Today’s postcard tour takes us back to Pontiac’s glory years, from the 1960s into the 1970s, when the division was turning out some of its most memorable cars. As usual, there are plenty of changes captured across the years, not only in the Pontiacs themselves but in the dealerships, displays, signs, and architecture surrounding them. Those details can be just as revealing as the cars, offering a glimpse at how Pontiac presented itself to buyers as the years went by. All part of the fun of these little windows into the past.
And for the sharp-eyed car spotters, don’t stop at the Pontiacs. A few interesting interlopers have found their way into these lots, thanks to some unusual pairings on these dealers. As for our opening image, it is at Louisiana Motors, in Lafayette, LA.
Ken Clark Pontiac, Los Angeles, CA.
Royal Pontiac, Royal Oak, MI.
Bonander Pontiac-International Harvester, Turlock, CA.
Turpin Pontiac-Buick-Beaumont-Acadian-Vauxhall-GMC, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Kastner, Pontiac-Olds-Fiat, Napa, CA.
Wyland Pontiac-Cadillac-GMC, Clarksville, IN.
Columbia Pontiac, Dorchester, MA.
Walker Pontiac-AMC, Pittsburgh, PA.
Bonander Pontiac-International Harvester-GMC-Peugeot, Turlock, CA.
Delta Pontiac-AMC-GMC, Stockton, CA.
Bob Neal, Pontiac-Toyota, Chicago, IL.
Art Bridges Pontiac, Hayward, CA.
I didn’t realize how long it took Pontiac to swap the Indian head on the dealer sign for the arrowhead. Some of those post cards were from the late ’70s, but I don’t remember ever seeing the Indian head.
I’m also trying to figure out the two new Firebirds at Turpin with no wheel covers.
Probably still packed in the trunk.
Yep, and it appears the dealer was still prepping them because the red one still had what looks like the temporary red coating on the white walls for transport protection that hadn’t been removed yet.
Which raises another question for those of us who live primarily south of the 49th Parallel; is the Vauxhall sign just there because it’s old, or were they still selling Vauxhall in Canada in 1968?
Canada was selling the Vauxhall Viva in 1967 and a badge-engineered Vauxhall under the Envoy badge. I think Vauxhalls went away with the introduction of the Vega,
Wow! Who knew?
Weren’t some Vauxhauls rebadged as Firenza in Canada early ’70s? Don’t think they were sold as either Pontiacs or Vauxhauls
I just made a Chief Pontiac logo for the wind deflector I fabricated on my 2006 Pontiac Solstice. I love the look of the Chief Pontiac logo and have ever since I was a kid in the 1950s and would see the hood ornaments that would light up in an amber color. I made several colors of the logo and can change them from one to another, with two small screws on my wind deflector. This one is a fluorescent green.
You might like that commercial filmed at a Pontiac dealer showing the then new 1969 models. 😉
“It’s a breakaway car!”
Yup – those plastic ground effects sure broke away, didn’t they?
Lord. God, yes!
It’s interesting to see the variety of companion makes paired with Pontiac. Would not have expected Pontiac/AMC dealerships. There’s also quite a variety of signage. The cars may have had a family resemblance, but the dealerships do not.
Bonander Pontiac International seemed strange. Why not GMC. A few years later, GMC was added. Maybe there was a Buick or Olds dealer nearby that had the original GMC franchise for Turlock.
Bonander actually took on Buick as a franchise in 1978 – I’m not sure if they bought out an existing Buick dealer in town, but Buick was added to Pontiac, GMC, International and Peugeot at the time. Quite a variety!
Bonander was located at S. Center and Marshall Sts. in Turlock, and at the time occupied buildings on all four sides of the intersection. Three sides of the intersection are shown in the postcard above.
Terrific, Stephane !
Reminds me of the Fifth Dimernsion, singing of Aquarius, at about that time …..
They don’t have enough singing car commercials these days. I remember that Paul Revere & the Raiders did commercials for the GTO Judge and the SS396. Plymouth had ‘The Beat Goes On’. Everyone remembers ‘See the USA in Your Chevrolet’. I don’t remember Ford ever taking advantage of ‘Mustang Sally’ in their commercials but maybe that was because she was supposed to ‘slow that Mustang down’.
The “break away” Pontiac jingle was turned into a real song! Soul belter Jimmy Radcliffe brought in to provide vocals (starting at 2:52 in this clip). This became a hit in the UK where it is associated with the Northern Soul scene.
Interesting to note then Steve Karmen who composed Pontiac’s Breakaway, composed later for Chrysler, “Chrysler-Plymouth coming through” along with other jingles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Karmen_discography
According to that list on Wiki he wrote a jingle for Ford as well, so he had the Big 3 covered. Cadillac too!
5th Dimension was actually singing for Chevy that year, Dan F. Big year for singing car commercials!
Nearly a dozen here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_GlgIcqTm4tXVEN3XitLT0LapKbmObcb
Hot blonde alert at 1:28! She looks a lot like Sharon Tate.
Geez were these cars popular. I never imagined that one day GM would end that brand. There was a huge market for cheap flashy cars.
Today if you wanted cheap plastic flash, you’d get a Dodge or Nissan.
A vehicle ahead of its time with that rear folding out tent option that would seal up in the open hatch. Today you see trucks and SUVs with those collapsible “Overlander” tents on top everywhere on campgrounds.
Did/ do not remember “Walker”, in the burgh having the “AMC”, option. Was not that far out the avenue so much in those days. “Kastner”, in “Napa, CA” had an awful lot a cars on the lot.
The spiffy, “Cougar” in “Hayward, CA” is soaking up all the attention in that pic.
I grew up a few miles from Walker and don’t remember the AMC until the end
I’m kind of surprised that Royal Pontiac’s building looks somewhat unimpressive considering what a force they were in Pontiac performance during the ’60’s. Only what looks to be a hot rodded ’57 parked on the street gives any indication of the kind of cars and high performance parts they were selling.
When I see Turlock I always think of Ethel Miller, the 1st / 1 millionth / 2 millionth Plymouth lady. She finally gave up on Plymouths and bought a Pontiac around 1941. Was Bonander the dealer?
Nice ;
I like the older Ponchos myself .
-Nate
This Indian stood guard over Superior Pontiac and later Red McCombs Pontiac for over 50 years in San Antonio. Until of course there were no more new Pontiacs.