Pontiac Potpourri

[HarleyEarl]

What was the division called before it was Pontiac?

What was it before that?

Edited July 29, 2006 by HarleyEarl

[ocnblu]

Well, it was Oakland before it was Pontiac, I know that much. Someone older will have to answer the second part. Balthy? :AH-HA_wink:

[HarleyEarl]

It was indeed Oakland and Pontiac was a initially a subsidiary of that company within GM. In fact another company had been called Pontiac earlier but didn't survive.

Oakland was a offshoot of what company which dated back to 1893?

Pontiac is considered the first niche vehicle. Why was it created?

What was unique about the first Pontiacs? It may have been the reason Pontiac sold 76,742 cars in it's first model year, 1926.

[Olds Guy]

Oakland was a offshoot of what company which dated back to 1893?

Pontiac is considered the first niche vehicle.  Why was it created?

What was unique about the first Pontiacs?  It may have been the reason Pontiac sold 76,742 cars in it's first model year, 1926.

171859[/snapback]

Hmmm, Pontiac Spring & Wagon Works?

1926 Pontiac had a six cylinder at a good price.

[HarleyEarl]

You are close....it was the Pontiac Buggy Company located in Pontiac, Michigan.

The first Pontiacs had all metal roofs when most cars had fabric.

[HarleyEarl]

This man evidently loved Pontiacs so much he had his tombstone carved that way. I can't tell which model it is. Pontiac Phoenix?

[balthazar]

ocnblu= >>"Someone older will have to answer the second part. Balthy?[/b] :AH-HA_wink:"<<

Someone older than you, blu? Pfft- I don't think so.

>>"Well, it was Oakland before it was Pontiac, I know that much."<<

Nope. Impossible.

>>"Why was it created?"<<

To improve Chevrolet's economies of scale by sharing basic parts and to plug a price gap in the GM divisional hierarchy.

[HarleyEarl]

yep, it was created to bridge the gap between Chevy and Olds.

Here is the first known Pontiac race car in 1926. It still exists today.

[balthazar]

>>"Well, it was Oakland before it was Pontiac, I know that much."<<

Nope. Impossible.

[Hudson]

This man evidently loved Pontiacs so much he had his tombstone carved that way.  I can't tell which model it is.  Pontiac Phoenix?

It's clearly a stock car...and the Phoenix wasn't raced in NASCAR.

[the_yellow_dart]

Weren't early Pontiacs famous for their hill-climbing ability?

[Newbiewar]

Weren't early Pontiacs famous for their hill-climbing ability?

172051[/snapback]

i donno but all cars made before the 60's sucked ass on climbing hills...

i remember as a kid, jump in the old hudson, and make sure we get a good running start... or else we had to back down the hill

[Drew Dowdell]

i donno but all cars made before the 60's sucked ass on climbing hills...

i remember as a kid, jump in the old hudson, and make sure we get a good running start... or else we had to back down the hill 

172182[/snapback]

... aren't you like.... 27?

[balthazar]

>>"i remember as a kid, jump in the old hudson, and make sure we get a good running start... or else we had to back down the hill"<<

Why couldn't you go forward down the hill??

All right- no one is going to bite so here I go.

Pontiac wasn't called anything before it was called Pontiac. Pontiac was it's own division from the start. Pontiac could NOT have been called Oakland when Pontiac & Oakland co-existed. Pontiac & Oakland were organizationally-grouped, but their own divisions. The only thing they shared was the assembly plant... for one year.

This misinformation is spread all over- I guess it just gets repeated instead of getting researched.

[Camino LS6]

Pontiac was to Oakland as Lasalle was to Cadillac.

[balthazar]

Right- they were sister divisions.

[ocnblu]

Thanks, Grampy! Now I will forever remember that.

[HarleyEarl]

Here's a Pontiac dealership circa 1960.

[HarleyEarl]

1960

What is not on the '60 that is on the '59 and '61 Pontiacs?

Sexy60 custom:

I notice Ferrari using this style of tailights lately.

Edited July 28, 2006 by HarleyEarl

[GMTruckGuy74]

What is not on the '60 that is on the '59 and '61 Pontiacs?

