There is no denying Pontiac was cool in the 1960’s and ’70’s. Very few enthusiasts of American cars of the era can say that there aren’t at least a few Ponchos that get their hearts racing on sight, particularly if they have initials for their name or a fiery bird on their hoods.
As expected, more than a few Pontiacs were fielded at the collector car auctions in Scottsdale, Arizona during January. Click through for a sampling of what the Chief had to offer there.
My project of writing up the cars I found most interesting on my auction trip is starting to wind down, with just a few more editions I want to hit. I’ve saved some of my favorites for last, with Pontiac being one of them.
All the Barrett-Jackson and Russo and Steele cars have links embedded if you want to see all the pictures and info the auction houses supply online. The Silver cars don’t have links or prices since they have not posted any post-sale information online.
Most here are probably familiar with the headlines of Pontiac’s history leading up to their glory years. Starting in 1931, Pontiac had been the second rung on the GM ladder (1909, if you count Oakland). Their cars were similar to Chevrolets, but a little more upscale. Over the years, they even developed a reputation for being a little dowdy and boring. Something your parents or grandparents would drive.
When Semon “Bunkie” Knudson became division manager in 1956, he set about to change that image. The mantra famously attributed to him is “You can sell a young man’s car to an old man, but you can’t sell an old man’s car to a young man”. Truer words have probably never been spoken in the realm of car marketing. The first cars to hit the market that had his full influence were the 1959 models, like this 1959 Bonneville seen at the Silver Auction.
This is the first year for the split grille, arrowhead logo, and wide track. The car is pretty far from a #1 condition, but an absolute beaut none-the-less. I don’t know if it sold, but unless it had an overly high reserve, I can’t imagine everyone being able to resist its charms. (update: I found Hagerty reported it sold for $23,760)
I have to say from certain angles, I find this car almost strange looking, particularly the side view. Excessive rear overhang was typical for cars in this time period, but the Pontiac’s seems somehow excessively excessive.
The rear deck is amazing. From the rear, it looks like you could turn on the taillights and back up lights and have it serve as a emergency landing strip for a small plane. Or remove the trunk lid and you’d have a virtual El Camino.
The colors look somewhat muted in the photo, but there are three different shades of green on the seats. Dashboard is handsome, in its fully chromed ’50’s way. From any direction you look at it, it’s a heck of a car.
For 1963, Pontiac settled on the iconic styling theme they would use for the next 5-6 years, encompassing many of their most popular cars. Kicking off the hit parade is a 1963 Catalina which sold at Barrett-Jackson for $19,800. The car has definitely been restored, and probably bears little resemblance to how it looked when it left the factory, but that doesn’t take away any of its charm to my eyes. I love the red color, dog dish caps, 4-speed and the whole package. The late ’60’s steering wheel is about my only quibble with it.
Right next to it is a car that pushes my buttons even more, a 1965 Catalina hardtop coupe selling for $28,050. This one is also not very original, with many non-stock modifications. Not usually my style, but it doesn’t matter, I’d still put this car in my garage any day of the week (assuming it would fit). I love the deep, dark red and even the torque-thrust wheels suite the car well.
I believe the first classic car show I went to was when I was 13. One of the cars there was a ’65 Pontiac that I thought was really sweet looking. This was in the mid ’80’s when cars were mostly squared off, bland and slow. The big Pontiac was a revelation with its long sweeping lines, coke bottle fenders, fastback roofline and stacked headlights, not to mention the lofty pre-smog power ratings. I was smitten and have loved the car ever since.
In the swap meet area of that show I found a Motor Trend magazine from February 1965, which was the Car of the Year issue when they gave the award to Pontiac’s full line. Inside was a road test of each model, my favorite being the 2+2. I sometimes get asked by a non-car person, “What’s your favorite car?” You’ve probably experienced the same thing as a car enthusiast. I’ve found that as hard to answer as asking a music lover what’s your favorite song or even a parent what’s your favorite child. But for my answer, which is true, I always say 1965 Pontiac Catalina 2+2 (with a tri-power 421 and 4 speed manual).
Obviously, this Catalina is not a 2+2, but it is still pretty darned cool. The main visual difference is the lack of bucket seats, the main mechanical difference is the 421 was standard.
