Al and Janet Zander’s 1953 Pontiac is one of those nice, familiar-looking hobby cars that you might smile at and then walk right by at a car show.
And then when you take a second glance back over shoulder at the car, you do a double-take and think to yourself, “Hold on, something is different about this car.”
For those familiar with Canadian Pontiacs, the “Fleetleader” script on the front fender is a dead giveaway. Old-timers often call them “Cheviacs” — Chevrolets dressed up as Pontiacs and sold north of the border in the 1950s and ’60s.
Zander wasn’t looking for one of those “asterisk” Pontiacs when he began poking around for a hobby car a few years back, but when he stumbled upon the handsome sedan for sale only about 30 minutes from his Rosholt, Wis., home, Zander knew he had to check it out.
“I was looking for a ’53 Pontiac Chieftain like my grandparents had, and I really couldn’t find anything I could afford or liked,” Zander recalled. “So I expanded my search and I found this ’52 Pontiac online down in Waupaca (Wis.). So I went and took a look at it. The body was in great shape. The interior was in great shape. The engine wasn’t running real well, so I made a deal with the guy and took it home, spent an afternoon working on the [electrical system] and got it running and it’s been running great for me the last two years.”
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