THE NUMBERS GAME!

IT SOUNDS AS THOUGH IT'S A BIT LIKE A TATTSLOTTO DRAW IN ROB'S MIND, WITH ALL THOSE NUMBERS WHIZZING AROUND

I'M SURPRISED at times by the variety of things that unexpectedly bring memories of life's milestones in to sharp focus: a random stranger's mannerisms for first-love recollections; towns on maps for various lucky escapes; a Cooper S Mini like the Doctor's for my "I'm a Dad!" day; the motorcycle brand for the book that shifted my thinking.

Many of my car-memory cues involve numbers, often engine cubic-inch numbers: 239 - finally getting a 24-stud 239 'Flattie' for my '34 Ford; 272 at last becoming an OHV Y-block man 327 - my one and only crazy day out in a GTS Monaro 351 - my first rush within a whisker of 140mph (if you could believe the GT Falcon's speedo).

The brand focus for this column came from a number that popped up this morning. That number was '389; the last three digits of a mobile phone number on an invoice. Whether I wanted it or not, Pontiac's hero-engine from the 1960s - the 'Tri-Power' 389 V8 was immediately front and centre of my mind. So, why fight it? It's time to talk Pontiac with a particular focus on the mighty 389.