December 2011

Marque of the Month of December

Pontiac

was introduced in 1926 as a companion make to Oakland.

was introduced as a six-cylinder, and remained as such through 1931

was given the now-defunct Oakland's H-head V-8 for 1932.

was made to share bodies with Chevrolet beginning in 1933, but with a straight-eight.

was given the "Silver Streak" in 1935, and used it through 1956.

was discontinued in 2009.
r1940Special6.jpg (456925 bytes) r1955StarchiefCustomCatalina.jpg (416828 bytes) r1956_Pontiac_Star_Chief.jpg (67024 bytes) r1958_Bonneville.jpg (332493 bytes) r1959_Pontiac_Bonneville.jpg (86798 bytes) r1960_Pontiac_Catalina.jpg (72102 bytes) r1961_Pontiac_Bonneville.jpg (79309 bytes) r1962_Pontiac_Tempest.jpg (82385 bytes)

1940 Special Six

1955 Star Chief Custom Catalina

1956 Star Chief

1958 Bonneville

1959 Bonneville

1960 Catalina

1961 Bonneville

1962 Tempest
r1963_Pontiac_Grand_Prix.jpg (78855 bytes) r1964GrandPrix.jpg (575436 bytes) r1965_Pontiac_Catalina.jpg (78032 bytes) r1966PontiacTempest.jpg (693899 bytes)

r1967_Pontiac_Grand_Prix.jpg (85298 bytes)

r1969Firebird400.jpg (506370 bytes)

r1970BonneRag.jpg (687912 bytes)

r1971GrandPrix.jpg (1045810 bytes)

1963 Grand Prix

1964 Grand Prix

1965 Catalina

1966 Tempest Custom

1967 Grand Prix

1969 Firebird 400

 1970 Bonneville

1971 Grand Prix

r1975_Pontiac_Grandville_Broughham.jpg (83619 bytes)

r1976CatalinaSafari.jpg (898002 bytes)

 r1977Bonneville.jpg (721634 bytes) r1979TransAm.jpg (2235899 bytes) r1983TransAm.jpg (2110076 bytes) r1986_Pontiac_Fiero.jpg (391762 bytes) r1996_Pontiac_Firebird.jpg (130101 bytes) r2004_Pontiac_Vibe.jpg (303076 bytes)

1975 Grandville

1976 Catalina Safari

 1977 Bonneville 1979 Trans Am 1983 Trans Am 1986 Fiero GT 1996 Firebird 2004 Vibe

Pontiac is the only "companion" make of the four created by General Motors in the 1920's that still exists, or that even existed after 1940.  It is the only one that outlasted the division it was spawned from (Oakland, originated in 1907).

Did You Know?

  • Pontiac was styled in the 1930s by Frank Hershey, designer of the 1955 Thunderbird.

  • Pontiac's Silver Streak was created by Virgil Exner, later of Chrysler "Forward Look" fame.

  • Pontiac named it's senior line Torpedo from 1940-1949.

  • Pontiac offered both fuel injection and tri-power carburetion options in 1957.

  • Pontiac first used the split-grille front styling motif in 1959.

 

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