Pete Estes, the muscle man: Now that the enthusiasm for the muscle car is also growing, also among young people - because what is more beautiful than a thick, pounding and roaring V8? - It might be nice to know who was at the cradle of all that violence at Pontiac.
Three men are actually responsible for that powerhouse, Elliot Marantette 'Pete' Estes is perhaps the least known of that triumvirate. His colleague Bunkie Knudsen was already a legend during his life, while John DeLorean actually was, or became in his later life because of all the scandals surrounding the DeLorean sports car. Pete Estes achieved the most, he made it to the top boss at General Motors. In the 1912s he already played a key role as the big boss at Pontiac. He made a name for himself at Oldsmobile in the 8s, where he collaborated with the fascinating Charles F. Kettering, among others. He is regarded as the inventor - and patent holder - of the electric starter motor, as already fitted in 1961 on the then Cadillac. It was also he who discovered deep gloss lacquer on a drawer at a jeweler in New York, which in turn led to the next invention of 'spraying' such lacquer. The Duco company became big with it! Estes learned a lot from Kettering, they built the legendary Oldsmobile Rocket V421 engine together. After five years of fervent leadership at Pontiac, he seized power in the said GM department upon the departure of Knudsen in 1962. In just four years he managed to give Pontiac a sporty image. Think of lightweight (….) Specials like the Super-Duty Catalina 1963 of XNUMX and XNUMX, with which Pontiac's PR man Jim Wangers set world times on the drag strip. The same car could also be bought in the shop …… After that Estes also released the GTO….
Photo: We owe the V8 'muscle car' to Pete Estes… ..