Split grilles - Pontiac's trademark ever since 1959, but was not featured on the 1960 models.

[Sixty8panther]

So why is it that people keep spreading the rumor that

Okland somehow SPAWNED Pontiac? Is there some

popular website that preches this? I don't get it. This is

not the only example either, the web is full of these lies.

The whole reason why my email & username is Sixty-8

Panther is because of all the arguments I've gotten into

with supposed Chevy guys & Camaro fans about the

Camaro's first name. Panther was the name from the

time Super Nova was dropped and the F-body program

got going full swing in 1965. Last minute due to the

Mercury Cougar, Chevy's insistance on a name starting

with 'C' and the heat they were taking from R. Nader.

Anyway it seems sometimes the people that claim to

have all the facts have everything but.

[HarleyEarl]

Split grilles - Pontiac's trademark ever since 1959, but was not featured on the 1960 models.

172695[/snapback]

You got it. The '59 split grille was very warmly recieved by the public. The '60 was already in development, so they left it as is without the split. And then brought it back on the '61. The rest is history. I hope Pontiac returns to the more horizontal split grill instead of the current more BMWesque one.

Here is an example of that incredible horizontal split grill on a Pontiac. My favorite year the beautiful, clean and sexy '61.

Oh, so Pontiac.

Edited July 29, 2006 by HarleyEarl

[HarleyEarl]

I love artisits renditions of cars, the ones they did for brochures etc. I wish they would do that again. Has such an appeal to me. I can't explain it. Photos are too raw?...too real? I like the ideal in these renderings.

'61.

[ocnblu]

Imagine how gorgeous the G6 lineup would be, romanticized in illustrations like the 61's. I remember Collectible Automobile did a nice article on the artist behind those great renderings. Very cool. Of course, the cars themselves, without any help, were very romantic. Just look at that big, black coupe. It's all steel and chrome... it's perfectly real and honest. We've become so afraid of everything these days. Edited July 29, 2006 by ocnblu

[HarleyEarl]

Imagine how gorgeous the G6 lineup would be, romanticized in illustrations like the 61's.  I remember Collectible Automobile did a nice article on the artist behind those great renderings.  Very cool.  Of course, the cars themselves, without any help, were very romantic.  Just look at that big, black coupe.  It's all steel and chrome... it's perfectly real and honest.  We've become so afraid of everything these days.

173095[/snapback]

Mr. PantsAreBad, do you recall the name of that artist. His renderings just do something to me. I want to get some books on him.

And so true about what has happened to cars and our relationships with them. We have become so 'afraid', so nervous-nelly. It has taken so much of that pure essence out of cars. The time before big bumpers, head rests, air bags and overly tinted windows. I like the airy cockpits of these cars. I often just stare at that black Pontiac....just in awe of it's simple beauty.

[HarleyEarl]

[balthazar]

There were 2 artists who did all the drawn Pontiacs ads from '59 thru '71. One --Van Kaufman-- did the backgrounds, the other --Art Fitzpatrick-- did all the actual cars- you can see their initials in lower corners of most all their ads. Fitzpatrick did other auto adwork prior to Pontiac, Merc was another marque. Easily the best illustrated auto advertising ever; one's with raindrops are just killer. Check it:

http://www.fitz-art.com/home.htm

[balthazar]

So why is it that people keep spreading the rumor that

Okland somehow SPAWNED Pontiac? Is there some

popular website that preches this? I don't get it. This is

not the only example either, the web is full of these lies.

Answer already posted earlier:

L-A-Z-I-N-E-S-S

[Sixty8panther]

Wow, at the risk of sounding like a pansy-boy wussy I must say

those ads are all so romantic. Rain, water, tress, umbrellas

& even top hats are all so very beautifully painted.

59-71, that's most of the golden era right there.

[Hudson]

i remember as a kid, jump in the old hudson, and make sure we get a good running start... or else we had to back down the hill 

Okay...nobody's ever jumped in me...and I'm not that old. And it doesn't take much to get me started...AND I can go down the hill forwards!

Pontiac was to Oakland as Lasalle was to Cadillac.

Or Viking to Oldsmobile....Marquette to Buick.