(first posted 9/23/2011) When I was growing up, there were more Oldsmobiles in my extended family than anything else. But if we go to second place, it would have to be Pontiac. And truthfully, the Pontiacs were my favorites out of all of the General Motors cars from the 1960s. And what do you know – one of them found me a few weeks ago.
Pontiac must have been an exciting place in the 1960s. In the early 1950s, the Division was a struggling also-ran maker of cars for conservative old folks who wore hats and suspenders. There had even been rumors that the unit was in danger of being dropped by GM upper management. But in a familiar story, fresh blood came on the scene, and Pontiac became the most happening motor division within the General Motors family.
When Semon E. (Bunkie) Knudsen took over the job of running Pontiac in the mid 1950s, the place was pretty ossified. But Knudsen, along with his new Chief Engineer Elliot (Pete) Estes, decided that youth and performance were a demographic that nobody else within GM was adequately serving. A young man by the name of John Z. DeLorean hired into the Division’s engineering staff from Packard about this time as well. Those three men would take turns running the Pontiac Motor Division through the late 60s, with leadership handoffs as smooth as any championship relay ream.
The new 1955 V8 engine and the 1957 Bonneville got things started. Then came the Wide Track, the LeMans, the GTO. It was one win after another, and soon, Pontiac was the third-best selling brand in America, behind Chevrolet and Ford.
But as important as the sports and performance models were to Pontiac’s image, you don’t get to number 3 by selling GTOs. In the mid 1960s, the volume market was still the standard sized sedan, and Pontiac sold a series of them that were both pretty and pretty good.
It is hard to comprehend in this age of badge engineering and trim jobs, but in the 1960s, there was a huge difference between a Chevrolet and a Pontiac. The cars used different engines, different transmissions, and looked nothing alike anywhere the owner could see or touch.
In its exterior styling, the big Pontiac had an almost unbroken run of really attractive cars, even in the workaday Catalina series. We recently discussed the demotion of cars named after exciting and exotic faraway places like the Mercury Monterey (CC here). Well, the Catalina was another place-name that eventually settled into its slot as the lowest priced big Pontiac. But unlike over at Mercury, Pontiac did all it could to keep a little magic in the Catalina.
By 1968, medium priced big cars were starting to trend towards luxury and an older demographic, but the Pontiac Catalina still maintained a little more dash and flair than was usually found in the segment.
Pontiac had some uncommonly talented stylists in those years, and this shows up in this Catalina. The car has a flow to its lines that make it appear longer, lower and wider than any contemporary Mercury or Dodge. The car certainly looks longer than its 122 inch wheelbase would suggest. Is there a bad line on this car anywhere? OK, maybe the nose treatment was a little over the top, but isn’t it is a testament to the designers that they could incorporate that Edsel-like nose and bring it off even this well?
Did you know (or remember) that the ’67 big Pontiac was the first in the industry to bring us concealed windshield wipers? As nice as they look, those of us who live around falling leaves and snow were never crazy about them and were happy to see them go away.
Inside, the little touches continued. The translucent plastic steering wheel, the unique heater controls that mimicked the radio, and other little touches made sure that you knew that you were in a Pontiac. And who can forget the little red profile cameo of Chief Pontiac in the speedometer that illuminated with your high beams? Truthfully, that may have been my favorite part of the cars when I was a kid.
For those who were fans of the 389 and 421 Pontiac V8s, the 1967 models brought us the 400 and the 428 to replace them. Also, even in 1968, Pontiac would provide the Catalina buyer with an unusually wide choice of transmissions and axle ratios. In addition to the Turbo Hydramatic (with either a column or floor shifter) you could get a 3 speed (with column or floor shifting) or two different 4 speeds (regular and close ratio), some with Hurst linkages. You could also choose from as many as ten axle ratios in your big chief, ranging from a librarian’s 2:29 to a pavement-rippling 4:11. You can see that the Pontiac boys catered to the performance crowd like nobody else at GM.
You all know by now that I am a fan of big American convertibles from the 1960s. In 1968, Pontiac offered quite a selection of them, in the high end Bonneville, midrange Ventura, or base level Catalina lines. But is there anywhere on this Catalina that makes it look like a budget version? This car, like most Pontiacs of the era, were seductive even in their lower trim levels. I would argue that this is one of John DeLorean’s legacies from his Pontiac years – he was one of the few GM Divisional heads who had that sixth sense of the sweet spots in the market and what kind of car would hit them.
Paul Niedermeyer has written about Pontiac’s wonderful advertising by Fitzpatrick and Kaufman (here). The duo was still at work selling the big cars in 1968. Look at these vintage ads, and tell me – who would not want one of these cars? Good cars and good advertising don’t always come together, but they did at Pontiac in the 1960s, letting us know that the Wide-Track Pontiac was still alive and well.
To me, 1968 marks the last year of the U.S. car industry as a whole when the person who liked his cars with full size and full performance still had a wide selection to choose from. By 1969, the broughamification of the big cars was well underway, and those of us who liked some sport with their size would find their choices dwindling, even at Pontiac. I have written here before that my Grandmother’s ’69 Catalina was about as exciting as a day-old pizza. Many of the little touches that had made Pontiacs so endearing to me were gone by then, and the car was generic GM. Thankfully, the Chief Pontiac high beam light remained, or the car could have been a total washout. So, this ’68 is the last of the big Pontiacs that really floats my boat.
Here in the midwest, we are entering into maybe the best season to own a convertible. The days are still warm enough in September to get out with the top down, and that is just what the owner of this car was doing when he pulled into the supermarket for some groceries. What a great life – do you need a loaf of bread? Hop in the big red Catalina, drop the top and cruise on down to the grocery.
I saw the car pull into the lot as I was walking out of the store. By the time I put my bags into my car and found the big red Pontiac, the owner had already gotten away. I did chat with a store employee on his break who put a little damper on my day by telling me that I had missed a four-door Lincoln convertible that was there a little earlier that morning. Top down, too. Drat. But for a consolation prize, I could have done a lot worse than this big Poncho.
“I have written here before that my Grandmother’s ’69 Catalina was about as exciting as a day-old pizza.”