I think my general affinity for full-width dashboards may have come from the ’65 Pontiac. The dash is another area that this car stands out with such a simple, attractive design. This car has the radio deleted, but a great detail on the Pontiac dash is the heater and radio controls that are made to match each other. I also like the chrome trimmed pedals, translucent steering wheel and on upper-trimmed cars, real wood veneer.
The only other ’60’s full-size Pontiac I saw in Scottsdale was this 1965 Grand Prix at Russo and Steele, selling for $17,500. An article chronicling ’60’s Pontiacs would be lacking without seeing a set of Pontiac’s incomparable 8-lug wheels/brake drums, so here they are. The Grand Prix shared the shorter 121 in. wheelbase with the Catalina, but had most of the equipment of the longer Bonneville and a unique roof treatment. It came standard with the Bonneville’s 325hp 389cid V8, but as on all full-size models, engines up a 376hp 421 were available.
Just to highlight how different 1965 was from today, or even from 1975, the full-size Pontiac line had 9 different versions of their engines available, depending on model. They also all came with a three-speed manual standard, even the Bonneville and Grand Prix. Three-speed Turbo Hydramatic (Turbo 400) was optional, though probably found on most cars out there. Also available on all models: your choice of 12 different rear axle ratios and a four-speed floor-shifted manual, even on wagons. Bonneville wagons were available with bucket front seats and console. Color choices were impressive, too, with 15 exterior and 8 interior colors.
If I wanted to complain, I would say that this car rides too low in front while the Catalina above rides too high. But I don’t want to complain. How often does one get to see full-size ’65 Pontiacs in the metal? Not often enough to nitpick.
It should not be a surprise to learn that the bulk of ’60’s Pontiacs at high end auctions are GTOs. Barrett-Jackson this year had 17, plus a few customized Tempest/LeMans. A 1964 GTO convertible was inside at B-J, selling for $47,300. Seemed like a good price for a very clean droptop inaugural GTO.
Here’s why most people come to Barrett-Jackson, to see cars like this 1965 GTO. It’s a concours-quality show car, recently restored to be better than new. You won’t find one in better condition, so perhaps the sale price of $154,000 doesn’t seem too astronomical for what is probably the most popular year and model of Pontiac ever. Next to it is a similar quality black ’64 hardtop that sold for $150,700.
The seller provided lots of studio beauty shots like these, which I include here to make up for my terrible photograph. For the record, I think the dog dish hubcaps are super cool, but I do find it funny that what was considered cheap in 1965 and usually jettisoned for some aftermarket wheels on day two, is something people pay six digit prices for today.
If you were more interested in getting a ’65 Goat you could actually purchase and drive, you could have picked up this rather high-riding one for $40,700.
Or a low-riding one for $64,900 . This tastefully modified, super sharp car looked great in person. I’d take it!
For 1966, Pontiac’s Tempest/LeMans line adopted the major styling themes of the full-size line, creating one of GM’s most attractive models ever, in my opinion. GTO became a separate series and had what would prove to be its best sales year ever, moving 96,946 cars (2/3’s with manual transmission). Russo and Steele sold this very sharp 1966 GTO Sport Coupe for $38,000.
Sadly, 1966 was the last year for the sexy triple carbureted engine. I’m not sure what percentage of 1964-66 GTO’s had tri-power, but if you figured based on auction cars, you’d assume most of them had it. Post coupes sold just over an eighth as well as hardtops coupes and worse than convertibles, so this car is a little bit of a rare bird..er.. goat.
Pontiac wisely chose not to mess with success, making only detail changes to their beautiful car in 1967. The newly enlarged 400cid V8 was standard. Triple carbs were gone, but there was now a Ram Air option which gave the top engine the same 360hp rating as the tri-power engine had in 1966.
’66-’67 GTO’s had great looking interiors with a nice round speedometer and gauges, trimmed with handsome woodgrain. A hood mounted tachometer was a bit of a trademark feature and really cool, if not real practical.
The famous Rally II wheels made their first appearance for 1967, though original Rallys were still available.
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GM’s new 1968 mid-size platform was a greatest hit for them, with all four divisions fielding versions that are beloved classics today. In my opinion, Pontiac’s rendition was the best looking, at least initially. Feel free to let me know if you disagree in the comments. I think the guy in the background is trying to convince his wife what a great family car this would make.
The lines on the car are clean and handsome, with no excess styling like the Buick and Chevrolet could be argued to have had in ’68-’69. The Endura plastic front end was original and sharp. The car looks great as a hardtop, or a convertible like this 1968 GTO at Barrett-Jackson. It sold for $40,700.
