Steve Ames, founder of Ames Performance, passed away Dec. 20.
Kevin Beal, co-owner of Ames Performance Engineering, posted on the company’s facebook page, “It is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that our founder, my mentor and great friend Steve Ames passed away last night. I reflect back on the great memories we’ve had over thirty plus years and am very fortunate to have been so close, Steve was family to me. He was the person that walked into the room and lit it up with his larger than life personality and his great sense of humor. He was extremely intelligent and one of the hardest workers I’ve ever known. He’s done more for the Pontiac community and classic car industry than any one person
Twice nominated to the Pontiac Preservation Association Hall of Fame, Ames was known to have one of the most unique and rare automotive collections in the world. According to the association, almost all his vehicles are un-restored and have under 10,000 original miles, an incredible rarity. With these cars, Steve founded the Ames Automotive foundation as a 501c3 non-profit organization, which aims to help future generations to recognize and appreciate how well these vehicles were made and how important the American assembly line concept has been in solidifying the USA as the world leader of industry. Many of the cars in the collection are ultra-rare Pontiacs.
Plans are being made for a celebration of his life this summer.
