted some modern muscle with upgraded features.” In 2012 he purchased a 2006 GTO from the original owner.
The Brazen Orange car had been sold new at Haggerty Pontiac-GMC in Villa Park. It is equipped with the Sport Appearance Package, which includes a custom front end and unique rear spoiler. “The first time I saw it in person, the color just glowed,” he said.
The glimmering GTO caught the attention of some Hollywood producers, who opted to use the car in the feature film “Jupiter Ascending,” which opened last Friday. “The sci-fi feature, with some scenes shot in and around Chicago in 2013, stars Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis.
The flick's villain drives Feurer's Pontiac. As part of the production, Feurer was on set for several days and befriended the casting director, who agreed to let him be an extra walking on the street where the GTO is parked.
The vehicle's on-screen time doesn't stop there; last fall Feurer received a request for the car to appear in the production of the TV series “Sirens.”
“I love the way the car drives. It's comfortable and powerful. And it has no trouble getting noticed, no matter where it is.”