Ha! It’s funny how looking forward from the 60s, the 70s cars were obviously a letdown. But looking back from the 80s, they had their charms. In 1995, friends and I crossed the country in a ’71 Cat coupe with a 400. Generic everything, right down to the terrible brown paint used on every 70s GM, but it was fast and I thought the body was more solid than my hollow-drum Imp’s.
A relative had a 1969 Bonneville with the 428 that I had the pleasure to drive occasionally. Full gauges, A/C, all the goodies. 375 hp – Nothing day old toast about that. Don’t know of any other 4 door h.t. of that era with more power. Pontiac was still very much at the top of its game. And an incredible bargain. All through the ’60’s the Catalina was maybe $100 more than an 8 cylinder Impala. For this you got another 100 cubic inches and Hyda-magic over Powerglide.
“What a great life – do you need a loaf of bread? Hop in the big red Catalina, drop the top and cruise on down to the grocery.”
You’ve said it all. That’s joy of motoring for me, even mundane tasks are done with wonder. I was driving to work on this beautiful September morning, listening to the burble of my Quad 4 in traffic, and admiring the profile of my Sunfire GT in the windows of the buildings I passed. It’s not the best car I could own, but at this point in time it’s my favorite-est.
I remember these big Ponchos from my childhood. One of my buddy’s dads always had a Pontiac in his garage, sometimes two. There was a certain confidence in these cars, like the folks who designed them knew they were going to be accepted as great cars. And the people buying them knew they were going to be great cars.
I’d heard that PMD was called the ‘Pirate’ division (internally), and the attitude showed. Even the now lowly Catalina had a certain swagger that no equivalent Chevy, Dodge or Mercury could muster at that price point.
As sorry as I am to see Pontiac shelved, I’m glad it happened. 30+ years of CAFE, EPA and other acronyms, plus numb management from corporate had Captain “Jack” Pontiac wheezing on his deathbed.
Your comment has captured the essence of Pontiac in the 60s, probably better than I did. You are dead-on about the confidence and swaggar that these cars had, even the most mundane Catalina.
In On A Clear Day You Can See General Motors, John DeLorean recounted that the Pontiac Division was a tightly knit group that was on a mission. He knew that Pontiac was poaching a lot of Chevrolet customers, and he was just fine with that. Even in the 1960s, GM’s corporate structure had become so stultifying, that much of his effort was directed at keeping GM corporate out of the Division’s hair. When he was kicked over to head Chevrolet in 1969, his successor as manager was more of an Organization Man, and Pontiac started to lose the magic. But in fairness, all of the Divisions were starting to lose a significant amount of autonomy by that time, which was not a good thing.
Like the decision to phase out Oldsmobile, discontinuing Pontiac was almost a mercy killing to those of us who can remember the glory days.
But at least Pontiac got to go out with the G-8 GT, as opposed to a Bravada. For a little bit at the end of Pontiac, it was kind of like the old days. I have always wondered what would have happened if Bob Lutz had gotten the same level of autonomy that Delorean had in running one of GM’s divisions.
Very true, although I did like the Intrigue and Aurora, despite their flaws.
The G8 is still being made… with alterations… it is now called the Chevy Camaro! And people wonder why a sports coupe is so heavy… it’s just a G8 wearing a Camaro coupe suit!
“The last American Pontiac, a 2010 G6, was built on November 25, 2009, at the Orion Assembly plant. No public farewell took place, although a group of plant employees documented the event. In December 2009, the last Pontiac-branded vehicle to roll off an assembly line was in the Canadian-market Pontiac G3 Wave, manufactured in South Korea by GM Daewoo.” – from Pontiac’s wikipedia article
I generally don’t participate in post Pontiac MM like my friends at GMInsideNews.com, but if the Task Force had left GM alone, there may have been room for Pontiac as a very small, highly focused ‘performance’ division. With the G8, the Solstice and a heated up G6 (don’t scoff, the Epsilon body is waaaay under-rated), they could have made a stab at respectability.
(Of course, if the Task Force had their way, GM would have merged with Chrysler. Then we’d possibly have two performance divisions, Dodge and Pontiac. How the heck would you rectify that mess? Of course that makes for some more fun MM-ing. Hemi G8 anyone? Turbo Ecotec powered Caliber? The mind boggles…
OTOH, with that scenario in mind, it does make sense to shutter Pontiac. With Dodge coming into the scene, there would have been as much overlap as there had been with Saturn and Pontiac. But this is all just speculation on my part.)
Of course, a pure Pontiac performance division would probably preclude any Chevy SS models because of the model and mission overlap. And there’s no way in Hell that Chevrolet division would let that stand. And frankly, unless they heated up the Solstice with a V6 or V8, what kind of ‘performance’ division do you have if it has no halo car?
If you had something beyond the turbo Solstice, we get into that whole ‘Corvette is King’ territory with Chevy division again. Remember the Banshee concept car of the mid 60’s?
I’m really starting to think that what has transpired is really what needed to happen.
“And there’s no way in Hell that Chevrolet division would let that stand.”
That’s what happened to GM and Ford in a nutshell. Once Ford LTD’d Mercury and even Lincoln out of their identities, and B-O-P got Capriced, Monte Carloed and Corvetted, they might as well have dropped those brands right then. Too bad they didn’t stick to the ladders.
Great piece and great comments. Great clue too, upholstery matters!
The Vette dates back to 1953, not part of any ‘brougham’.
Nah, Olds didn’t go out with the Bravada, they had the V8 Aurora to go out with.
Your glad that Pontiac was shelved? I have but one reply to such a statement! Pontiac G8!
A great article…my friend has a 1967 Catalina convertible, and it is still a sharp car. His is a pale yellow color with a black interior.
This car also shows why General Motors was still so dominant in the 1960s. Ford had matched Chevrolet throughout the years, but Mercury and Dodge were simply no match for Pontiac. That is because a Pontiac really was a step up from a Chevrolet, while a Mercury and a Dodge were Fords and Plymouths with slightly different sheetmetal. Moving up the Sloan ladder really did get you a better car, and in the booming 1960s, more people could do just that.
Excellent writeup, and a very nice Catalina.
Pontiac was my favorite GM division growing up, too. Always had a thing for the 49-57s (of course) and these later big beaked ones — and also the ’70 just because of that standup grille.
