Thank you Dean Edwards for jogging my memory of a car that had slipped into the dusty back shelves of my internal library. The 1969 Pontiac Farago CF 428 was the result of John Z. DeLorean asking his friend, the distinguished engineer and designer Paul Farago to come up with something exciting for the 1969 auto tour season, as well as just to add some more spice to Pontiac’s already hot reputation. The result is this stunning automobile.
The first two shots by Dean at a car show don’t do it full justice, so I’ve found some more that show it off a bit better.
Does this remind you more than a bit of the 1971 Mustang Sport Roof? Of course I could also ask if it reminds you of the 1967 Lamborghini Marzal, Marcello Gandini’s seminal masterpiece that was so highly influential. Other influences will undoubtedly come to mind, both before and after this particular car. Toronado? AMX/3? 1971 Mopar B-Body coupes?
Farago, an Italian-American who had a colorful career in sports car racing, sports car building, had a close relationship with Virgil Exner and Luigi Segre of Ghia. He became Ghia’s rep in the US, and was something of an intermediary for the fruitful relationship of Exner and Ghia that resulted in so many concept and production cars. Farago was the chief engineer of the limited production Dual-Ghia cars.
Farago had left Ghia by this time and had teamed up with Sergio Coggiola, and this was the first project for the firm ‘Carrozziere Coggiola’, in Turin.
Farago bridged the two countries for decades, and his namesake car here shows the two influences quite clearly. It’s a hybrid of two cultural trends; an Italian muscle car, or an American gran turismo. Your pick, or just both simultaneously.
It’s not perfect, by any means; the proportions are a bit off, with the hood length trying a bit too hard to challenge the Lincoln Mk III for the longest in the land. As best as I can tell, it’s sitting on a Pontiac GP chassis, and of course has a 428 under the hood, in 370 hp guise.
It’s wearing some prototype experimental Firestone LXX tires, which were unusual in having a narrow rim and then flaring out horizontally. I couldn’t readily find anything on them on the web, but I do remember reading about them at the time. Flat run capability was the main advantage. I rather assume these are the original tires from 1969, as I don’t exactly imagine they can be reproductions.
Here’s some shots of the Farago at Pebble Beach, with some August company.
A fine example of a coach-built special of the times. Imagine taking your 1969 Pontiac GP chassis and shopping around for a new body for it. One could do a lot worse than this exciting design. DeLorean got Pontiac’s money’s worth.
Wow! The de Tomaso Mangusta comes first to my mind.
It’s not entirely coherent – it is even named farrago, after all – but it is quite stunning. It has that fine-ness that never quite ends up in a production car because of the realities the latter must deal with. And yet it’s not show-car overcooked either, with the possible exception of the proportions of that honker hood.
A pleasure, this. I’ve never heard of it before.
Very interesting. I never knew this existed and
I’m a bit of a car hound.
Apart from the Pinocchio like bonnet, this looks pretty good.
I noticed these pictures at the Cohort, and couldn’t fathom what this car was. My first guess was an Italian one-off, but the the wheels and the AMX-like fastback suggested otherwise. So I appreciate the background information here – truly fascinating, and great to admire. It makes the yellow Ferrari next to it seem rather ordinary.
CC- effect at work here. 2 days ago, I came across a brief article on that narrow rim and unique protruding tire design. It was in a late 60s copy of Hot Rod magazine, I think.
The design was patented and I presume the article was based on a press release at the time. I’ve never heard of any production. It’s cool to see it here.
Add my name to the list of guys who cannot recall ever seeing this before. There is a lot to like here, and the back of the 71 Mustang is screaming at me.
I really like the subtly detailed wheels. I am a little surprised that there was not some kind of split grille in the front, as that was Pontiac’s thing then.
Someone loaded up Wayne Kady on goofballs again.
I had to laugh at your comment about this car when you used the word “goofballs”, I hadn’t heard that term since the early 70’s. Thanks for the laugh 😂
Heck, I wasn’t even around in the early 70s. 🙂
It would look better without the parts-bin taillamp lenses from the Grand Prix that donated its chassis.
Very interesting vehicle and article. Can we get more pics of your GP?
I think the rear end treatment is the best view of the car. I agree with another poster here that not incorporating a split grill motif was a mistake. I also agree with several other posters that the long front end is not the most attractive part of this interesting design exercise.
Aardvark, bitch all you want about FoMoCo front overhang, or AMC length between the cowl and the front wheels.
