It’s time to showcase some vintage shots of Pontiac products in the ’60s and ’70s. A few of these feature the brand in its heyday, some a bit before it, and some at the start of its decline. But even the shots from the late ’70s show followers hanging on that Pontiac image from the ’60s. Even as used cars in the ’70s, you could tell owners still felt the brand’s magic.
Not that everyone in these images cared about the sporty Pontiac of the ’60s. A good number didn’t. But regardless of interest and intention, they did get cool-looking rides. After all, how many cars can make their driver look good while carrying a couple of mattresses?
Great bunch of photos, Rich. #3, I would be willing to bet, is a photo taken for that young lady’s boyfriend…who likely was a serviceman headed overseas, or perhaps already there.
It’s a different story I feel with the girl in the flowered dress, with the dog, and the Firebird. That’s also a story I’d like to know more about.
And the girl from Massachusetts with the GTO? The photographer needs to hurry up and get her to the party (I sure hope she’s not the one who’s driving) ’cause I’m not sure she’s going to last a lot longer. 🙂
Picture #3 got my attention too, though my first take on it was a bit different. I thought it was a newly married couple who were proud of both their car and their first apartment together. (Part of the reason I thought this is because I remember seeing several pictures that my dad took of my mom outside of their first apartment). But it could easily be your scenario too. It’s a great shot.
Also, thanks to the Virginia tag, I was able find the likely location, which is an apartment building off of Beauregard St. in the West End of Alexandria. StreetView link and then-and-now comparison below:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/kYhhtexkt2jhC5rw8
I am nearly always divided right down the middle in my opinion as to whether these photos, for which we truly have no factual back story beyond whatever is seen in the photo, are sad or joyous.
The former (sad) because every photo (as a general principle) has a story and captures something that real people (the photographer and the subjects) were thinking, doing, feeling at that second the shutter was clicked. All of that is lost here. I find it sad therefore that all’s that’s left is the photo, washed up on our attention like something found on a beach.
The latter (joyous) because lacking that story, we get to make up our own; and that’s certainly entertaining…whether or not it ever entered the photographer and subjects’ mind that a bunch of strangers would be looking at and interpreting their pictures.
I say joyous. Note all the smiles.
She looks very relaxed, smoking a cigarette too.
Other notable part about photo 3 is the red car in the background is a 70 Marauder X-100
Photo 4 features a 1960 or 1961 Mercury (Edsel) Comet in the background too!
Re: the flowered dress, “Billy Ray was the preacher’s son and when his daddy would visit he’d come along…”
And we know back in that era people generally were thinner but geez they do look old before their time.
The green 68 GTO with the little kid in the foreground – I don’t ever recall seeing a GTO of that vintage with standard wheel covers!
Had four friends and a cousin who all had new GTO’s in the late sixties – early seventies. Four of them had the optional rally wheels. The other, bought inexplicably by a modest, conservative friend, was a 1970 with almost no options and the standard wheel covers. He was a teetotaler and I don’t think he ever drove it over 70. (Another friend and I took care of that when we drove it back to his house after dropping him off at the airport.). Not surprisingly, his was the only one of the five that was never stolen or wrecked.
Man how I lusted for a new GTO in the late sixties. However, unlike my spoiled cousin and friends, my parents wouldn’t hear of it. I soldiered on through my college years in a 6 cylinder Nova.
All that beautiful style from the sixties, then that ‘71 shows up with a face like Ernest Borgnine.
Agree that is truly ugly! What were the designers thinking?
Maybe…..”Hey, let’s take established Pontiac styling cues and make ’em bigger!”
Like modern-day BMW, Lexus, etc.
Hey! No laughing! 😉
That ‘71 Catalina is a doppelgänger for my first real car, which was a ‘71 GrandVille, only mine was a $400 beater and Mr. Borgnine’s is in much better condition.
Gotta admit, though that the ol’ GrandVille was a pretty good car, reliability-wise.
Bottom Photo:
Can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen the mattress and/or box springs on the side of the road; especially along the interstate.
Wow everything looks great in ’60s Poncho Land. The cars, the people, the homes. I want a time machine!
That top photo – making out with a cute girl in a GTO convertible with Rally II wheels and redline tires in some mid-century suburb – that’s really all I want out of life…
Love ’em all. Smiled when I saw the Hooker Headers sticker on the GTO rockin’ Cragars. Good stuff. Thanks, Rich!
Only old guys still drive the full-size Pontiacs, as per stereotype
Nice legs on that 64!
I remember these Pontiacs as a kid. My Grandpa was a Pontiac guy. I always associated the brand with my Grandparents.
The 1971 Pontiac is wearing wheel covers from 1969. It also appears not to have a vinyl roof. Maybe up north vinyl roofs weren’t as popular, but here in the south almost every full-size and personal luxury hardtop car in the 70’s had a vinyl top, even if it was optional.
I also love the red-stripe sidewalls on a number of these. They’re like Hot Wheels cars.
Me too. By the time I was aware of what was around me, the red-stripe tires were all gone and replaced mostly by raised white letters on muscle cars.
In 1976, I was sixteen, and with the help of my red headed mother bought a 75 formula, robin egg blue, fiberglass hood with ram air scoops, white interior, I had the factory 8 trac stereo pulled and installed a pioneer cassette supertuner installed, with pioneer’s 40 watt separate amp, Jensen 6×9”s in back 4″ coaxials in the front console. Had Goodrich T/A 50’s on rally wheels with beauty rims.
For a redheaded geeky kid in
Seneca, Mo. I had one of the most lusted after rides in town.
Definitely the best thing that happened to me in the 70’s.
Good pics. Love the ’67 white Firebird on what looks like a drag strip. Though I hate to see nice cars like this drag-raced.
An era of very stylish automobiles, let down by unflattering paint colours.
The guy in the final pic is wearing shoes that are likely from late “70’s”, early “80’s” , maybe.
Loving the glimpses of times gone by .
-Nate
Silly to say but vinyl roof suits well these ”67-68 Firebirds, although I would prefer it to be black paint instead of a device that promotes rust underneath . Anyway it highlights the rear wing arches. Let’s see how we install this ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=XMttWRbGggQ&ab_channel=VVGRestorationStation
And then there is my wife and I with our 1971 pontiac decorated for our wedding get away.
Our second car as newlyweds for Shelly’s daily driver was 1977 Sunbird.
Cool blue pork pie hat on the chap in the second last photo.
Great photos! Pontiac builds excitement!
One sister had a 65 LeMans coupe but ordered it with the 326 and a manual transmission.
Each spring her and dad would switch cars-her and her family would use his to travel and he would use theirs as his daily. I never drove it, but he used to comment on how fast it was!
I’m a little late posting this but my favorite shot is the ’67 Firebird drag racing. This is truely a shot of an instant in time. You can see the other car got a jump ahead of him but you can also see the weight transferred to the rear wheels as the Firebird launches.