Verdoro Green may be my favorite color in ’68-’69 GTOs.
Same color, more sheetmetal. I found this clean 1968 GTO at Silver. I hope it found a good new home, because I’m sad it’s not in my garage. Unlike the convertible above, this one has the standard exposed headlights.
I came for the color, but stayed for the interior. This car caught my eye with its bench seat interior, which was said to be all original. As with triple carburetors, you might get the idea from auctions that all GTO’s had bucket seats. I don’t know the percentages, but between attrition and restorations, there are surely a much lower portion of Goats with bench seats around today than there were in the ’60’s.
It looks like a GTO, but it’s not. It’s a 1971 T-37 with the GT-37 option. Starting in mid year 1970, T-37 was the new entry level mid-size Pontiac model (supplanting the Tempest). The GT-37 seems to be a response to the success of the Plymouth Road Runner and increasing insurance rates, offering a performance model below the GTO. It came standard with a 2-barrel 350 but the 1971 model could be optioned up to the GTO’s top 310hp (net) 455 . It also came with Rally IIs, white letter tires, dual exhaust, hood pins and stripes (this car missing the stripes).
The T-37 and GT-37 were dropped for 1972 (and the GTO reverted to an option package). Only 5800 GT-37’s were made for 1971, on top of 1,419 1970’s, making it a fairly rare car. This gorgeous cruiser has a 4-barrel 400 and automatic, making 255 net hp if it’s unmodified.
Russo and Steele had a 1977 Can Am, another great car to see if you like obscure ’70’s cars like I do.
By 1976, the GTO was long dead. The Trans Am was gaining in popularity as arguably the only remaining muscle car in the industry. Pontiac figured they could take some of that Trans Am muscle mojo and put it back onto their mid sized car, which could use an image enhancement. Kind of a latter day GTO, but strictly a limited edition proposition. This car sold for $16,500.
Like many of the old ’60’s muscle cars, the Can Am came with a bench seat, the bucket seats and console were optional. If you have a big collection of Steely Dan and BeeGees tapes, don’t worry. The owner is providing the original 8-track stereo with the car, setting it on the seat to prove it!
This particular car struck a chord with me because I once owned a 1976 LeMans coupe (in the ’90’s), white with Rally II wheels and red interior. Very similar to this car, except that it wasn’t a Can Am and was “powered” by the Olds 260cid baby V8.
If I didn’t get my Can Am fix at Russo and Steele, not to fear, Barrett-Jackson had one too! Their 1977 Can Am sold for $26,400, which makes sense because this car looked a bit cleaner. It was described as unrestored and looked very sharp in every visible area. It didn’t specifically mention having original paint, but I saw no evidence of a respray. Probably as nice a Can Am as you’re likely to find.
The Can-Am was a neat package. It had the Trans Am’s optional W72 200hp 400cid V8, Turbo 400 transmission, and the Grand Prix’s dashboard (the only LeMans to have any of those features). Production was short circuited to only 1377 cars, out of a planned 5000, due to a production problem with the unique rear spoiler.
As the lead photo suggests, this article wouldn’t be complete without a healthy dose of Firebird. We’ll start with a 1969 Firebird 400 convertible at Barrett-Jackson, selling for $34,100. Surprisingly, B-J only had three 1st generation Firebirds, all of them 1969’s. Firebird 400’s came, sensibly, with the 400cid V8. 330hp was standard, with two Ram Air packages good for up to 345hp. The seller didn’t specify, so one could assume it has the standard engine turning it’s automatic transmission.
I’m not actually a big fan of ’69 Firebirds. Chevy hit such a home run with the ’69 Camaro, I always thought the Pontiac paled in comparison. The lines aren’t as clean and the detailing is a little fussy. I usually prefer the ’67 or ’68, but this ’69 was really appealing to me. The stance and wheels are just right, plus the dark blue works well with it and a droppable top adds to the charm of just about any car.
Now this is some tasty Pontiac, a 1974 Trans Am Super Duty 455 at Silver Auction. Most are probably familiar with the SD455 story, so I won’t go into detail. Pontiac went all in on building an engine for 1973 with maximum power in a low compression, emissions compliant powerplant, at a time when most other manufacturers were running away from performance. Only 1,296 were made total, with 1002 of them being 1974 models. Power output was 290hp net and 390lbs-ft of torque, with great driving characteristics due to the years of acquired V8 wisdom Pontiac Engineering showered on this engine.
