Pontiac
June 15th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
It’s not a classic car you’d drive anywhere but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a special machine. A 1939 Pontiac with a full Plexiglas body is to be sold by RM Auctions next month with wide estimates of between $275,000 to $475,000USD during the Concours d’Elegance of America event. So what’s the story behind this unique machine?
The one-0ff Pontiac was built for the 1939-1940 New York World’s Fair and was a feature of General Motors’ “Futurama” exhibit that showcased how the pre-World War II imagination predicted 1960.
Interestingly, driving see-through cars wasn’t actually part of the prediction, but the development of a tough new transparent material that could be molded into various shapes was. The inventors of Plexiglas Rohm & Haas were understandably keen to show off its new material and this particular car is the only one of two such vehicles that’s known to survive. Read the rest of this entry »
May 10th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
American muscle car tuner Trans Am Depot has decided it can’t wait for GM any longer and has decided to resurrect the famous 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge itself. Based on the latest version of Chevy’s Camaro the tuner is showing some humour in naming its creation the GT9 Goat.
The teaser images of the faux-Pontiac reveal a specially made nose piece with a split grille and a reworked bonnet complete with air scoops. At the rear, there’s new tail lamp and bumper designs as well as a restyled deck with an extroverted wing. The characteristic Judge side stripes and decals are included and quad tail pipes and special alloy wheel options complete the retro-inspired look. There’s no word yet if there will be any kind of upgrades to the cabin fit out or the mechanical underpinnings of the Camaro.
Trans Am Depot has announced that its GT9 Goat will be available for order in the next few months. The company released an official statement saying “The 6T9 Goat concept was created by designer Kevin Morgan to capture the look and feel of the classic ’69 GTO Judge. The 1969 GTO is considered by many to be one of the top ten muscle cars of all time. This modern day version incorporates the look of yesteryear with the modern convenience and technology of today.”
Read the rest of this entry »
January 19th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
Vehicles with a claim to fame always fetch a little bit more coin at auction but there are few as macabre as the Pontiac that transported the remains of the late President John F. Kennedy after his assassination. This ambulance is going up for auction this week at the 40th-anniversary Barrett-Jackson extravaganza in Scottsdale, USA.
The 1963 Pontiac Bonneville ambulance is special regardless of its past duties being one of only 69 of its kind built, with only 15 commissioned for military application. This particular example was assigned to Bethesda Naval Hospital in DC, and was sent to collect the flag-draped casket of the president from Air Force One upon its arrival at Andrews Air Force Base. The Pontiac then transported the casket, grieving widow Jacqueline and brother Robert F. Kennedy, to the hospital and then on to Capitol Hill.
The ambulance went on to see several years more service before it was retired and sold as surplus before being purchased by its current owner, who is now putting it up for auction. It’s apparently in immaculate original condition and has been featured in various magazines and at the 2010 national convention of the Military Vehicle Preservation Association, where it was lauded with the Gold Award. Read the rest of this entry »
August 19th, 2010 by NZ Classic Car
Bonhams Auctions is presentiing an extremely rare 1948 Streamliner “Woodie” station wagon, estimated at €55,000 — 75,000 ($99,000 – $135,000), at its sale of Fine Motor Cars and Automobilia at the ‘Weekend de l’Excellence Automobile’ held on the former site of the French Grand Prix circuit of Reims-Gueux on Saturday 11th September 2010.
The ‘Woodie’ station wagon, with its characteristically half-timbered body, ranks alongside the pickup truck as a quintessentially American vehicle. The style originated in the 1930s, its popularity peaking in the immediately post-war decades, though the look has been periodically revived by manufacturers on both sides of the Atlantic ever since.
Towards the end of the 1950s the Woodie became the vehicle of choice among California surfers, who appreciated its ability to carry several passengers and their boards. Surfer pop bands The Beach Boys and Jan & Dean both referred to them in hit singles, thereby enshrining the Woodie’s cult status. It has also featured in countless movies.
Pontiacs of this period are often referred to by the ‘Silver Streak’ name, a reference to their multiple chromed hood strips – a styling device first introduced in the mid-1930s. Boasting a wheelbase of 122″ (3,099mm), the Pontiac Streamliner Woodie was the largest on the market and could seat up to nine; alternatively, removing the rear seats created even more space.
The 1948 model is the last of what might be termed the ‘real’ Woodies, when the entire rear body structure was made of timber. In 1949 steel was used for the roof and progressively fewer components were made of wood up to 1953 when the last of these Pontiac station wagons was made. Manufactured by the skilled craftsman at the Ypsylanti Furniture Co in Michigan, the body of this 1948 Woodie incorporates 523 parts made from either mahogany or Canadian maple.
Out of the 23,000 Pontiacs made in 1948, only 1,000 left the factory with the eight-cylinder engine and three-speed manual transmission like this one. Surviving ’48 Pontiac Woodies are rare; indeed, it is estimated that there are fewer than 50 on the road in North America, and this wonderfully evocative example of classic Americana is believed to be the only one in Europe.
June 11th, 2010 by NZ Classic Car
How many of these have you seen lately? This magnificent 1981 Pontiac Trans Am SE arrived in New Zealand four years ago after a complete ground up restoration and is finished in its original black and gold colour scheme. For those old enough, you’ll remember the box office hit movie Smokey and the Bandit starring Burt Reynolds and Sally Field back in 1977 which featured the infamous black Bandit, a black and gold Pontiac Trans Am.
Keep a look out for this fabulous Pontiac in a future issue of New Zealand Classic Car magazine.
May 31st, 2010 by NZ Classic Car
A tribute to the Pontiac Motor Division
May 28th, 2010 by NZ Classic Car
Hey Mustang fans,
Hear the one about the Rotary Engined Mustang?
Well it’s true, strange as it may seem. I was thumbing through the July 1966 issue of Car recently to read an article about the Ferrari 250GTO and its namesake the 1965/66 Pontiac GTO, I turned a page and, suddenly, there it was!
The article reveals that in the early to mid 1960s all the US manufacturers (Ford, GM and Chrysler) were experimenting with rotary engine technology in the expectation that “such engines may replace the gas turbine as the alternative to the piston engine.”
The Mustang was an experimental vehicle built by Curtiss-Wright, the aircraft engine makers, and NSU who still had the patents to the Wankel concept. It was fitted with a Curtiss-Wright RC 2-60 engine which developed about 185 bhp, slightly less than the 200bhp quoted for the standard 289 cu. in. V8.
Journalist Jan Norbye found that with standard transmission and auto-box the Rotary test bed was only slightly slower than the V8, and he commented that if it had gearing to match the rotary’s power band, the RC 2-60 had the potential to beat the V8.
Bear in mind that in 1966 NSU had not yet launched the Ro80, and the RX series were still no twinkle in Mazda’s eye. Also in 1965 NSU had sold over 1,000 Prinz Spyders in Europe, so the rotary concept was still very new.
On reflection it is typical of the late 20th Century that it took a Japanese car maker to develop the concept and turn it into a reliable product which sold in huge numbers worldwide.
And finally, relax Mustang fans, I think the smart red Fastback pictured in the article was only ever a one-off.
Yours in motoring
Charles
May 14th, 2010 by NZ Classic Car
Video of a very mean 1970 Pontiac GTO
