[jfkheat]

Just got a Pontiac book in today that has several pages on the early Royal cars. The book is MUSCLE - PONTIACS! THE YEARS OF EXCITEMENT. Below is the first few papagraphs from the article titled WANGER'S WINGED WONDERS: A PICTORIAL OF THE ROYAL PONTIAC. There are several pages of black and white pictures of some of their race cars. There are also inserts from some of their brochures. Their first race car was a 1959. For you GTO and Judge fans, this book has about 20 pages on the GTO and Judges.
James

Royal Pontiac, Royal Oak Michigan, began the unofficial Pontiac racing outlet in the early 1960s and, from time to time, they issued racing catalouges of their own which are exceedingly rare today.
"Operation Hot Chief," was the project of Asa (Ace) Wilson, Jr., a Pontiac dealer and hot-rodder enthusiast. Wilson got into the business of producing drag strip Pontiacs shortly after he entered a car in the Daytona, Florida races.The fame of the Royal Pontiacs spread for their superior ability to engineer acceleration into a factory built car with factory built parts. The only nonfactory equipment installed on the Royal Pontiacs were tachometers, special water and oil temperature gauges and lake pipes. Wilson'e cars were extremely successful at the Detroit Dragway during the regular season in 1960. He exploited their fame to attract a great many enthusiasts to his showroom.
There was no great secret to the success of the Hot Cheif; it was simply a car that had been equipped and prepared correctly for its job. The 365 HO engine was an example. It was not a factory-installed item but, rather, factory authorised. Essentially, it was the Tri-Power with particular dealer options, including a special cam, solid lifters, heavier valve springs, larger intake valves, revised combustion chambers, chambers in the cylinder bores under the intake valves and a four-bolt main bearing caps.
Royal Pontiac was still hard at work producing racing Pontiacs up to 1963. In that year, Pontiac was reigning stock car champion. In January, 1963, however, GM ordered a ban on supplting help to racing enthusiasts and "outlaw" dealers, including Royal Pontiac. Basically, that was the end of the great racing Pontiacs. They still won the Grand Nationals but, it was only a matter of time.