Being a Silver car I don’t know if it sold, but I suspect it didn’t since it wasn’t on Hagerty’s top 10 list. B-J had a fully restored ’74 SD that sold for $121,000, fitting with these being the most highly valued 2nd generation Firebirds.
Similar color but not so fast, Barrett-Jackson had a great looking 1978 Trans Am. It was claimed to be all original except for new paint and graphics, though no mileage was specified. Someone paid $33,000 and I’ll bet he went home very happy.
The coffee table book on the windshield is called Pontiac Firebird: 50 years, the cover of which is a photo of this car’s screaming chicken.
The body condition could not have been any more perfect. I like that it has Rally II wheels, instead of the beautiful but more common snowflakes. It has the more powerful of the two engines available, the W72 220hp 400cid Pontiac V8. With big valves and high lift cam, it was as serious an effort at performance as anyone was making at the time. That was not bad power for the era, the most since 1974 and after 1979, the most it would have again until the 1988 GTA (when genuine Pontiac V8’s were a distant memory). Many people prefer the ’78 front end over the ’79, including me, so the ’78 model is one of the favorite years for many Trans Am lovers. Amazingly, the Firebird never had a problem with giant, ugly bumpers.
If you like the front facelift for ’79-’81 (and I wouldn’t kick it out of my driveway), this 1980 Turbo Trans Am Indy Pace Car was stunning. It looks great in white and silver, and I’ve always loved these Turbo-Cast aluminum wheels. And thanks to the subtle decal package, model identification is no problem with this car! I was an impressionable kid when these were new and yes I built that Monogram 1/8 scale model. So, I clearly have an overly soft spot in my heart for these flashy cars.
It was not nearly so flashy under the hood. The engine was not glamorous looking, but the turbocharged, 4-barrel 301cid Pontiac V8 was a valiant effort to keep decent power in the new CAFE era. It made 210hp and 345lb-ft, so at least on paper, it wasn’t bad output, especially considering that a non-turbo 155hp 301 was standard in the Trans Am. I don’t know a lot about these engines. Does anybody here have any first hand experience?
This car was seriously mint, with 15k miles and original paint, selling for $22,000.
If you like Trans Am’s, and you probably quit reading already if you don’t, this is the car. The Bandit.
Silver came through again, offering this speedy black 1977 Trans Am. As Silver cars tend to be, it was in really good, not perfect, condition. It had enough small flaws to suggest it hasn’t been extensively refurbished, assuming it didn’t spend its first week on a cross-South illegal beer run in hot pursuit by the law. Whoever thought of the gold pinstriping package was a genius, it suits these cars so well.
Burt Reynolds drove his black 1977 Trans Am Special Edition out of the trailer, and into automotive immortality. It was just so black and shiny, and gold, and cool, and great sounding, and great looking…the perfect car for somebody who’s main occupation is showing off. It didn’t matter that it only had 200hp, the movie made it seem infinitely fast.
Smokey and the Bandit vindicated Pontiac’s wise decision to keep building a musclecar that was bold and as fast as they could muster at the time. When that cultural tsunami hit, Pontiac had what everyone wanted and was ready to sell a zillion cars.
About those zillion cars. Pontiac could have easily thrown in the towel on the Trans Am after selling only 10,255 of them in 1974, like Chevy did with the z-28. Or gotten rid of the Firebird completely after 1972 sales of only 31k total. Instead, they decided to stay the course. Their efforts at building the brand were paying off by 1976 when they sold 110k Firebirds, including 46k Trans Ams. Not bad growth, but then the movie was released in May 1977. The first full model year after the movie, 1978, saw 93k Trans Ams sold (out of 187k Firebirds). The crest peaked in 1979 with 117k Trans Ams (out of 211k Firebirds). Not all of that is attributable to Burt Reynolds, of course. It seemed like America would buy tons of just about any car with two doors, and 1978 and ’79 were really good years for the U.S. auto makers generally. Still, the Firebird/Trans Am was the right car at the right time. Just imagine how many they might have sold if they could have placed a Trans Am in Star Wars!
East bound and down!
As a postscript, there was this in the vendor section at Barrett-Jackson. If you love the Bandit enough, you may want to purchase one of these! It’s a highly modified Camaro, obviously.