But I *love* day-old pizza for breakfast, nothing better!
No brand (or at least American brand) kept its brand identity as tightly defined as Pontiac did during the ’60s and into the ’70s. The divided grille with the “beak” was so “Pontiac” that as a kid, I never realized there was a time when Pontiacs didn’t have it. They always looked like an integrated, seamlessly-built whole, even though we know that much of the underlying structure is interchangeable.
On the other hand, the last fifteen years or so of Pontiac were a shame–the brand had degenerated into rental-fleet hell, even more so than Chevy. I agree that it’s probably better that Pontiac went away than to have it continue indefinitely cranking out red G6’s for Avis.
IMHO Pontiac was always pretty good with a “family face” for their cars. Coming at you dead on you could usually tell it was a Pontiac.
Right, that ad with the Firebird and the full-size shows off their matching beaks beautifully.
I hate to think what today’s truck hitches would do to that beautiful chrome “bumper”.
Your comment about the styling is correct.
One of the things that is usually cited about the continuity of German brands vis-a-vis their styling is the fact that you can see a 3, 5, and 7 series BMW (same with Audi and Benz) and know they’re from the same family. Somehow, someway, Pontiac division managed to always have it’s cars look like Pontiacs. Even something as bastardized as the Daewoo/Opel LeMans from the early 90’s. Or the G3. It was a bit of a stretch on those (and the Astre!) though…
In more recent decades they were aping the BMW kidney grille, but still it seemed to work well. There had been a logical history of the Pontiac split grille, in it’s many variations. Being a student of design, I’d wished for less imitation of the BMW kidneys and something even more unique to the brand.
However, GM Design was not locked into an overall look (like MB or BMW) and much of the rest of the car was allowed to morph into whatever suited the times. Witness all of the variations of the Grand Prix model: From the original 60’s bruiser, to the 80’s G body ‘Brougham’ to the 90’s FWD super coupe-sedan.
I still reckon Audi needs to vary the number of rings on the grille so I can tell an A6 from an A4.
My father has been strictly a Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Chevy man. I keep telling him he ought to look for a lightly used Impala LTZ if he wants to get that Oldsmobile feeling back. 🙂
My personal view on Pontiac is “give me a Bo’ville, any Bo’ville.” But the wide track Pontiacs are second in my heart. They made every other car of the era look like a pig on a skateboard by comparison. Pushing the wheels to the corners? WHAT A CONCEPT!
B body Pontiacs from the Sixties have got to be my the finest looking vehicles ever created. Though growing up in Canada we had a whole different car.
It was basically an American Pontiac on a Chevy frame, and drive train. The first time I saw a 64 Catalina I was in awe. 15″ wheels and a blue engine that wasn’t a small block. Unbelievable to this 13 year old.
From the time my Dad brought home a used 1960 Strato Chief to this day,a Pontiac out of the Sixties sets my heart racing.
BTW… Me too the Chiefs head on the high beam made the car. I spent a week trying to figure out how to change the bulb on my 62,but with the help of a retired auto shop teacher, I got it and the Chief shone again
I lived in Niagara Falls, ON for two years at the end of the 60’s and remember the Strato Chief/Laurentian/Parisienne quite well.
In reality a Catalina’s trim level was somewhere inbetween the Laurentian and the Parisienne depending on the year. For example, on the 63’s trunk lid, the Parisienne and Catalina trim was identical – a bright strip across the middle of the lid – and the Canadian lines never saw the much bigger piece used on the Bonneville…although the Bonneville/Parisienne side strips were the same.
In contrast most Strato-Chiefs as I recall realllly had a “lowest-priced” look to them, equipped more like a Chevy Biscayne.
My great uncle Al was one of those guys who was painfully frugal, a WW1 vet – I don’t believe his wife liked it too much, but they sure made their son rich when they died. He was the type who drove a Rambler – basic as basic could be, even put it in neutral and set the parking brake when at a stoplight – drove my dad up a wall!
When it was time to replace the Rambler, he bought a brand new 1967 Pontiac Catalina, 4 door sedan, OHC six, three-on–the-tree, no A/C, no radio, no nuthin’!
I was disappointed when I saw the greenish-gray color (I think) and how stripped of any glory it was, but it was new, and upon gazing under the hood and seeing that beautiful blue-painted OHC six, well, I wanted to take it for a spin so bad it almost hurt!
I loved that engine.
,,,if only it were a two-door!
I never had a chance to drive or ride in it, either.
No full size Pontiac had the OHC six. Is it possible you’re thinking of a Tempest?
Actually, I should say no AMERICAN full size Pontiac had a six – not counting the fine Chevy drivetrain based Canadian Ponchos. . .
I too have Pontiac blood since childhood. We had a ’55 870 Chietain, a ’61 Catalina Safari and my first car a ’61 Catalina four door with the Vista-Wing roof, piece o’ s&$! Roto- HydraMatic. No power steering or brakes. Braking was “telegraphed” in! Six turns of the plain two spoke wheel lock to lock. Did drive well on the open highway; not so fun in the Marin hills or “The City” (San Francisco). BTW – GO ‘NINERS!
Back in the day Pontiac meant SOMETHING it was definiyely a step up from Chev even though most of the Pochos in NZ were Canadian Laurentians they had Pontiac motors. I still remember being surprised when looking at a 61 Bonneville for sale in Aussie that it had a 283 Chev engine wasnt used to that yet. Good to see that Holdens went with Pontiac badging in the US and they can still be bought in 2 flavours in the US Cadillac CTS-V is a Holden and so is the Camaro surely you guys didnt think RWD cars could be designed in NA and go fast?
So the Camaro was the Aussies fault! I guess the CTS makes it a wash.
Don’t forget, we gave you the Cleveland!(not that we were doing anything with it…)
Those cleveland motors went well when planted in a Falcon but the credit for Fords race wins should go to Alan Moffat a canadian who could keep the largely brakeless GTHOs on the black stuff at speed
Aloha Bryce in Kiwi-Land. English Commonwealth Pontiacs; CKD’s being Canadian all had Canadian Chevy engines.
Some arrived here direct from the US and were RHD converted most as you say were CKD packs locally assembled.