Another aspect of this that I knew nothing about is the tires. Looks like the Firestone tires were actually called LXX — LXX being Roman Numeral for “70”, and Firestone billed it as the “tire for the ’70s.”
According to a 1969 Popular Science article, the LXX “was designed with three main goals: greater safety, longer tread life, and greater handling precision with no deterioration in ride.”
As I understand it, the safety benefits were said to come from the tread design and also a reduced risk of a complete blowout due to the cantilevered sidewall. The design also caused the tire to run cooler, leading to longer tread life. But it required special wheels, and were expensive… so similar I guess to Michelin’s TRX tires a decade later, these never got off the ground because they were too expensive and exclusive.
It appears that the early-70s Stutz Blackhawk came with LXX tires as standard; I wonder if any other production car did.
I had also never heard of these tires before. It seems to me that the last major advance in tire design was the radial. I wonder how these compared? Firestone (and the rest of us) had no idea that the radial tire was poised to take over the world.
Manufacturers are coming up with some new compounds that are enhancing traction in snow situations even on all-season tires. I had some all terrain tires on my old Highlander and my F150 that had a more advanced compound. Drove them in quite a few snow storms and they were really really good. Heads and shoulders above the tires I had previously on either vehicle.
Continental has also released a tire with foam glued to the inside of the tire that is supposed to reduce noise from treadwear. “Conti-Silent” – they’re being used on the outgoing Buick Regal but more than a few owners have had foam come loose inside the tire and cause vibration issues.
1969 Popular Science article is here.
An excellent find and biography. It’s not that bad looking, definitely predictive of the ’71 Mustang Sport Roof. The especially long hood gives it more character. Though the attempt to create a wedge nose seems a bit forced, and kinda aardvark-like, as ‘FDP’ noted above. As the curve downward forward of the front wheel arches is quite sharp and seems a bit contrived. Rectangular European-style headlights would have maybe allowed a more modern and exotic appearance.
The ‘deep-dished’ tires, are quite neat. It’s a different look for sure. It gives the tires a ‘meatier’ look without increasing diameter. It could have been a popular look on muscle cars at the time. This Farago would look more sports car-like with white letter or blackwall tires, rather than whitewalls. The rear wheels also seem to tuck under the rear wheel arches a bit much.
It looks attractive in motion. Even with the outrageous hood, not as outlandish as it first appears. Reminds me very much of a one-off design Hot Wheels may have released at the time.
It helps to see it in relation to others cars:
Of course it’s been at the Woodward Cruise.
It does look domestic. But quite amazingly, not any specific carmaker. Rather like an amalgamation of AMC, Ford, and GM design ques from that era. No easy feat to manage. 🙂
With design polish from a GM design studio, I could see this car in production, if there was a market for a premium sports/luxury car. Almost too high-end for Pontiac.
I’m amused to see a regular Michigan licence plate on it in Dean’s second photo. Looks like maybe 1994? I bet that was fun to register. “It’s a 1969 Pontiac what? That’s not in our system.”
Dan
I think that my shot was taken around 1994, but I had a quick look through my pictures and found that it was on display for the 2004 Meadowbrook, showing Michigan ownership. Attached are a couple more shots from 2004
2nd 2004 shot.
Now that’s a beautiful car. What the future should have looked like.
Reminds me of the Cigarette from “Miami Vice”.
I have no memory of the car–cool to learn about this.
Here’s June 1968, with the Firestone LXX tire to be brought to market soon:
Looks like a Maverick jumped the fence and got frisky with a Packard Hawk.
The same wheels on a 1969 Charger Daytona I saw at a show.
Here.
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For sale, March 1969 (gotta buy both wheels and tires):
George F, I’d love to know what search software/engine you are using to find these articles…
George, your research skills are greatly appreciated here. Oh, and I know that your research skills are similarly appreciated on the French horn group Horn People as well! 🙂
BEO, in this particular case it’s http://www.fultonhistory.com —–amazing collection of MOSTLY NYC and NY State newspapers, but then a smattering of other states and cities. That’s where today’s two came from. (The colors highlight what I searched for; search engine is klunky, but it’s still totally worth it.)
Eric703: uh-oh, I’ve been outed! I’m not a horn player; a pianist who also played low brass, but if he could take a time machine back to the 1960s he’d look past the trombone and grab the horn. Yeah, vintage “band instrument lore” is another of my interests.
