Waking with a pent-up demand for caffeine, a surprising pant left my chest. At first, it was in reaction to the machine’s slowness to wake. My brain immediately began searching for a plan B should a punt away from our beloved coffee maker be necessary. To my relief, a button punch delivered a whole pint of the steaming stuff. Maybe too much for a sitting, but certainly enough to take on the road. Some other refreshments would be necessary. A hunk of “Pont l’Évêque cheese and a baguette should do.
The clock is set for June 6th, 1925. The location is Highland Park, Michigan. The duration is an hour. We find ourselves standing in front of the Maxwell Motor Company building when the plunger is pulled. Walter Chrysler, an employee, is on the steps announcing to the press that, through a reorganization, Maxwell is now the Chrysler Corporation, headed by Walter Chrysler. He outlines plans to produce cars that people want to buy. Walter Chrysler had come to the Maxwell Motor Company in the 20s with the mandate to turn the company around. He introduced the Chrysler automobile in 1924, which featured many improvements, and the company was renamed. The questions from the press begin, and our alarm sends us back to the couch where the cheese waits.
There is a text from Linda Hill. It reads. Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “pant/pent/pint/pont/punt.” Use one, use ’em all, any way you’d like. Bonus points if you use more than one. Enjoy!
To see what others have done with the prompt, visit Linda’s post. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2025/06/06/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-7-2025/
“Pant/Pent/Pint/Pont/Punt” by John W. Howell © 2025
“That must have been fun being there at the founding of Chrysler Corporation.”
“There was a lot of excitement, too.”
“Were the employees happy?”
“I think most saw the handwriting on the wall since the Maxwell wasn’t selling well and were glad Walter was taking over.”
“You mentioned innovations in that 1924 Chrysler.”
“A carburetor air filter, high compression engine, full pressure lubrication, and an oil filter.”
“Anything else?”
“Well, they developed hydraulic brakes later, a real innovation. It took less pedal pressure to stop the car over shorter distances.”
“Innovation is a wonderful thing. Speaking of innovation.”
“Just order the Uber.”
“I did. It’s over there.”
Photo by Dan Antion
Photo by Dan Antion
“That is a 1967 Pontiac GTO convertible. Now we’re talking.”
” Yes, we could get used to that kind of machine.”
“Just one thing though.”
“There is always a thing.”
“We have to go with the driver to the drag strip.”
“Huh?”
“Yeah, this is one of those three carburetor jobs with a six-liter engine. The owner has entered it in a drag race.”
“Do we need to be in the car during the race?”
“No, we can watch. They have Voo Doo Rangers at the track.”
“Why didn’t you lead with that? Let’s go.”
Fiction Favorites 
Wow, what a car!
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I know, right?
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Dear John
What an impressive car. But who needs a six-liter engine?
Wishing you a great weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Ha ha ha. Spoken in true logic, Klausbernd. No one “needs” a six-liter engine. The car was designed by Ralph De Loren to attract younger buyers and be fast. The original version had a four-speed manual transmission for quick acceleration.
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Now we’re talking..”“That is a 1967 Pontiac GTO convertible. Now we’re talking.”
🩷👍😎
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Yup. You can have one for $55,000 to $110,000.
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Good story, John, and extra points to boot!
Love your Uber.
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Thank you, GP. 😀
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Have fun at the track, fellas!
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😀
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Back when racing meant, “Win on Sunday – Sell on Monday” for the dealers. It was amazing what kind of car you could roll out of the dealer’s showroom in.
Chrysler was a family favorite for many years, (with a break as we skipped the K-cars).
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I think the K-cars almost did them in.
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We came back for a Dodge Intrepid and a Durrango.
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We had a Durango. In the Texas heat the gas tank collapsed. The gauge showed a full tank, so we ran out of gas and had to tow the SUV. AAA to the rescue. The warranty repair took months since tanks were in short supply.
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That’s crazy. I had problems with the fuel injectors that was traced to the fuel filter (installed in the gas tank) deteriorating. They had to remove the tank and drain it, in order to replace the fuel filter.