My dad had a 1969 Catalina when I was in high school.
It was a very nice looking car but, had a multitude of problems in the first 2 months.
After they were all corrected, the car was fine, but my dad had “got a bad taste in his mouth” and dumped it for a 1970 Dodge Polara after only 6 months.
I liked the Pontiac better….I was a new driver with a 400 as opposed to the 318 in the Dodge, but it wasn’t my decision to make.
What a comedown, from a Pontiac Catalina to a Dodge Polara. The Dodge was even less car than a Chevy Impala as its 318 V8 was smaller than the Impala’s 350 or Ford Galaxie’s 351. To get a Dodge more comparable to the Catalina meant upgrading to the Polara Custom which did come with a 383 V8 standard and a more comparable interior. And Chrysler Corporation quality in 1969-70 was actually worse than most of GM, and certainly Ford Motor Company.
Umm, concealed wipers aren’t going away, in fact most new cars today seem to feature them, for aerodynamic purposes.. Though GM car’s always have that separate, higher park position for those winter times. My Subaru SVX has a switch that would park the wipers at higher position for the winter. I wonder if cars today with concealed wipers have them.
Speaking of wide tracks, I remember asking on TTAC what’s the benefit of narrow tracks, as the benefit of wide tracks are so obvious and easy to understand. Why don’t all cars have them then? Never quite got a satisfactory answer. The answer seem to be that the narrow tracks was there only because automakers want a new, wider body on old chassis, and don’t want to spend the dough updating the chassis and widening the tracks. But narrow tracks was so prevalent at one time, even on new cars with new chassis, I wonder if that’s true.
In theory, a wider track makes for more stability and better cornering. As to the Pontiacs, it was my understanding that the difference in track width was under 2 inches, so not a lot. I believe that the biggest benefits were in styling (the car looks better and more athletic with the wheels farther out) and marketing. In the late 60s, my Aunt Norma had a nearly new ’68 Delta 88 and an elderly ’60 Catalina. She insisted that the Pontiac was safer in bad weather because of the wide track. Those advertising guys were Goooooood!
I have not researched this, but I have seen some sources that claim that after 1960, there was no track width difference between a Pontiac and other GM cars of the same platform, other than what you could do with different tires. Does anybody have anything definitive on this?
Yes, the benefit of a wider track, as I said, was too easy to see. It’s the benefit of its opposite, the narrow track, that I can’t understand. I mean, pushing the wheels to the car’s corner makes so much sense, I wonder why they didn’t just do it all the time?
As for the wipers, look at all the cars for sale today, the Camrys, the BMWs, Sonatas, what have you, they all have wipers that is well tucked away from the airstream, you can’t really see it anymore. They all have wipers that’s hidden beneath the hood. Aren’t those not concealed wipers?
As for concealed wipers, I DO remember when they were prevalent with the domestics which primarily came abut in the 1970’s and what I remember most was they ALL had that dual armed driver’s wiper that kept the blade horizontal as it swept back to the edge of the windshield for a greater swept area, that died out by 1980 or so if I recall.
The idea of wipers still being concealed remained, to a degree through at least the first half or so of the 80’s before being eliminated entirely.
Most now just park right down at the base, or nearly of the windshield in a recess that is much wider than in the past where it was the hood that literally went up to the base of the windshield that left just enough room for the wipers to park within and the hood had a lip that hid them when parked.
As for a winter position, never knew such an animal existed on those older cars but I DO know of the heated parking area on many cars such as the Chrysler mini vans since the late 1990’s at least as an option.
The concealed wipers were mostly only found on the full sized cars such as the Caprice, LTD etc, and Plymouth Fury’s, Dodge Monacos and the like through at least 1975 or so.
Concealed wipers, first introduced on 1967 full-sized Pontiacs went on GM full-sized and intermediate-sized cars in 1968 along with Corvette, Eldorado, Toronado and Riviera followed by Camaros and Firebirds in 1970. Ford introduced the hidden wipers on the 1970 Lincoln Continental, Continental Mark III and Thunderbird in 1970, along with intermediates; followed by full-sized Fords and Mercurys plus Mustang and Cougar in 1971. Chrysler brought out the hidden wipers on the 1969 full-sized cars followed by the 1970 ponycars and 1971 intermediates.
I can’t recall a car I’ve owned in the last 15 years that had concealed wipers–maybe I’m buying the wrong cars. My own Subaru wagon has exposed wipers, but they are heated–or rather, the parking area on the windshield can be heated, so they can be freed of snow and ice when the need arises. (This was part of the “Cold Weather Package” that was an option on this particular car, which also included heated seats and mirrors. Needless to say I don’t use it much in southern California.)
Maybe I have not been driving new enough cars. My 84 Olds Ninety Eight and 89 Cadillac Brougham still had concealed wipers, as does my 93 Crown Victoria (that my kids still drive). I hate the things, and always have. Especially in the snow. If you don’t clear all around them before you turn them on, the recessed parking area always fills with packed snow and the wipers cannot get down to park. In the fall, leaves and tree trash accumulate in there and clog things up as well.
You are right that the newer stuff has gotten away from these.
I can remember my dad pouring hot water from the electric kettle onto those “hidden” wipers on our 1970 Canadian Pontiac Strato-Chief. Not his favourite feature of the car.
Amazing this car gets featured and I find one just round the corner a 68 Laurentian No speaker grille in the back seat though but the 66 I looked at buying in Tassie did have one
The car I reference below was exactly this color. Brings back memories — good and not-so-good.
We were Pontiac people for many years. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I learned to drive at age 10 in a 1968 Bonneville Safari wagon. First car I ever drove all by myself.
Pontiac swagger. Perfect description. Awesome vehicles perfect for the time.
Another great article; throughout the 60’s all Pontiacs had aggressive styling which really made a statement compared to the rather staid styling of most Chevrolets of that era. When I was growing up my parents always drove Chevrolets-almost always four-door sedans with a six cylinder engine and powerglide. Then in 1966, they spurged and purchased a Pontiac Catalina. Compared with the rather bland Chevrolet it was an absolute revelation. Getting used to the over-boosted power steering and brakes (which were common to that era) took some getting use too, but it was a fantastic road car. I still have fond memories of that automobile.