Hope you enjoyed seeing these Pontiacs as much as I’ve enjoyed revisiting them! Feel free to share your opinions or memories of these cars in the comments.
Follow up article on “what’s the best GTO?”
Other articles in my 2018 Scottsdale auction series:
Cadillacs-part 1 restored cars
Cadillacs-part 2 unrestored cars
Great article and pics.
Prefer the early Fischer Firebirds myself. Would maybe go for an understated Formula in bronze or gunmetal. Or perhaps even an Esprit with a 400 – if such a thing ever existed.
Had a Buick Regal with the 265 Pontiac V8, of which I believe the 301 was a derivative. Had mine not been fitted with dual exhausts, it would’ve been an utter slug. Eventually the 265 blew and was replaced with a Chevy 305 which was OK until I put a 4-barrel on it…..
A nice selection. Yes, the butt of the Bonneville and Star Chief was extra long in those years, and did not always make for the best proportions.
I have really tired of the trend involving stripper models with huge engines. They were rare almost to the point of being theoretical when new but for the last fifteen years you have not been able to go anywhere with more than 10 classic cars on display without seeing one.
Although the late 60s color palette is not my favorite, I have to agree that Pontiac’s Verdoro Green was attractive. That was the color of the neighbor’s 68 GTO, only that one sported black vinyl for the top and interior.
+1 on the Verdoro Green. My parents’ ’68 LeMans Sport Coupe was done up in exactly the color scheme as the ’68 GTO convertible above. As the first car I remember riding in it was imprinted on my young mind early. I still love the ’68 Pontiac A Bodies, and if I had to pick any color….
(Actually, there isn’t a ’68 Pontiac I don’t love. In my view 1968 was Peak Pontiac.)
It has only recently occurred to me how different the dark green on my stepmom’s 68 Cutlass was from that of the neighbor’s 68 GTO. Oldsmobile (and Buick) used a color (Jade Gold on Olds) that was quite forgettable and not that attractive to my eyes. Pontiac Verdoro Green was rich and vibrant and has become classic on cars of that time.
Big engine strippers weren’t rare in police fleets.
But 2 doors with 4 speeds?
WRT big engined stripper specials especially “barn finds”: I used to see the same thing in Ford oriented magazines back in the day. Someone “miraculously” finds a Comet 202 with a factory dual quad 427 V8, four speed and 9 inch rear…
Sure.
Quite possibly the rarest combination of all of the Comets ever built (.0001% of production), found in restorable condition in a barn in BFE.
Sure.
Do you have any bridges to sell, also?
To my eye, there was no way that someone who paid for a car like that wasn’t going to drag race it back then. They, being able to see far into the future, decided just to shove it to a corner of the barn and let it gain value.
Sure.
The styling of the late 1950’s cars was aircraft based, and the fighter jets had a short front end and cockpit . The fuselage was long in comparison and ended with the tailfins. This was the dynamic look that was favored until the long hood, short deck European sports car image became the style. The same long tail proportions are visible today in a standard cab long bed pick up. I prefer this style pick up for looks and load carrying (not passenger carrying) capabilities. Much preferred to the chunky, stubby, quad cabs that are now so popular.( Yes I know that they are infinitely useful!)
I’m going to disagree, but only a little.
For ’68 I think the Cutlass was the best looking of the A bodies with the Pontiac second. For ’69-70 those two are really close and it pretty much comes down to individual cars.
While the full size cars did have some pretty long trunks, I think your photis are exaggerating them a little. In crowded quarters like those auctions it is hard to avoid using a pretty wide angle lens which will distort things a bit.
That was the genius of the GM system, different strokes for different folks. I put the ’68-’69 Cutlass 2nd on my personal list, then the list gets all shuffled for ’70-’72.
The photo angle does probably exaggerate the ’59 rear a bit, but not too much. I had the same thoughts when I was looking at the car in person. I made sure to shoot some photos from angles that accented what I was seeing.
I always placed the Cutlass and Chevelle(and Beaumont) higher in 68. The GTO has a really pretty face, one I would tend to agree may be the best front end of the 68-72 A-bodies, but I find the body beyond it very unremarkable. I vocally don’t care for the taillights in the bumper look in general, but the 68 GTO/LeMans/Tempest had the worst looking ones of this bodystyle(69s were much better).
