Pontiac is Dead...Who cares, Right?

Pontiac is announced to be no more, just as Oldsmobile was a few years ago. The economic recession (putting it easily) is of course reasonable as to why. And who really cares? I mean, Pontiac wasn't true Pontiac after 1979, when the Pontiac-specific engines finally died. Golly molly, I secretly think that Pontiac's lost their beauty closer to 1970.



So I hear the news about Pontiac's final resting place, and I feel, um, a little sentimental. And I'm still wondering why...nobody likes ponchos nowadays, right? And I always preach that American cars aren't what they used to be. What's with the empty feeling that Pontiac is no more? I guess it's that sentimentality thing. Look what Pontiac used to do. Observe the cutting edges they would reach throughout the '60s. Man, I wish they could have continued past the big break of the oil embargo and emissions crackdown at the beginning of the '70s. I wish the design and concepts would have lead a different path after 1970. I wonder how interestingly mean the Pontiac engines would have become if the GM brass wouldn't have restricted engine size, warranty, etc.



Check out the ads and pictures below. This is what it once was...These are just a glimpse of what happened, and what could have been.



Remember the awesome OHC Sprint, a totally different approach that John Delorian designed? Over-head-cammed six banger with a timing belt and a Quadrajet, reeking of European flare, yet so U.S.A.





These '66 and '67s had a neat trim line and that wild OHC 6 in them. Cool, rare, different.







Remember when Mickey Thompson was the Pontiac racer? This guy raced the Super Dutys, the Bonneville Salt Flats streamliners, and more when Pontiac motors were kings. The above ad shows how in-depth M/T went with the Pontiac's.







The above ad shows the '62 Grand Prix. These eat, ate, and will continue to eat all of the other full-size cars of 1962 for dinner. Their design: Simply unmatched.







Yes, 1970 shows not just a last hurrah, but rather a capstone. Look at the lines of the '70 GTO/ Judge. Look at the cute/cool/tough-yet-appealing ad. The Humbler. That car's looks alone dwarfs all the other musclecars of the day. Yes, all of them.









Look at the above '68 cover of Hot Rod. Here's unbelievable stuff old McKellar at Pontiac was coming up with. Those aren't plastic models, and those aren't copies. What if those engines could have ever seen production...this is when the sky was the limit.







Remember when NASCAR wasn't just for rednecks, and the cars really were unique to their builder/racers? I don't either! But in days before my life, this is what happened. Look at the Catalina above. Nope, not a generic clone of every other car on the track with an identical c.i.d. motor. And it's not ran by a giant corporation that blankets a bunch of other cars. Yes those are the real trim, bumpers and headlight bezels. This is when Pontiacs were the leaders. This is also when the term "NASCAR" still actually meant what it says: STOCK Car Auto Racing. I don't get the generic bubba vibe from these early years, when a stock car had to be one sold to the public. And when small-time guys would still be contenders, even if the car they raced was a couple of model years old.









Testing the Supercars? And leader of the photo pack is none other than the single-most cool factory car ever made, the 1965 Pontiac Lemans GTO.







More of the same in the above picture? Yes, but I happen to like it. The prom queen at the small-town football game. And the flashy '65 Tempest Lemans convertible, red with Rally I's and the proper thin white-striped bias ply's. This is what I remember hometown being. This is what I want hometown to stay.







The above ad shows the first real musclecar's meek first step into the world. And from this little '64 GTO's beginning came the rush that was followed by all the others.









Fifties cars, did you say? Yes, I'll take this '55 Pontiac any day over the common tri-five Chevy's. No offense, I just miss my '55 Catalina 870!







This last picture shows the unbelievable style achieved by Pontiac in 1960. This ad (done by AF/VK, the best illustrators of any car ads ever) displays the unmatched front end offered by Pontiac. The other '60 full size cars don't even come close to the lines of a '60 Ventura, or Bonneville, or Star Chief. The '60 Pontiac feels like a tiny taste of art deco, mixed with Bellflower-era custom jobs, yet totally spot on. Not wannabe custom; just beautiful design. And you should see the back of a '60 Ventura. In 1960, nothing came close to these Pontiacs, and that is why custom builders (from Bellflower or anywhere) didn't change a thing on them. Remove trim? No. Add a custom grill? There is no better custom grill. All that was acceptable was a 2" drop, or like my dad's '60 Ventura, a cool set of chrome reverse wheels on the back with bigger "drag" tires, and plain steel wheels on the front with baby moons.



I guess this is why losing Pontiac left me feeling a little sad. I miss the Pontiacs that the old timers miss, the ones that ended a long time ago. But hey, they still lurk in the shadows...every once in a while an old jewel like these can still be found!