Sunshine Pontiac, Miami FL, in 1964; with a Googie architecture sign and umbrella decor.
Bob Longpre Pontiac Used Cars, Monrovia CA, in 1956; with a neat neon Pontiac sign.
Vintage Dealer Postcards: Sunshine Pontiac
– Posted on July 29, 2023
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Curbside Classics Archives
The people trading up to Pontiac were mostly older Pontiacs and Fords. I only see one identifiable Chevy. This doesn’t quite fit GMs ladder principle. Maybe the Chevy tradeins were swapped with a Chevy dealer?
Please stop taking the Sloan ladder so seriously. By the mid fifties, anyone who could afford any new American car could afford a Pontiac.
Yes, many folks did trade in other brands for a new Pontiac. Frankly, that was more likely than trading in a Chevy.
These comments made me reflect on my car-crazed childhood and whether there was a perceived status difference between Chevrolet and Pontiac in that time in small town Midwest where I grew up. If you moved up to an Oldsmobile or Buick yes. But Pontiac, not so much. I remember when my aunt and uncle got a new Olds 88 four-door hardtop in 1955 it was a big deal. Indeed, Pontiacs were not really that popular in our community, perhaps for the reason that you didn’t get much bang for your buck over a nicely equipped Chevy, until the 60’s when the great new styling and models, Grand Prix, GTO, et al, made them trendsetters and they were appearing all over the place.
My dad did trade up from his ’49 Chevy to a new ’55 Pontiac. The Chevy may have been too old and low end to keep on the lot as a “Goodwill” used car and auctioned off.
Loving this used car lot and Missing my 1954 Pontiac Super Chief Coupe .
-Nate
Regarding the signage that says “PONTIAC – TEMPEST”, it speaks to an ongoing discussion here at CC about this era in which, when people said they drove a Pontiac (or a Chevy, Ford, etc.) they were referring to the full-size car models, and not the brand name. In this case, a Tempest was (on some level of thinking) a distinct car that wasn’t a “Pontiac” (full-size car), but an entirely different vehicle that had to be called out by name.
I’m not really sure when that nomenclature ended, but I think it was in the later 60s.
Good call on the Tempest being its own sub-brand.
The most vivid example of this has to be the Valiant. It most definitely began as its own marque, separate from the rest of the Plymouth line, not unlike how Imperial was ‘not’ a Chrysler, but it’s own make.
The Valiant as a separate make only really lasted the first year. I think Chrysler kind of waffled for 1961 when it was lumped in with the rest of the Plymouth cars. But, then, in typical looney Chrysler fashion, the 1962 Valiant had all of its ‘Plymouth’ marking removed.
Chrysler stopped all the nonsense for the all-new 1963 Valiant which, from then on, was a full-fledged Plymouth.
I’m not sure if it was a separate brand, but we’ve also seen signage for “MERCURY – COMET”.
It’s documented that the first Comet was meant to be an Edsel model, but there’s also a persistent rumor that it was meant to be THE Edsel after a short run of full-size ’60s basically as a placeholder.
Ford wisely decided at the 11th hour to give it a fresh start.
The years 1959-1962 were a transition time for this. Some compacts were semi-brands of their own, others not. It had to stop when more new size cars (intermediates, pony cars, etc..) were scheduled to come along. Fragmentation was not going to work long term.
Here in Canada, the 1st and 2nd gen Valiant continued to be a separate division being a “Plodge” Valiant with a mix of the US Valiant and Dart.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-cohort/cohort-outtake-plodge-valiant/
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-cohort/cohort-pick-of-the-day-1966-valiant-signet-a-canadian-dart/
I wonder how many of those 1964 Miami Pontiacs had A/C.
The take rate for factory A/C was increasing rapidly in the 1960’s, hitting 50% in 1969. My guess in 1964 it was around 20% nationally, perhaps 25% in the south.
Update – just found an old NY Times article which states that 18% of all 1964 American autos were equipped for with air. Up from 13.1% in 1963. Sounds about right to me.
They probably sold many with dealer-installed A/C in Florida. I’m too lazy to see if anyone kept track of snowbird / year-round populations back then.
The FL dealer was run by Canadians. That’s why the sign script indicates it’s pronounced “Sun shin eh.”
It is odd that it’s a black ol sun. Wonder if it lights up at night.
Interesting, how the carmakers allowed so much of the branding and marketing of their cars, to fall to individual dealers. Lots of creative advertising then. Nice Pontiac logo.
The ‘Brush Script’ typeface in the Bob Longpre postcard was created in the ’40s, and heavily used in ’50s and ’60s advertising. Exceptionally dated, while still used in the 1980s. Now, considered 100% retro kitsch.
The Bob Longpre card reminds me that every brand seemed to come up with its own brand name for used cars. I remember Chevrolet dealers had “OK” used cars. For Pontiac, it was “Goodwill” used cars. I have forgotten the others, but I am sure there were plenty of them.
I think “Goodwill” was the sign at the “Buick dealer” , back then too. (Picturing the one in my hometown; “Universal Motors:.
As time progress, didn’t “OK Used Cars” become the standard for all of GM. As a kid, I do remember one or two commercials using this motto.
Goodwill, because they’d be sued if they called them “good.”