17-year-old spends weekends rebuilding iconic Pontiac with his grandma
- A grandson and grandma team have been restoring a 1987 Pontiac
- The Firebird has been under restoration by the pair for over two years
- The two of them have also built a go-kart in the past
Published on Feb 24, 2025 at 8:36 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Feb 24, 2025 at 8:36 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
A 17-year-old boy from Massachusetts has been working on restoring a classic Pontiac Firebird sports car at weekends with his grandma, in a similar vein to the father and son in the above video.
Connor Hedrick of Easton is restoring the car in his spare time, with grandma Deborah Luke getting involved with her grandson’s project.
The 1987 Pontiac the two are restoring was bought for Easton as a present, cementing the teenager’s love of cars.
Both Hedrick and his grandma have worked on cars before, highlighting the bond between the two of them.
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The two are restoring a 1980s Pontiac
The car the two are restoring is a 1987 Pontiac Firebird GTA T-Top, making the Pontiac a convertible.
The Firebird is also a manual, and it’s been more than just a fun project for Hedrick.
In an interview with CBS News, Hedrick said: “It’s very fun working with her, and then every step is like a big milestone.”
His grandma also has a genuine love for cars, telling CBS that it began when she was a teenager.
In the interview, she said: “It was sort of out of necessity. I had older cars when I was growing up, so to fix them, I couldn’t afford to, so I fixed them myself.”
Luke also said that her grandson is incredibly talented and has gained a deeper understanding of cars through the project.
The two have worked on cars before
The pair have been restoring the Pontiac over the last two years. But this isn’t the first vehicle they’ve have worked on.
A few years ago, the grandma and grandson team built a go-kart, which they drove up and down their Massachusetts street.
Luke compared it to a big Hot Wheels car and said restoring the Firebird was ‘wicked fun.’
The Firebird range first introduced the iconic T-Top in 1976.
The 1987 Firebird the two are restoring is part of the car’s third generation.
The range of iterations gave birth to the iconic Firebird TransAm model.
The muscle car was made famous in Smokey and the Bandit starring Burt Reynolds, which went on to become the second-highest-grossing movie of 1977, beaten only by Star Wars.
At the time, the Firebird had a range of engines available.
These ranged from the Pontiac inline-four to the 5.7-liter Chevrolet V8.
Once restored, the 1987 Firebird will be a real source of joy for both the Massachusetts grandma and grandson. But the big question is, will they go Eastbound and down like Smokey?
Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
