The Garage
1991 Pontiac Firefly
| Date of Acquisition: | 27 April, 1991 | |
| Built in: | Ingersoll, Ontario | |
| Colour: | Silver gray | |
| Engine: | 1-litre 3-cylinder | |
| Transmission: | 5-speed manual | |
| Odometer: | 112,654 kilometres | |
| Options: | Michelin ZX tires | |
| Modifications: | Delete letters ‘Fire’ from the rear ‘Firefly’ nameplate | |
| a.k.a. | the ‘Fly’ |
It’s silver with no tape deck, cruise control or power options. Without even a rear wiper, the base unit of the 1991 General Motors line-up is absolutely bottom-of-the-line. Just a radio with four tinny speakers. A spider my daughter Natalie made from a piece of egg carton 10 years ago dangles from the rearview mirror.
I leased it as an office run-around car in 1991. At the time, its three-cylinder motor was one of the stingiest fuel users on the market. I rationalized its existence by theorizing the fuel savings over my eclectic fleet of guzzlers would cover the payments. When the lease was up, I purchased what has turned out to be an exceptionally trouble-free vehicle. With its perfect finish, the rust-free little econo-box looks like it just came out of the carton.
We all call it The Fly. And I will keep it forever, because no one else would!
Excerpt from Sowerby’s Road story # 18
Accomplishments / Credentials
| 1991 - 94 | Odyssey International Limited office runabout | |
| 1993 | Business trip Halifax - Detroit - Nashville - Washington - Halifax | |
| 2002 | No Showers for the Fly (featured in Sowerby’s Road… Adventures of a Driven Mind) |