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They had some crazy ideas back then.
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You know, I never made the connection between the car company and the building before. Seems so obvious now.
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😀
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That’s really good information about the founding of Chrysler corporation, John. That GTO would sure be a fun ride, even more so to drive it. Going to a drag race would be fun too, and the Voo Doo Rangers would add to the fun.
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All in all, a good time for everyone. Thanks, Tim
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Gentlemen, start your engines. Please let me drive!
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Okay, you drive. Here, take this helmet. 😀
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I alway enjoyed the drag races and we have a strip very close to the house. Did they think in liters back in 1967?
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No, they thought in horsepower. The 67 GTO had a 455 option that delivered 360 HP
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I might have written that engine option into Clovis’s story years ago.
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Could be.
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👌 nice look
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Thanks
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Wow, love the car, might even watch the drag race. 😄 Enjoy your weekend, John. And bravo for the great response to the prompt!
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Thank you, Gwen. I hope you enjoy your weekend as well.
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Chrysler definitely has a better ring to it than Maxwell. 🙂 That GTO brings back memories, John. I had a gold 1967 GTO, but it wasn’t a convertible. I loved that car! It made me feel special. But we blew the transmission up in it and I think my nephew wound up with it.
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I wish we had one now.
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You and me both, John!
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That was a fun and interesting story and I learned something about American car history that I did not know. It has gotten complicated lately with DaimlerChrysler and Stellantis. Your uber is nice.
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Thanks, Thomas. Yes, it is very complicated. I think the only brand that is doing well is Jeep. (Just my opinion. I don’t have the sales data.)
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“Now we’re talking” ~ My exact thoughts when I saw the first photo. 👍🏻
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Ha ha ha. Thanks, Michele. 😀
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😊🙏🏻
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Looks like a fun ride with the top down, and enjoy the sun and wind! But for the race, I’ll get out of the car and just watch 🌞
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A good idea. Here, have VooDoo Ranger. It’s good for track dust.
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Ahhh, Chrysler…what a journey the company has made over the past 100 years. And that GTO…the first in a line of beasts in the muscle car category. Nice wheels.
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I wanted to buy one, but the first child changed my mind.
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I never had a Chrysler (but did have a Barracuda in the late ’60’s. The Chrysler’s were always the ‘fin cars’ back in the day.
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I never cared for them. The only one I liked was the turbocharged Chrysler 300, which I think came out in the early 1960s.
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Woof, woof! Now there’s a vehicle with giddyup and go.
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Yes indeed.
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Goes to show how well he did because I’ve never heard of the Maxwell car!!
And what a great drive to the pub – even if it’s not necessary, being full-equipped with VooDoo!!
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Yes, the car is spectacular. The Voo Doo just adds to the atmosphere. Thanks, Dale.
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No kidding!! 😀
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😊
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That’s a neat old muscle car.
It makes me feel like going to the drive-in. We have one by the lake, on the east side of Toronto.
Have fun at the track! Put $10 on the GTO to win! If it wins, buy yourselves more VooDoos.
If it loses…sorry, I live in Canada, there’s going to be another postal strike, I don’t do bank transfers and I don’t do anything under $20 on PayPal.
0$ 0$
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It’s okay. We won and went under water with Voo Doos. We went to drive-ins in high school. Most times, we had to keep that a secret from the girls’ parents. Seems drive-ins had a bad reputation. (go figure) 🍿X
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Makes me wonder what the parents did at Drive-Ins? (that they had such a bad rap)
🤔X
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Good point. Certainly not angels 😇X
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Fun installment but no heroics to avoid accidentally massacring the messenger.
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Wise move, Pat.
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Nice ride, but I would punt on the drag racing.
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Might be best.
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LOL
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😀
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Who wouldn’t want to watch a ’67 GTO drag race? This one takes me back; my best friend had this car, with pinstripes, in a darker shade of green. Thanks for the memories. Loved the Chrysler story.
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Glad you enjoyed the post, Jennie.
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😀
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😀
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