As the oldest of two in my family, I never got to experience being the middle child. Perhaps the most famous middle child in pop culture, Jan from The Brady Bunch, summed it up best by complaining to her parents about “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia”; however, Pontiac’s middle-tier Star Chief, even this handsome Vista four-door hardtop, had it even worse than the hapless Jan, because it got to experience being Marcia.
In 1954, the Star Chief was introduced when Pontiac was still almost exclusively using Native American imagery and nomenclature, a practice that Bunkie Knudsen, Pete Estes, and John DeLorean would mostly abandon as they got to work reinvigorating the moribund brand later in the decade.
The Star Chief was introduced as sweeping “to exciting new heights of style” in 1954, and it began a Pontiac tradition of adding length to the tail as a means of getting your money’s worth. In 1954, that meant adding length to the tail end of Pontiac’s A-Body platform to the tune of 11 extra inches, 213.7 vs. 202.7 for the Chieftain.
This image above shows the Star Chief Catalina on the top and the Chieftain Catalina on the bottom, and the Star Chief’s extra length is obvious behind the rear wheel opening. The wheelbase was also stretched from 122 to 124 inches, although how they managed that trick is less obvious. Whatever the reason, the trick worked; 115,088 Star Chiefs were built compared to 149,986 Chieftain Eights in all trim lines, not bad considering that the Star Chief sedan could be $95 to $188 more expensive than a Chieftain Eight Deluxe Sedan.
And thus the Star Chief carried on as the top of the Pontiac line until the Bonneville usurped it as a separate model of its own in 1958. The 1959 model year brought about a streamlining of model names, and the old Pontiac standbys disappeared, except for the Star Chief, which soldiered on as a middle-tier model with the Bonneville’s extra length and wheelbase, but without the Bonneville’s extra power.
It was akin to a Buick Super from the 1950s; the Star Chief had the bigger car’s body with the smaller car’s engine, but the horsepower from its Pontiac 389 wasn’t exactly the same as the base Catalina in 1963.
Although both the Catalina and the Star Chief had a 10.25-compression 389 two-barrel (when ordered with an automatic, as most buyers did), the Catalina had 267 horsepower and the Star Chief had 283. According to NHRA specifications, the camshafts were different between the two; the Catalina had .370 lift on intake and exhaust and the Star Chief had .400.
That they used different cams is verified by the factory service manual. The Bonneville used the same camshaft as the Star Chief’s 389, but it had a standard four-barrel carburetor and was rated at 303 horsepower (with the automatic).
As it did in 1954, the Star Chief was stretched in the tail and shared its 123-inch wheelbase (up three from the Catalina) and 218.9-inch length (up seven from the Catalina) with the big, luxurious Bonneville. It shared its industry-leading styling, however, with all models in the full-size line. A big part of that styling was this stacked-headlight motif, something that automakers from Ford to AMC would be cribbing a mere two years into the future.
A little-discussed but very attractive styling feature: these taillights, which were shared with all models except the fabulous Grand Prix, and these mini-tailfins that even the Grand Prix wore.
Being the last model to keep one foot in the 1950s, given its name, the Star Chief wore some trim that was atypically superfluous for Pontiac—these three pieces of C-pillar trim. They’re too small to be egregious, but it’s obvious that the Star Chief was not the most tasteful Pontiac of 1963. This example, which I captured in August of 2022, is one of only two models available in the Star Chief line in 1963, the “Vista” four-door hardtop (the other was a four-door sedan).
If you were buying a Vista hardtop in 1963, you had three options: the $2,935 Catalina (31,256 built), the $3,229 Star Chief (12,448 built), or the luxurious $3,423 Bonneville (49,929 built). In a way, it’s unsurprising that the cheaper Catalina and the not-that-much-more expensive Bonneville both outsold the poor Star Chief. But what did the Star Chief buyer get when stepping up from a Catalina? In addition to the extra exterior trim, a clock, custom steering wheel, two-speed wipers, and distinct upholstery were all standard, and perhaps most importantly, the four-speed Super Hydra-Matic was the transmission you’d get when ordering an automatic. The Catalina (and the Grand Prix) had the unfortunate Roto Hydra-Matic.
