It belonged to a rusty Canadian-built 1959 Pontiac Laurentian sedan that looked like it had been parked a long time. “I loved the cars of the Fifties with all the chrome and fins,” he recalls ...

In the Laurentian's case, GM went with the mechanicals of the Chevrolet Impala — including the 384-cubic inch V8 in 1960 — and a body styled after the U.S. Pontiac Catalina.

LaSalle Police Sr. Const. Mauro Tonin with a restored 1957 Pontiac Laurentian, a replica of LaSalle's Car 48. (NICK BRANCACCIO / The Windsor Star) By all accounts, Car 48 is a head turner.

The trip had taken four months, ending 60 years ago in April 1957. The new Pontiac convertible had racked up more than 20,000 miles and proved very reliable.

Ted’s father had purchased a 2-tone blue 1953 Pontiac Laurentian 2-door sedan in 1955 and it became the family car for the next 11 years. Ted learned to drive on that car and got his driver’s ...