One difference between Chevys and Pontiacs from the 1959 GM modernisation of all their cars was that Chevys continued with big steering wheels and many turns lock to lock – like at least 5, even with power steering – and the power steering hydraulics were not integrated into the steering box until 1965. I guess that besides tradition they were thinking of manual steering as the usual default.
Pontiacs had a much smaller and I think farther away steering wheel, and (I’m not sure) maybe an integrated power steering box and fewer turns lock to lock. All Chrysler products with power steering always had an integrated steering box and from at least 1957 always had 3.5 turns lock to lock, and very light “Full Time” steering effort.
I don’t know; this ’59 Pontiac steering wheel looks pretty big to me.
Here is a vintage GTO I found in the supermarket parking lot:
I’ve always liked these cars, especially their taillights. I knew about these through good friends whom used to live across the street from us while growing up (we both moved out of the old neighborhood in the mid to late 80’s) and when they moved in, they had a white ’67 Bonny and a ’66 I think it was dark blue Plymouth Valiant and this was, I think 1971.
Then around 1974,or was it ’73? the Valiant was replaced with an orange with white interior ’73 Pontiac Le-Mans and later on, the Bonny was replaced with I think her mother’s ’67 Caprice and then in 1982,they bought a brand new Caprice wagon and I don’t recall what they had after that but they still had the wagon at least when we moved in 1985.
I’ve always like the general looks of those Bonny’s and liked the rear end treatment of the early 70’s bullet taillights of both the Catalina and the Bonny but the rest of the car, not so much.
The ’73 Le-Mans was always a nice looking car IMO.
Good friend’s older son Mike once dated a gal who had a faded red ’67 Bonny that almost looked pink and this was in the mid to late 70’s.
And I should say, this example you show us looks pretty decent all things considered and it also looks solid too.
I too was partial to Pontiacs as a child growing up in the 60s. My Mom drove a maroon 63 Grand Prix until 1973 when she bought a new T-Bird.
I have many favorite years of the 60s Pontiacs. As good as the 68’s are, those & the 67 are stylisticly among my least favorite. I love the 66 Bonny’s and Executives, Even the 61s are georeous.
jpCav… you really hit the nail on the head, The Catalina never looked dressed down or “deprived” But I too would prefer a GP or Bonnieville in any given year, OMG, have I forgotten how to spell it?
63 & 64 are classic model year looks IMO… I’d like a lilac frost 65, but please make it a Gp out of respect for dear Mother.
My own two Pontiacs, were each light blue metallic, a 67 Firebird, and an 85 Grand Am…. which looked much nicer than it consistently performed. I considered it my Poor Man’s ElDorado. I think I bought it because I missed my Mom who had passed and left me enough money to buy it. Hey, it’s the truth.
I’ll never be glad that any of the Divisions that I grew up with have been discontinued.
Least of all Pontiac, but I dearly miss seeing New Models From Oldsmobile, Mercury, Plymouth, AMC, Imperial , as well, still to this day. I’m Hopeful that someday we will see a future “Trans Am” Or Firebird… am I crazy?
I’m counting on another Thunderbird before 2020… Maybe even a Mark IX…
The 68 Pontiacs looked ungainly & fat to me, Even the Grand Prix, though as rare as those are today, I would love to have one. It has been 15 years since I have seen one, I can still rem. where I saw That Gray one With a Black Viynl top.
TY jp 4 this great write up. I appreciate this & saved it till I was ready to consume it. Delicious!
What I’d like to know is, why would the owner tie the seatbelt to the steering wheel? Weird…
Always liked these, even though the taillights look sad, and I keep holding my thumb up to see if it would look better without the beak.
I was in Tallin, Estonia the other week (go figure) and saw one of these parked in the old city, my photo is attached. Who would’ve guessed. Medieval walls, tall churches and a 68 Pontiac?
That looks darn nice too! beautiful. I remember when I was in Amsterdam being shocked to see a beautiful 58 Cadillac, and like a 57 Olds 98. They looked like a magical huge organ or motoring there among the a- b cars.
It’s like a fitz and van ad came to life, except with realistic proportions.
My first car, which I bought for $500 Nov. 1, 1974, just shy of my 17th birthday, was a 1968 Catalina two-door hardtop with a 400. It was a metallic teal. It had 86,000 miles on its meter. I remember the Chief high-beam indicator, as well, now that you mention it. I was as proud of that car as I could be. I loved driving it, but didn’t know how to control all that power. I remember after a high school dance, racing out of the school parking lot and almost running over the assistant principal — got me a Saturday detention. I was about as proud of that car as I thought I could be proud of anything in this world. I loved driving it. I came down with chicken pox and spent a week in bed and spent a lot of time poring over some old National Geographics from that era that featured those very Pontiac ads you referenced. After I got better, I took a ride with the windows rolled down. An utter feeling of freedom. There was also a time when, after school, I was driving down a street when a guy with a hopped-up car pulled up next to me, obviously looking to race. I don’t know why; my car was better-suited to a regatta than a road challenge. But, the other guy revved, floored it and promptly blew his engine, as I sped past and left him behind.
Alas, I soon learned the negative side of that car and its limits. I took it out on the Interstate one night and floored it. Took it as fast as it could go — about 120 mph, on an exurbian Interstate straightaway — and promptly threw a rod.
Then, there was the fuel-burn rate. My brother, to whom I later sold it, described it best: “It uses more fuel than a lot of small aircraft.” And, it was true. You could look at the gas gauge cross-eyed, and the needle would inch toward E.
I owned the Catalina for about a year. I unloaded it on my brother, who needed a car as badly as I needed the $200 he gave me for it. I did without a car for about six months — the longest period of my driving life I’ve been without my own wheels. But, it was worth it. That ’68 Catalina was a classic example of a car owning the driver. I quit the hamburger-flipping job I needed to keep the thing in gas and, instead, concentrated on my studies. My GPA went up exponentially.
I never have felt any urge to own a Pontiac since then.
We lived 10 miles north of Pontiac when I was growing up, but dad was a Buick guy. My brother was a chassis engineer at Pontiac in the late 60’s. Buick had there share of muscle in the 60’s with the Wildcat.