I’m not so sure about those long trunks being so exaggerated by the camera lens. They were pretty darn huuuuge
Sir Mix-A-Lot should love those overly long rear ends on late 50s-early 60s cars. I get that it was a practical way of increasing the overall length of the vehicle, without increasing the wheelbase, but in the end, it was mostly wasted space for space’s sake. Those huge trunks were the only benefit, and Cadillacs ended up being too large for most garages and it lead to the Town Sedan with the shorter rear deck to allow most customers to park in their own garage! To my eyes, the shorter deck models look better, for the most part, but I do see how the long lines can make a great impression. I guess it was better than the added length added to the cowl on cars in the 40s and early 50s to add additional wheelbase to the senior or higher end models. Those cars end up looking like they have the snout of a cartoon dog to me.
Some of those long snout cars had that long front end due to the fact the car had a straight 8 in it. This engine is not a small engine.
Though some of the 1940’s cars did look very strange with their huge front ends in the drawn ads that were in magazines of the day.
Nice pics.
I would rather have that Fiero that is behind that Can-Am rather then the Can-Am. I have never really been a fan of the colonnade A body cars.
The Firebird was THE car to have in the 1970’s. James Garner drove them in the Rockford Files and Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit.
Of course I happen to like the 1980’s Firebird better
And one cannot forget about the one Steve McQueen drove in “The Hunter” his last movie.
The Red 63 Catalina with the “dog dishes” ….Sweet .
My preference leans toward the early 60’s “B” Canadian Pontiac … A.K.A Chevyiac. That being said, I would be proud to have that 63 sitting in my driveway.
“…. making only detail changes to their beautiful car in 1967 [GTO]”
GM was on a 2 year styling cycle then, so this was planned before the sales surge. Also, the ’65 was same body as ’64, with vertical headlights.
Also, good to see a ’63 Catalina, which was more common and same car underneath as the highly regarded same year Grand Prix. Some car historians praise the ’63 GP as if it had a unique body shell like Rivieras or Mustangs, but was just a different trimmed full size Pontiac. I like them, but they get too much attention in lieu of the Catalinas/Bonnevilles.
Good point. It would have been within Pontiacs power to change the 67 as much as it changed the 65 on their two year cycle. Olds messed with the Cutlass front end some. Pontiac tweaked, but didn’t change the look at all for 67, thank God!
GM’s 2 year cycle [for full/mid size cars] ended* with the ’72 A bodies getting delayed, and then recessions, oil shocks, etc.
*Was “interrupted” in 1959
The SD 455 is a highly regarding engine and it so happens to be from the “malaise era”. Rated at 290-310 net HP, it had good performance, with EGR, and other so called “emissions junk” .
It just got dropped due to higher standards of 1975, such at catalytic converters.
But, it showed the future, where engines of today and since late 80’s could have clean air and performance. So, 1971-2 was the “end of car performance”.
Oops, I meant 1971-72 was NOT the end of car performance! Just the end of the GM A body from 1968.
” [1977 Can Am] Production was short circuited to only 1377 cars, out of a planned 5000, due to a production problem with the unique rear spoiler.”
Rumor is that Pontiac bosses wanted to sell more ’77 Grand Prixs, didn’t want to give up extra dash boards. But, not verified.
From what I’ve read, both factors came into play. Production was held up by problems with the rear spoiler, and the very strong demand for the Grand Prix meant that Pontiac management didn’t place a high priority on getting the Can Am back into production.
Speaking of dashboards, contrary to this writeup the Can Am wasn’t the only LeMans to use the Grand Prix dash – the Grand LeMans used it too, as in this sweet example of a ’77 coupe: http://classiccars.com/listings/view/1059567/1977-pontiac-lemans-for-sale-in-grand-rapids-michigan-49508 . The earlier Grand Am also shared the GP dash, complete with real wood.
I don’t know why Pontiac didn’t just build the remainder of Can Ams without the rear spoiler and give a credit; it wasn’t all that essential for the appearance of the car..
Thanks for pointing that out! I hadn’t heard that before.
the best part about those later ’50s Pontiacs was how the ad art hilariously exaggerated the proportions to fit the “wide track” theme.
And to think that exaggerated width in the illustration probably sold more cars – how times change!
I’m a bit too young to remember, but I think part of the reason for creating the T-37 and GT-37 was because by 1970 “GTO” translated into “double my insurance rates, please”.
Most people attribute the death of the muscle car to emissions regulations, but insurance companies played a big part as well.
