Vintage Racecar’s own columnist Mark Brinker debuted his freshly restored 1965 Pontiac Vivant at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance to swarming crowds. Gleaming on the 18th fairway, the car was nothing short of magnificent.
The Vivant was designed and built by famed Pontiac engineer Herb Adams in 1965. The roadster was constructed on a one-off multi-tube spaceframe chassis and clothed in all-aluminum coachwork. For power Adams selected a 370 cid Pontiac V8 fitted with a pair of 421 Super Duty cylinder heads and an experimental intake manifold. Weighing just 2,450 pounds and producing 405 horsepower, the Vivant remains a fully functional show car with rocket-sled performance. Because Adams had full knowledge of, and unfettered access to, the best components at Pontiac, the car’s build sheet is chock full of Super Duty and other rare components.
Brinker located the car in 2009 in complete but tired condition. Faced with reluctant owners (three gentlemen named Bob) Brinker struggled for more than two years before finally acquiring it in 2011. From there the car was completely restored under the watchful eye of Jake Yenny of Colorado. Todd Meade worked alongside Yenny for much of the project, with the duo clocking incredibly long hours the last several weeks leading up to Pebble. Engine machining was performed by Greeley Automotive Machine. Other restoration work included panel work by Rex Rogers and paint and body by Dustin Nere and Fred Frank of The Forge. The sumptuous interior work was executed by Doug and Laurie Winters of Nebraska. Additional finish work was performed by Ron Jones Garage, Custom Tooling & Fabrication, Jen Howard and Justin Brunmeier. All chrome work was accomplished by Jon Wright’s Custom Chrome Plating of Ohio.
Herb Adams acted as a consultant and was involved in the restoration plan from start to finish. He was also present at Pebble Beach to the delight of enthusiasts. The 1965 Pontiac Vivant Herb Adams Roadster was shown in Class R — American Dream Cars of the 1960s — as part of a field of 10 truly spectacular automobiles including the: 1960 DiDia 150 “Bobby Darin” Coupe; 1962 Studebaker Sceptre Sibona-Basano Concept Coupe; 1963 Mantaray Dean Jeffries Custom; 1963 XR-6 Tex Smith Roadster; 1964 Reactor Gene Winfield Custom Coupe; 1965 Bugatti Type 101C Virgil Exner Ghia Roadster; 1966 Bosley Mark II Interstate Coupe; 1967 Gyro-X Alex Tremulis Prototype; 1969 Farago CF 428 Carrozzeria Coggiola Coupe.
Brinker’s Pontiac Vivant was awarded First in Class; Second in Class went to the Stephen and Kim Bruno’s Bosley Interstate; Third in Class went to Frank Campanale’s Farago CF 428; and the Dean Batchelor Trophy was awarded to the Lane Motor Museum for their Gyro-X.
