Pontiacs In Their Prime: Vintage Photos From The 1960s and 1970s

Text by Patrick Bell.

There were plenty of Pontiacs on the roads of the 1960’s and 1970’s, back before they got the life slowly squeezed out of them.  We have a good gallery to view today showing the make at its prime, so let’s get started.

The mighty GTO was the one to beat in the muscle car arena.  Featured here was a 1966 Hardtop Coupe from Ohio.  1966 was the best year ever for the GTO, as nearly 97,000 copies in three body styles were delivered to new owners.  The competition began to have an effect beginning in the next year.

The 1960’s began with the refreshed 1959 all new models that inaugurated the “Wide-Track Wheel” design.  The one above was a 1960 Catalina Vista 4 door hardtop, that was known as the “flat top” style.  Catalina was the entry level Pontiac and often the most popular series.  The neighborhood had a desert southwest U.S. feel to it.

A slimmer and trimmer style was in store for the 1961 model year, as seen in this 1961 Catalina Sports Coupe from California in a 1971 photo.  It looked on the neglected side and apparently had a close encounter with the pole.  To the left was a 1968-1970 Volkswagen Type 1, and on the far right was a 1964 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport Coupe.

The Grand Prix debuted in 1962, and this sharp bright red one was a good example.  It was equipped with the optional aluminum 8 lug wheels, and had a 1963 issue Texas license plate.  It also appeared to have both a military base bumper decal and location.  Behind it was a 1963 Ford Fairlane 500 2 door hardtop with V8 power and aftermarket fender skirts.

Pontiac’s entry in the compact car class was the Tempest that first hit the market in the 1961 model year.  The featured car was a 1963 Tempest LeMans Coupe, which was in the third and final year of the first generation.  The LeMans was the sporty, top of the line series that was available in a coupe or convertible.  The coupe was the most popular seller in the Tempest line.  It had a California license plate, and that was likely the location as well.

Here was another Catalina Sports Coupe posing with a red Volkswagen.  The Catalina was a 1964 model, the second year of the 1963 restyle.  It was the second most popular Pontiac of the year.  The VW Type 1 looks like a 1965 model, and was sporting a same year Florida license plate.

A lady was waiting for the wash job to be complete on her 1965 Tempest Custom Sports Coupe at a California car wash where the cash register was mounted on a 55 gallon drum.  The Tempest line grew up in 1964 to an intermediate size, and the 1965 update brought the stacked headlights over from the full size cars.  The Sports Coupe was the 2 door sedan model, while the hardtop was called the Hardtop Coupe.  The hardtop was the much better seller of the two in all three lines.  The car above had the optional 326 V8, deluxe wheel covers, and a California license plate.

There were two Pontiacs in this scene; a 1966 Bonneville Hardtop Coupe from California in the foreground, and further back in the driveway was a 1964 Tempest.  The Bonneville was in its second year of a two year cycle, while the Tempest was all new for 1964.  To the right was a 1961 or 1962 Ford F-series Styleside unibody pickup.

One of the better looking cars of the crowded intermediate class was a 1966 Tempest Custom Hardtop Coupe.  This one was equipped with one of the 326 cubic inch V8’s, and deluxe wheel covers.  Parked behind it was a 1960 Cadillac.  Perhaps someone will recognize the location.

1967 brought Pontiac’s entry in the pony car market; the Firebird.  Shown above was a first year 1967 model, in hardtop form.  The engine call out was on the raised section of the hood close to the windshield.  There is not enough contrast in the image to read it, but it looks like a long emblem, which would indicate the standard 230 ci Overhead Cam Six.  The only other options I see are the Deluxe Wheel Covers and rear mounted antenna.  Amongst the cars in the background were two Volkswagen Type 1’s.

A Canadian Pontiac (or “Cheviac”) was shown here, a 1967 Parisienne convertible to be more precise.  This one was V8 powered, as I am sure most if not all of them were.  It retained the exposed windshield wipers, while the American version introduced the hidden wipers in this model year.  I could not readily find any production numbers for these, but it was just over 10,000 for the American Catalina version including the 2+2.

And here was a 1967 Catalina Hardtop Coupe with a Cordova (vinyl) Top.  Other options were the fender skirts and Custom Wheel Discs, the latter weren’t available with disc brakes or wide oval tires.  This was the second best selling Pontiac model for the year, and I can see why.  Only the Catalina 4 door sedan sold better, and only by 2619 units.

No, you are not seeing double, here were twin 1968 GTO Hardtop Coupes.  The only differences I see is the front one had a small, plastic door edge guard and cleaner whitewalls.  They both had the standard visible headlamps, remote control outside mirror, and Rally II wheels.  The setting reminds me of the Charlie’s Angels office building, except with two GTOs instead of two Mustang’s and a Pinto.

The intermediate lines were all new for the 1968 model year as seen in the last image.  Above is the 1969 facelifted Tempest Custom S Sport Coupe from Pennsylvania.  The Custom S ranked between the base Tempest and LeMans models both in price and sales numbers.

Parked in front of it was a 1960-1964 Volkswagen Type I, and to the right was a 1968 Chevrolet Camaro Sport Coupe with a vinyl roof.  The car in front of the Camaro was a 1967 or 1968 GM full size 2 door fastback, but it could have been from any of the divisions except Cadillac.  The setting was an apartment complex parking lot.

The Firebird received a facelift in its third and last year of the first generation as seen here.  This 1969 Hardtop Coupe was nicely equipped with a Cordova Top and Wire Wheel Covers.  The hood engine call out looks like is says “350”, so we will go with that.  All in all, this one was a nice package.

We are now in Amsterdam where if you are interested in wooden shoes you can check out the selection in de klompenboer’s show window.  Parked at the curb was a 1972 Luxury LeMans Hardtop Coupe with a damaged door.  It had a Denmark license plate, so it was a documented immigrant.

The Luxury LeMans was a new top of the line model that was a step in the “broughamification” trend that was part of the 1970’s.  It had a Cordova Top, Wire Wheel Covers, and a hefty trailer hitch.

Our closing shot today was a classic 1965 GTO Hardtop Coupe.  It had a Colorado license plate first used in 1977, so the old Goat was at least 12 years old in this image.  It looked pretty solid, with a little rust in the lower fender and dull paint.  But you could tell the man at the wheel was enjoying his cruiser.

In the background from the left was a white 1969-1972 Chevrolet Blazer or GMC Jimmy, gold Audi 100 LS, blue Honda Civic, blue 1968 Chevrolet Caprice Estate wagon, blue 1974 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, red Volkswagen Type 1, and a white 1970-1972 Ford Maverick 2 door.

Thanks for joining us and to all good day!

 

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