I just realized that in 1968 Every Pontiac suddenly had a version of the 67 Firebird face basically.
It Looked great on the Le Mans/GTO But the bigger cars, not so much IMO.
Being a Canadian, my parents owned a 1967 Pontiac Paresiene 2+2 convertible. It was styled like a Pontiac but was a chevy at it’s core. Nonetheless, it was quite a stylish car. At the time I lived in the capitol city of Canada and the Queen of England was set to visit. Our family drove along the parade route before the official pass of the Royal so my younger brother decided to start waving to the gathered throngs saying “hello fans, thanky you fans” when two very attractive young women screamed back to him “O Hi qutie”. My younger brother sank way down in the back seat and that was that. I do not know if this traumatic event, ecperienced in a Pontiac, had anything to do with it but, to this day, my he is very soft spoken.
In 1971 I had to replace my existing car, a 1964 Comet with something. I was on my way home from a girlfriends house when I spotted a green 1968 Catalina sitting at a dealership with $995 on the windshield. Being 16 a green four door wasnt what I had in mind, but that 3 year old Pontiac won me over. I went back and looked it over and fell in love with it. 32K on the odometer, a big freshly painted motor and a really large interior was all it took. Since I had told my dad that I would let him look my next car over before I bought it (he was never impressed with my Comet), I went home and told him about it. Well anyway I had to go to work right then and he agreed to let me know something. By the time I got home some eight hours later, he had already talked to the dealer, knocked $100 off the price and put $200 on it. He cosigned for the loan and I had that car for quite some time. It met its demise on a lonely virginia highway when I was in the Marine Corps heading home for the weekend dong about 100 MPH and the upper hose fell off and cooked the engine when it had 96K on it. Oh the memories of that car… I could write a book. Dave Buchanan
I had a 1967 Executive (Star Chief’s replacement) 4-door sedan- Montreaux Blue. It had air, tilt wheel. 400 2bbl. As big as it was, it was one of the fastest cars in my high school parking lot and that included the “usual suspects” Camaros, Chevelles, etc.. It would even take out a GTO if the Goat wasn’t in good tune! I loved that car! I drove it all through high school AND college! I now own a nice original ’75 Grand Am coupe as one of my collector cars but nothing has ever quite replaced that ’67 Executive ever! Those were def Pontiac’s “high tide” cars for sure!
When the 1968 Pontiacs appeared, I was relieved to see its clean headlight-grille design, replacing the weird split-level headlights on the 1967 model. I liked the 1969 version, with its Endura nose, even better.
…something unnoticed the first time this item ran…
The ad with the full-size 1968 Pontiac and the Firebird must be Canadian, since it mentions the 327 CID/210hp engine, which was a Chevrolet engine.
The next question is…in 1968, were the Pontiacs Wide-Track, as in the USA, or did their Chevrolet bones dictate Chevrolet-Track?
By that time, there was very little difference in tracks anyway. It was all hype.
I still love these real Pontiacs. The Canadian narrow track versions built on Chevrolet underpinnings were pale in comparison.
I actually remember seeing one of these on Halloween when we were about to get my first car. (Yes, my car was actually bought on Halloween of last year, still wishing for my license though) It was actually in a parking lot across from our bank funnily enough and I wanted to check it out. Two things struck out, first was the grill, which I honestly just did not get in terms of style. The other was that the entire roof was just covered in rust, no other part of the car was rusty except for the roof, which considering the rust free climate of San Diego was really a shock.
I never did much like the styling, mainly the front clip just always was a sore spot and a point of contention, but seeing passenger cars from the big three is always a sobering reminder of where the customers always gravitated towards. As a young 19 year old car enthusiast, it can be tough to remember that not every poncho driven back then were Grand Prixes and GTOs, especially when every car show on the planet is determined to only show those examples and little else.
I forgot to include the picture I snapped.
The rust looks like the car may have had a vinyl top which probably developed leaks. Most people collecting cars for shows will probably want a Grand Prix, GTO or Bonneville as a first choice.
My first thought was a leaky vinyl top as well. Even here when old cars sit out, they usually don’t gain rust spots unless they’ve been exposed to bouts of rain (Something we don’t get often) or unless it’s just general neglect and apathy on the owner’s part. The only time I’ve seen rust like that on old craigslist cars, is when the vinyl top has been removed via sun damage, or it’s starting to rot back in the earth because it’s been forgotten about for so long.
The vinyl roof was something new in the 60’s and was available in a number of colors usually in a contrasting color to the paint. I think that this was a replacement for the two tone paint schemes available in the 50’s. When the vinyl is new it looks good, but does not always age well.
sorry the last pontiac year to float my boat was 1966. the front end on this one and the sad rear lights were just too much. ’69 was worse. 1970 is tolerable and then ….. off the cliff.
but the early to mid-60s pontiacs? definitely a high water mark for large car design. absolutely gorgeous metal.
Grew up with Pontiacs. dad had Fords and Mercurys until fall of 58. when he brought home a new 59 Bonneville sport roof. loaded. tri-power and all the power toys. except, oddly enough the optional 3 blade spinner wheel covers. just had the standard full wheek discs. That Bonneville stayed with the family until 67. But dad did replace it as the main family ctuiser with a 61 Bonneville convertible, then traded moms 61 Corvair for a new 63 Grand Prix. Mom loved GPs, got a new one every other year, 65, 67, and 69. The 59 Bonneville earned its keep by being my older borthers first car and was to be mine until a Tornado in Jan of 67 through a building on top of it 4 months before I turned 16. Wanted a Pontiac as a first car, though, and petitioned the parents for a GTO. That was not gonna happen, even a used Goat…..Insurance. So my first car was an olds Cutlass. Mom always got the new GP and dad took the current one as his until the bi annual replacement. The 69 GP, though, remained in the household until replaced by a 73 GP. The change was forecast a year earlier when dad bought a new 72 Buick Centurion. The die was cast. Mom ket her 73 GP until fall of 77 when a new 78 Regal replaced it. her first non Grand Prix vehicle in 15 years. Buicks reigned thereafter. But I remember well my formative motoring years and the great and powerful Pontiacs that existed, then.