Sales dropped off due to high rates, and young buyers went to either used 60’s supercars, or left factory muscle cars for good. Instead, getting regular trimmed Chevelle, Cutlass, Nova and modding them.
The F bodies did well since older Boomers [some returning Vets] in late 20s, going into their 30’s, could afford the costs. < – Per car magazines of the era.
The F bodies did well since older Boomers [some returning Vets] in late 20s, going into their 30’s, could afford the costs. < – Per car magazines of the era.
Also after 1974 there was no more options. F bodies presumably sopped up many would-be buyers of Mustangs, Javelen/AMXs Barracudas and Challengers in the supercar ponycar sized packaging of the early 70s
The F-bodies of that era were also very popular with women. I knew a fair number of young ladies who owned a Camaro in either the Type LT or Berlinetta trim levels.
@Evan Reiner is correct- it was the insurance companies that really played a big part (maybe the biggest?) in the death of the muscle car. What’s interesting is the survivor. Although Pontiac dropped the SD455 after ’74, the 455 resurfaced in ’75. A shadow of it’s former self, true- but still the last man standing.
And that muscle-car curse stayed in effect through the rest of the 1970s too. My high-school friend and neighbor had a 1977 Mustang Cobra II, which was a stripe kit on a 4-cylinder car with sport mirrors and fancy wheels. It had very high insurance rates as well.
So it wasn’t the car itself that was the danger, it was the kind of driver attracted (or imagined to be attracted) to such a car.
Nice writeup of what may be my favorite American brand of the ’60s. Pontiac was on a roll in the ’60s and to a lesser extent the ’70s, only to let it fizzle away in the ’80s and ’90s in a sea of ugly cladding and grey plastic buttons, not to mention some underwhelming powertrains.
I’m just old enough to remember when these Pontiacs were commonplace; by the time I was in high school the ’68-’72 GM A bodies were the quintessential cheap used car a high schooler could afford. The muscle-car versions had already started escalating in price, but the standard Chevelles or LeMans (LeManses?) were just old super-common used cars that could be found for three-digit prices. Sadly the only Pontiac I owned was my first car, an ’82 J2000LE which was peak malaise performance-wise (I had an early-build 1.8L OHV with the 3 speed automatic, the slowest of the bunch) but was still quite a looker IMO, before the cladding and cheaped-out interiors began infesting Pontiacs later in that decade. I always thought the front end of the original J2000 looked alot like the classic ’77-’78 Trans Am, although a colleague/friend from back then laughed at that notion, opining that the only part of a J2000 that looked like a Trans Am was where it says “Pontiac”….
I had a 1959 4 dr Bonneville (white with 3 tone maroon interior) just shortly out of high school. My girlfriend loved the “room” behind the front seat. I had to part with it when I got drafted for SE Asia duty in 1964. I think I sold it for $1100.00.
” the only part of a J2000 that looked like a Trans Am was where it says “Pontiac”….”
Cruel, but funny!
I laughed too, as did everyone else in earshot. But I stand by my assertion – what do you first think you’re looking at when you see the front of that red Pontiac i posted?
The front end is very remincient of the 77-78 Firebird, to me. Surely that was intentional, to try to Pontiac up a design that was otherwise similar between all 4 divisions.
What? No Aztek?
I wish! I’ll bet the actual Breaking Bad Aztek would bring big money in an auction.
There are many Pontiacs of the 60’s and 70’s I’d be honored to be a caretaker of (I’ll even make room in my garage if someone needs a caretaker for theirs!)
But asking about the 301 Turbo TA, that was NOT a good engine and no amount of graphics can make up for that mistake.
I tried desperately to buy a perfect condition red ’74 Super Duty, but I couldn’t get a loan on it and a friend (probably wisely) who was loaded refused too. The reason the bank wouldn’t go for it was that it was too old, at 7 years and 5 years was as old as they would go. And it was about $1000 higher, at $9000 than what they would have given me anyway. It was the third car I really wanted to buy over a three year period that I couldn’t get because I just couldn’t get the loan I needed. Previous cars were a really clean ’71 Duster 340 and a ’69 427 Vette that an old guy was going to sell me for $3600 as he had numerous health issues and he liked me, and said, “Where I’m going, I won’t need a car or money!”. Some high school kid got it instead and I wonder if it, or he survived. A few months after the T/A was gone, I ended up buying my ’79 T/A which ended up faster than the SD T/A anyway, but wasn’t as pretty.