Sincerest thanks to both of you. I owe Paul and Jason and the heavy lifters another article soon; in the meantime, happy to pitch in with the bits of fact-finding!
George, I’m not a horn player either, but my wife is, and she thoroughly enjoys Horn People. One night a few weeks ago, I couldn’t get to sleep, and in my desperation I began reading Horn People, and was surprised to see your name. My wife was familiar with your posts… and like here at CC, fascinating material. Thanks again!
Very interesting amalgamation of themes….Maserati/Lambo meets Chevy/Buick perhaps?
I think the 1971 Firebird/Camaro was a Grand Slam as far as style. I think the Firebird out-Ferraried the Ferrari 365 GTB. Perhaps I’m a tad biased.
This Farago doesn’t do it for me, though it is historical and interesting.
I’m still mad we haven’t gotten a modern Camaro based on the styling of the 71. We’re still stuck in 68-69.
Pop culture has decreed the original design to be the best, so expect only evolutionary changes a la the Porsche 911 from here on out, if the model even continues.
An American-Italian mashup like this has me hearing in my head Ralphie’s Dad from a Christmas Story: “Fra-geel-A” – Must be Eye-talian.
1984 saw a radical change in the Corvette; we went from “Mako Shark” in ’82, to more rectangular, less-rounded “Y-Body” C4.
The Pontiac Farago CF 428 makes me think of the same philosophy of change when compared to the Monteverdi Hai. The Farago looks like they updated the Hai to be more-rectangular, less-rounded. (And then added a silly-long hood.)
The Hai is bulky in the rear because the 426 Hemi lives there. The Farago is bulky in the rear…just because. In that sense, it’s kinda disappointing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monteverdi_Hai_450
Reminds me a bit of the more or less contemporary Charger III concept that I know from my Matchbox collection. (Even the wiki entry about the real car uses the Matchbox version as its picture
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_Charger_III?wprov=sfla1
Just think if they could have done with this if only GM hadn’t been so protective of the Corvette.
I’ve always said that GM only really care about Chevrolet and Cadillac, and seeing things like this only prove my point.
Looks related to a Lamborghini Espada. Sure doesn’t look like a Pontiac.
This really is the missing link in the 1971 Mustang sportsroof body design, the Marzal/Espada influence shapes the profile, but the details are almost all present here, the window shapes, the wheelarch flares, even the chrome sort-of loop bumper chrome used on the base spec. It even straddles the same fine line I see with the Mustang between huge ugly and elegant and muscular. Bunkie undoubtedly brought this with him to Ford in his brief time at the helm.
The Studz Blackhawk used these interesting wheels/tires as well early on, ironically those too were a rebody of a Grand Prix
Picture
Looking at it even more, the rear end has a pretty strong resemblance to the 71 Javelin
My first thought upon seeing this car Matt was that it looked like the ’71 & ’72 Javelin.
I see the whole ’71 Mustang Sports Roof comparison, but the whole shape of the car screams Javelin/AMX to me.
Well, the hood’s a little too long, even for a Javelin (or Mustang).
It looks like a Hot Wheels car.
What an interesting car! Thank you Paul, this is why I still love CC: articles like this with cars I’ve never heard of. Mostly a great-looking car, and I’m getting a definite Mustang Sport Roof vibe from the rear 3/4 shot. Those wheels/tyres are fascinating too, I like the deep-dish look. Apparently Elvis had them on two of his Stutzs. Bit more info about the tyres here: https://www.madle.org/elxx.htm
My first thought:
Anybody know what the red sports car behind this in one of the Pebble Beach shots could be? I feel like I’ve seen it, but can’t place it, but I do see the Exner Bugatti and Brooks Steven’s Studebaker Sceptre in the background.
It’s Tex Smith’s “Hot Rod XR6”, with a triple-carb 225 slant-six, built in the early 1960s. Apparently it became very well known at the time, being on the cover of Hot Rod magazine (which Smith worked for) and named America’s Most Beautiful Roadster for 1963. Interesting article here: http://customrodder.forumactif.org/t4119-tex-smiths-hot-rod-xr6
Hot Rod magazine cover with XR6:
I had 4 put on my 68 ElCamino right out of the box. At the Firestone store on Washington and Atlantic, in L.A. in 1969. 1000 bucks. Worth every penny. Went through 3 sets. They finally gave me another tire set. Heck of a warranty. A real lifetime one. No questions asked.
Ive been on planet for 60 years grew up in the era never knew this exsited.Terry Gillam