To someone not familiar with the quirks and foibles of the respective cars, this begs the question: What was the point of having a wide- and a narrow-track model? What advantages are there to making the track narrow, especially if the body is significantly wider?
Pontiacs made in Canada for many years were actually Chevrolets under the skin. They sat on the shorter Chevrolet chassis, used the narrower Chevrolet track, and Chevy engines and transmissions. The sheet metal had to be adapted for the shorter wheelbase.
The reason was that Pontiac in Canada was more of a direct low-cost complement to Chevrolet, rather than a step up. So it was cheaper to build them that way (“Cheviacs”).
I can understand that, but what mechanical advantages were there to having a narrower track?
None, naturally. In 1959, Pontiac pushed its wheels out some to better fill the openings in that new wide body, as well as to presumably improve handling to some extent. https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1959-pontiac-catalina-vista-sedan-wide-tracking-to-success/
But over time, the other divisions increased their tracks too. In 1968, a Chevy Impala’s front and rear track were 62.5″ and 62.4″; a Catalina’s were 63″ and 64″. That’s immaterial, really.
Anyway, the advantage is generally always with a wider track, all things being equal. But since the Canadian Pontiacs were Chevrolets under the skin, they had its narrower track, FWIW.
This car looks like a 68 Bonneville/Catalina to me, but I’ve noticed if you look at the front of the fender it says “Ventura” on it…
Was this car marketed as theVentura in foreign markets?
The Ventura was one of the Pontiac models. It was the same size as the Catalina, but had a nicer interior and better trim. The Bonneville had a longer wheelbase. There was also the Star Chief, later replaced by the Executive, that used the longer Bonneville body but had a lower level of trim/interior. There were a total of four full-sized Pontiac lines.
Six full-size lines, actually, if you count the 1964-67 2+2 and the 1962-68 Grand Prix, all on the shorter wheelbase. The station wagons, even the Executives (1967-70) and Bonnevilles, also used the shorter wheelbase.
Peak year for Pontiac convertibles was 1967; there were convertibles in five of the six full-size lines (Grand Prix, Bonneville, 2+2, Ventura, Catalina) as well as GTO, LeMans, Tempest Custom, and Firebird.
(For my family this all started when my parents became friends of a Pontiac sales manager – we had a ’63 Catalina wagon, ’65 Bonneville convertible and wagon, ’67 Executive wagon and GTO, and eventually a crappy ’74 Luxury LeMans coupe. Later I had my own ’66 Bonneville convertible for 17 years starting in late ’74. Amazing how many convertibles were sold in those days – more than 16,000 ’66 Bonnevilles alone.)
Thanks, that image kinda took me for a loop. The only Ventura I was pretty familiar with was the 1st gen 1960-62 B body bubble top and the 1971-77 X body Nova twin versions.
When I saw the Ventura badge on the front fender, I figured it was a trim package for the Catalina, like the Ventura’s last year as a B body in 1970.
Never really followed the Ventura in the between years of 1963-70.
Thanks for clarifying.
The Ventura was first a series in 1960 and 1961. Then it was a trim option on the Catalina for 62+. Returned as a series in 66 through 69. Pontiac’s were on two wheelbase lengths beginning about the mid 50’s I think. The actual number of distinct series is variable. The 57 model year had three, then the Bonneville makes 4 for 58. The 59 model year is all new bodies with the Catalina a series. Catalina was a hardtop model indication (Star Chief Catalina for example) in the 50’s.
Driving one of these you are reminded of the new steering column. The horn button proudly says “Energy Absorption”, a collapsible steering column to keep you from getting your head driven into the roof in a crash. I can remember seeing a 1962 Corvair that took a hard front end hit in a junkyard. The rigid steering column drove the drivers head into the roof so hard that there was a head sized bulge on the outside of the roof. It was a gruesome wreck.
If I remember correctly the Corvair not only didn’t have an engine in front with the longer and stronger structure that would need, plus the engine itself getting in the way of crushing in an accident. But it also had the steering box ahead of the front axle line and a solid steering column. So it was bound to ram though the passenger compartment in a frontal crash. But I hadn’t ever read of anything like you describe before. At some point all steering columns got a crushable section of a link that would break or something, probably required by the feds. And maybe it occurred to not run the steering column to in front of the wheels but put it behind instead. Now all rack and pinion of course.
Most GMs had the steering box ahead of the wheels until the rack & pinion era.
The only ones that didn’t were early F & X bodies, the F got it in ’70 & the X in ’75.
And yes, early ‘Vairs were more succeptible than usual to rearward column displacement in frontal collisions.
Yes that idea and its attendant understeer arrived down under with the F based HQ Holdens suddenly they went from nice light accurate steering to heavy slow understeerers.
All else being equal (which it often isn’t, of course), having an engine in front is not beneficial to crash safety. Engines don’t crush so much and having the engine rammed into the firewall by an impact is not so good. Crash safety in front and rear impacts is not about strength or extra mass, but rather having a structure that will deform at a controlled rate to absorb impact. Not having a rigid steering post to act like a lance through the cabin helps, too, obviously.
Grandfathers last car was a ’65 Bonneville Convertible. He kept it like new. He passed in ’72. His was beige with white top and white leather interior, Drove it a few times after he passed. What a powerful, good looking machine. Mom didn’t want the memories and quickly sold it to a dealer.
That yellow convertible ad really hits home that if you remove the beak and associated hood bulge, you’re looking at a ’70 Plymouth Fury – no wonder I liked the looks of my dad’s 70 Fury III…
I remember being really attracted to these ’68s when they were contemporary, “sad eye” taillights included. Maybe because I had a pair of Dinkys – an RCMP in blue and a Canadian police car in black and white – Parisiennes on the baseplates, of course.
I don’t how many avid Fargo watchers there are here,or know that it’s filmed in and around Calgary, so all of the vintage cars in it are Canadian sourced.
In episode 3 there’s a scene where the main character, a Minnesota State Trooper, pulls into a gas station. Since it’s set in 1979, there are gas lines, and among the cars staged there what do I see but a ’68 Grand Parisienne 2 door, it pulls out, and there’s a ’65 Parisienne Custom Sport right behind it. Also, a Meteor wagon is also seen.There are lots of other great classics in it, including a ’65 Corvair used by one of the other unfortunate main characters. The only boo-boo is that the Minnesota cruisers are ’75 Gran Fury 4-door hardtops, which are not only a little too old, but the wrong body style. I e-mailed the webmaster of this site http://home.comcast.net/~sgtsletten/site/ and he agreed with me. They should have been ’79 Dodge St. Regis.
