To say that Stan Rarden was a car guy through and through would be an understatement. In addition to being a past President of the GTOAA, Editor of Pontiac Enthusiast and columnist for Poncho Perfection, he was also a successful drag racer, as well as the producer and head writer for The American Muscle Car, a TV series that ran for three seasons on Speedvision/Fox Speed. The series’ first episode was about the very first muscle car, the 1964 GTO.

The American Muscle Car was a breakthrough in format and content, combining in-depth historical research and vintage footage combined with modern action and interviews with car owners and the people who made the era happen. Critically acclaimed and still highly-regarded, the DVDs are available through their distribution company, MPI Home Video.

Stanley Rarden, Jr. was born on November 15, 1951 to Stanley and Authelia Rarden in Orlando, Florida. He spent many of his formative years going to stock car and drag races with his father Stan, Sr., who knew many of the famous racers of the day.

After serving in the U.S. Navy on a submarine, he attended Florida Technical University and began his carer working in radio as a disc jockey- his knowledge of 1960s and ‘70s music was second to none. Later, relocating to Atlanta, he went to work for Coca-Cola, producing videos for internal training and promotions, gaining valuable production experience which would serve him well for the next phase of his career.

In 1994, Stan began developing the idea of a cable TV show that would cover the Muscle Car Era, concentrating primarily on the era from 1964-74, though including some of the later high-performance cars of the era like the Buick Grand National/GNX, 5.0 Mustang, Dodge Viper and SLP tuner cars. He also produced three other automotive-themed TV series for cable, Off Road A-Z, 101 Cars You Must Drive, featuring Last Comic Standing Winner Alonzo Bodden and the mini-series The Last Sting Ray.

Stan’s magazine career was also extensive, beginning as a Contributing Editor for Pontiac Enthusiast in 1995, eventually working his way to Editor, taking over for Paul Zazarine. In 2016, he would join the staff of Poncho Perfection and would remain as a columnist for the rest of his life. A brilliantly funny and insightful writer, he was for many the “read first” column in Poncho Perfection. Just a few weeks before his passing on November 8th, 2023, Founding Editor-in-Chief, Don Keefe said, “Every great car magazine needs a grumpy old man as a columnist and Stan is our guy!”

Stan’s contribution to the Pontiac hobby has been huge and his absence is felt not only by his friends and family but to the entire community.

ADDITIONAL MEDIA