Al Houtman was on a “check-out run” recently a couple of miles from his home near Milford when his 1966 Pontiac Tempest stalled out at a stop sign.
He called his wife, Holly, to grab a tow strap so they could get the car back home.
It wasn’t the first time he’d driven the car since he bought it in February 2025, but coming just ahead of a planned journey with friends on historic Route 66, it might not have seemed like the best time.
The trip, though, is still on, and Houtman, a retired General Motors engineer, wasn’t worried.
The offending part, a failed timing chain, now hangs on the wall in his garage. He and a friend pulled the engine as part of the repair, checking things over, and he sounded confident in an interview about the car’s prospects for the thousands of miles ahead.
He drove the Tempest 100 miles on Monday, May 4, and “none of that involved walking, so that was good.”
Houtman’s never taken an old car on a long trip like this, so it’ll be an adventure at a notable time for both the “Mother Road,” as it’s sometimes called, and the Pontiac brand. Both Route 66 and Pontiac, known for its performance offerings, mark 100 years this year, although the brand was one of four GM walked away from in connection with its 2009 bankruptcy.
Houtman, 61, volunteers at the Pontiac Transportation Museum, which opened its doors two years ago, and the museum, which has dubbed this a “double centennial celebration,” plans to post updates of the trip on its Facebook page.
Houtman’s 1966 Tempest is being joined by a 1968 Tempest, a 1969 Pontiac Catalina and a 1968 Cadillac DeVille convertible, along with a GMC pickup to act as the chase vehicle in case it’s needed. Nine people are along for the ride.
The group joined up in the Lansing area on Thursday, May 7, and then headed toward Joliet, Illinois, to start the official part of the approximately two-week journey.
The group decided to skip the part of the route in Chicago and a final piece in California because of traffic and because at least some in the group have driven through those areas before. They plan to make Barstow, California, the turnaround point, and take highways for the return trip to shave some miles. Houtman estimated the route the group will take to be about 5,500-5,600 miles.
The group’s been talking about the trip for some time and meeting monthly the last eight months or so to shore up plans. In his garage on May 6, Houtman showed various commemorative maps produced of the route in each of its eight states – Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
Houtman also picked up a 2026 road atlas.
But he was planning to rely on a smartphone app, Route 66 Navigation, during the actual trip. The route isn’t a straight shot, with various alternative stretches available. Houtman said the group would prioritize some alternatives to maximize sightseeing.
They planned to mostly stay in modern hotels along the way, aside from a couple of specific “authentic” stops, such as the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona (the movie, “Cars,” features it as the Cozy Cone Motel), but enjoy diners along the way to soak up that part of the road culture.
As for supplies, Houtman showed off a list of dozens of tools and assorted items making the trip, too, everything from hammers and coolant to zip ties and duct tape (“Don’t leave home without it”). Each vehicle will also have a fire extinguisher and a walkie-talkie to easily stay in touch.
Houtman also picked some spare parts, such as a fuel pump, that could “easily” be changed out on the side of the road.
You “can’t just go to the local auto parts store and buy something for a 60-year-old car,” he explained.
One thing that Houtman noted about his Tempest is that it has air-conditioning, not an inexpensive add-on in 1966. It’ll likely come in handy for the warmer parts of the trip, although Houtman said the time of year was selected to avoid the heat of the summer.
Houtman spent $16,500 to buy the Tempest, which, according to the original purchase order, cost $3,186.64, including taxes and title, when it was purchased in March 1966 by an Edna Sutton of Middletown, Ohio.
The Tempest was considered a mid-size car even though, Houtman said, it can seat six and has what he called an enormous trunk. He described it as a typical four-door family car of the time, with Pontiac’s 326 cubic-inch V8 engine.
Houtman wasn’t in the market for a car, but a friend had spotted the “nice, clean original car,” and encouraged him. His wife thought it would be perfect for the Route 66 trip.
The color is Martinique Bronze, and the car, which has about 51,000 miles, looks practically pristine inside and out. The Houtmans bought seat covers for the front and back and a movable center console to have a place to rest an arm or hold a drink.
Houtman’s done little to the car since he bought it, although he had to replace the radiator, which had “disintegrated.”
Houtman, who grew up in Holland, Michigan, and moved with his family to North Carolina as a teenager, worked in project engineering at GM for more than 34 years. He did a lot of work in chassis and electrified vehicles, including the Chevy Volt program.
He said he’s always been into cars, and his fascination with Pontiacs dates to the 1960s, growing up with Pontiacs at home. His first car wasn’t a Pontiac. It was a Saab − “kind of a turd” − that was replaced in short order by a Pontiac Sunbird Formula.
Eric D. Lawrence is the senior car culture reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Send your tips and suggestions about cool automotive stuff to elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan GM retiree hits Route 66 for road trip in 1966 Pontiac Tempest
Reporting by Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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