I guess R-bodies are tough to find nowadays.
Pontiac’s have been a big part of my life, starting with my dad’s 1953 Chieftain Deluxe. Still remember the mellow sound of the straight 8. In the extended family there was a
’56 Chieftain Catalina H.T., ’59 Star Chief H.T., ’62 Catalina wagon, ’64 Bonneville H.T., ’69 Bonneville (a luxury rocket with the 428), and my spoiled cousin’s ’67 orange GTO (which he got new for his 18th B.D. and wrecked 6 months later). In the ’70’s there was a Grand Ville (with the 455, but nowhere near as fast as the ’69 Bonneville with the 428) and two Grand Prix.
All of the aforementioned cars were awesome in their own ways, but ironically my own personal experience is somewhat less satisfying. In 1973 fresh our of college I was all set to buy a Firebird as my first new car, but a GM strike made them very scarce and there was talk at the time of discontinuing the Camaro/Firebird. Bought a Cougar instead. In 1978 I bought the new Grand Am, which reminded me of the sixties GTO’s, but the 301 4 bbl. (the top engine) put out something like 150 HP and was a slug. Growing family led to an ’84 6000 LE (great handling with the Rally Suspension, but little else), and ’89 and ’96 Bonnevilles, totally inferior to their ’60’s brethren even with the high level interior. They were OK as family transportation up to 100,000 miles, after which they basically disintegrated.
Whenever I see a full sized Pontiac drop top of the time period; I think “Major Anthony Nelson car”.
🙂
Interesting read. But I got distracted by the snowed in car.
The b&w picture contains a CC clue. What is the car the dedicated policeman is trying to ticket?
Datsun 410
My guess was Fiat 1500.
But you can’t stump Paul!
FWIW, the Fiat 1500 was never imported to the US. Also, the Fiat doesn’t have that little curve down at the very front of the front side window.
The similarity makes me wonder if the Datsun was modeled after the Fiat?
They’re both by Pininfarina. He had a habit of selling the same design to several manufacturers.
It’s amazing how Pontiac was able to completely overhaul their image, completely obliterating the dowdy 1956 and earlier impressions by 1964. Everything meshed – they changed the logo, renamed their cars for races and racetracks, gave them unique, attractive style with engineering to match, and sold it with spectacular advertising. The gorgeous Fitzpatrick/Kaufman drawings get most of the attention, but the copywriter(s) deserve some credit too – the text was clever, witty, and convincing. Anyone have their names?
And yet, GM was completely unable to pull off a similar image overhaul for Oldsmobile (twice, first recasting them as high-tech cars with the latest features, then as Japanese import fighters), and has had difficulty changing minds about Cadillac even though the cars are nothing like old Caddies.
Ah yes, the Chief Pontiac highbeam indicator, here it is!
Closeup:
Imagine if that were on a car today…….
Interesting steering column lock.
I wonder how Pontiac got concealed wipers a year before everyone else. Come to think of it, why didn’t the other divisions have them the first year of the new body, or wait until the new ’69 sheetmetal? An expensive way to introduce them. The ’67 Eldorado should have had them too, or exclusively for a year.
Yours is a perspective probably shared by GM’s marketing people at that time, but theirs wasn’t the only voice weighing in.
I remember when these Pontiacs came out, there was a series of brochures (or maybe one big one) that was interrelated with Expo 67. That happened in Montreal that year, and I visited as part of a school trip. I was very impressed with the nasal protuberance and hoped to see these new cars at Expo. Here are a few shots I found on the net of these brochures showing cars on site. The upside down triangle was the Canada pavilion, and the glass bubble was the US pavilion if I remember correctly.
I also was going to mention, when out driving at night a few weeks ago, I was behind a car I could have sworn had those droop down Pontiac taillights. Those were unmistakable. When I got closer I found it was a modern Audi car, but I didn’t get the model name. The Audi’s lights don’t droop at the sides, but there is a single light below a bank of lights that creates the same effect as was on the Pontiac.
I know, these brochures are for 1967 Pontiacs, but that was the year the beak was introduced, and 1968 further developed the style.
I thought I had some of these in my brochure collection, but maybe they were culled in a move years ago.
Very memorable styling.
So which cars look better purely from a styling perspective? late 1960s, or modern 2020s cars. I know I have my thoughts.
I was there! Still have some Expo 67 souvenirs. Every couple of years I’d go up to back to what was renamed Man and his World after the original fair closed (everyone still called it Expo 67 for years to come), but each time I went a few more attractions had closed and the rest became more dilapidated until the whole thing closed. Well most of it – the Habitat 67 housing complex – the greatest multiunit residential design ever IMO – is still there.
Canadian Pontiac spotting was always a highlight of my trips to Montreal. I didn’t know back then how different they were underneath from the US versions.
I have learned on here, that many a time, Canadian Pontiacs got Chevy underpinnings, including a shorter chassis. You would want to read up on that further.
The large Pontiacs don’t really hold up. But the 1964 GTO really nailed it. International size, minimal chrome, zero body cladding. A classic example: Aquamarine, painted steel wheels with small hubcaps, slightly jacked up suspension, red line tires. Doesn’t look that dated even with the long rear overhang. A muscle car that could pass for a European sport sedan (coupe).
Many sources cite the hidden windshield wiper patent was applied for in the ’50’s, and that car makers waited for the patent to expire before they started using them.
https://patents.google.coma/patent/US2759214A/en
The ’68 full size Pontiacs were among my favorite.
For those of who lived 1968, what an awful, awful year for the country.
My Dad had a string of Pontiacs in the 60’s and 70’s. One was a 1968 Ventura (replaced a ’66 Ventura) very much like this but a 2 door HT. 1968 was when I became pretty car-aware, as he also bought Mom a 1968 Country Squire that year. Fond memories, but I never drove the Ventura; it was gone by the time I got my license in 1972. As an aside, that thing had one big trunk!