That really wasn’t enough to recommend the Star Chief over its linemates, however, as it was a car with a bit of an identity crisis, a middle child in the pop culture sense for certain. This sedan cost $301 more than a Catalina sedan (both pictured above), and the extra power, better optional transmission, and extra trunk space clearly weren’t enough to persuade many buyers that it was worth the extra money. Over 234,000 Catalinas and 110,000 Bonnevilles were sold, but only 40,757 Star Chiefs with their limited bodystyles found driveways, so it seemed to make little sense for Pontiac to even offer it. It must have been a case of not costing the corporation much to field the midrange model.
And so the Star Chief would soldier on through 1966 (that year it was called the “Star Chief Executive”), but Pontiac must have realized by that time that it was time to put the fifties to bed. After 1966, the Executive would continue through 1970 without the Star Chief descriptor until the Bonneville itself was usurped by the Grand Ville as the top of the Pontiac full-size line.
Still, if you found yourself driving a 1963 Star Chief with its handsome industry-leading styling today, the badge would be irrelevant. It’s simply a great-looking old car, even if it might have been complaining about “Bonneville, Bonneville, Bonneville!”
Related Reading
Curbside Classic – 1963 Pontiac Grand Prix: Another Time, Another Place (by me)
Curbside Classic: 1963 Pontiac Catalina – The Sexiest Big Sedan Of Its Time (by Paul N)
1963 Pontiac Grand Prix Vs. 1963 Oldsmobile Starfire Coupe – How Did These Sporty Luxury Hardtops Compare? (by Aaron Severson)
I am struck by the detail of mechanical differences between the models, as I had no idea it was anything like as granular. I suppose nowadays it is like Mercedes or BMW offering all these different numbers for models, suggesting bigger engines (and perhaps messages from the Kabbala in BMW’s obtusely over-egged case) which are no more than how far the wick under the turbo is turned up, on the same engine.
Your last para sums it well for present days. What a superb-looking – if pointlessly massive – thing this is. One quibble: I think that extended tail should be longer. It doesn’t quite cross State lines.
As to Marcia, I like this. It’s quite accurate.
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1BpYo19cMT/
True that — the rear overhang is ONLY 5 feet.
Biggest problem with these is that the tacked-on extra length absolutely ruins the car’s proportions. It sort of works on the ’54 but I’m talking about the ’63. The combination of the standard B body with the hotter engine and Super- or later Turbo Hydra-Matic instead of the Roto would’ve been a hot ticket.
I kinda like it. Makes the lil brothers butt look almost too short. But I like the Big 60’s GM cars.
The 54 looks awkward IMO, I like the length, but the shape is somehow too flat? Maybe it’s the rear wheel well. I can’t figure it out.
Of course, I’d take any of them. Though, I prefer the subject Star Chief.
How is it that every 60s Star Chief we find is red? https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/car-show-classic-1962-pontiac-star-chief-does-this-color-make-my-butt-look-big/
To nlpnt’s point, the car’s big butt was the first thing I noticed when I photographed the 62. But the good Hydra Matic would help me live with the compromised proportions. In something other than red, though.
Just want to point out:
“This image shows the Chieftain Catalina on top and the Star Chief Catalina on the bottom”
You have that Backwards, The “star Chief” is on top, according to the image text. (and picture).
Thanks, I adjusted the picture and forgot the text…fixed now.
One possible reason for the Star Chief, other than the minimal cost to have it in the line: the police car fleet business. Many agencies, especially at the State and County level, followed the California Highway Patrol requirements which included a minimum wheelbase of 122 inches. But then, Pontiac was not competitive in that low-profit market, anyway. Dodge dominated it.
The Star Chief was just Pontiac marketing doing the old Buick Super mix and match from their entry and top series to create a line at a price point between. It had work wonderfully for Buick in the 1940’s-’50’s selling major volumes annually. Pontiac rode the concept to its conclusion.
I actually own a black Star Chief exactly like the one in the picture on the bottom. It just turned 23,023 original miles, and has the red metallic cloth interior. It’s been in the family since brand new.
As the forgotten middle child myself I endorse this message. I think 1963 is my favorite year of Pontiac, they sure had a great run from 59 to 69.
My presonal favorite for the big Pontiacs is 1966, but I agree with you on the great run from 1959-69.