I ♥ Trans Am

IOLA – Next to gate four at the Iola Old Car Show was a 1978 Pontiac Trans Am, Martinique blue in color, the owners are Gary and Karen Miller and they have been parking in that spot for over 20 years.
Gary and Karen are the original owners of the Trans Am and have treated their classic car with the utmost care and love since the day they brought it home.
Gary was born in Iola and currently resides in Manitowoc. He bought a silver Pontiac Trans Am in 1977 and five days later he was driving home during a cold April day and six inches of rain turned to snow. He spun out and put the Trans Am in the ditch with $2,200 worth of damage.
When he got the silver Trans Am back from the shop, Pontiac had announced that T-top Trans Ams will now come in all colors. Gary wanted a T-top Trans Am all along but at the time they only sold T-tops in black.
Karen found a Pontiac Trans Am T-top in New London, and called Gary to come look at it. It was Martinique blue and 1978 was the only year it came in that color.

Since then, the Trans Am has never seen rain or snow. It is stored all winter to protect it from potential rust damage.
Gary keeps the amount of yearly miles under 500, averaging about 300 to 400 miles a year. The car is complete with a CB radio and an 8-track player that still works to this day.
Gary and Karen haven’t missed a year of the car show in over 20 years, with the Trans Am even being featured in the main staging area during the theme years of “Pony Cars” and “75 years of Pontiac.”
Gary said he always gets offers to sell the car, but he will not part with the 47-year-old Trans Am because it simply means too much to him.
Being able to meet car enthusiasts and tell the story about how he came to own his Trans Am as well as hear other stories about long-time car ownership from fellow car show guests, is one of Gary’s favorite things to do at the Iola Car Show every year.