’68 Catalina outside, and ’73 models in the showroom, at Carbone Pontiac, Yorkville, NY.
Swartzlander Motors Inc., Cadillac-Pontiac, Michigan City, IN.
Backus Cadillac-Pontiac, Savannah, GA.
Taylor-Crawley Pontiac, TN.
Swartzlander Motors Inc., Cadillac-Pontiac, Michigan City, IN.
Padgett Pontiac-Cadillac, Waycross, GA.
Service Area, Swartzlander Motors Inc., Cadillac-Pontiac, Michigan City, IN.
Cooper Pontiac-Oldsmobile, Stevens Point, WI.
Roc Cutri Pontiac, South Gate, CA.
Boomershine Pontiac, Atlanta, GA.
Rosenthal-Hayman, Alexandria, VA.
Mecham Pontiac, Glendale, AZ.
Mecham Pontiac. Evan Mecham was an Arizona car dealer who became Arizona’s 17th governor. Quoting from Wikipedia:
“Mecham served one term as a state senator before beginning a string of unsuccessful runs for public office. His victory during the 1986 election began with a surprise win of the Republican nomination, followed by a split of the Democratic party during the general election, resulting in a three-way race. While Governor, Mecham made statements and actions that were widely perceived as racially charged or racist. Among these actions were the cancellation of the state’s paid Martin Luther King Jr. Day and creating an unpaid King holiday on a Sunday, attributing high divorce rates to working women, and his defense of the word “pickaninny” in describing African American children. In reaction to these events, a boycott of Arizona was organized. A rift between the Governor and fellow Republicans in the Arizona Legislature developed after the Arizona Republic newspaper made accusations of questionable political appointments and cronyism.
“Having served from January 5, 1987, to April 4, 1988, Mecham was removed from office following conviction in his impeachment trial on charges of obstruction of justice and misuse of government funds—funds that Mecham maintained were private. A later criminal trial acquitted Mecham of related charges. Following his removal from office, Mecham remained active in politics for nearly a decade. During this time, he served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention and made his final runs for the Arizona governorship and also for the U.S. Senate, in which he unsuccessfully challenged John McCain as an independent.”
Interesting times.
Mecham Pontiac. Evan Mecham was a Glendale, Arizona car dealer who ran for Arizona governor multiple times, always unsuccessfully, until he won the 1986 election through a bizarre turn of events that gave him a plurality (out of three candidates). He took office in January 1987, and was impeached and removed from office in April 1988. It was an interesting time.
In the first photo, they have two Le Mans Knife Jobs parked facing in. All they have to do is back it up a bit and it will cut through that glass like a hot knife through butter.
The Alpha Romeo sign strikes me as odd. What is apparently a GM dealer would also be selling Alphas on the side, in 1973 seems unusual.
Love the 61 Caddy in the second photo.
That dealership is Carbone Pontiac in Yorkville, New York, just outside of Utica.
Curiously, they sold not just Alfas, but also Hondas and Subarus in the early 1970s, apparently all from the same facility.
Carbone continued at that location (as a Chevy dealer) until 2022 when it was taken over by another firm. The building is still standing, though heavily modified.
Google StreetView link here:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/w1qyqrwteqUmyRaG7
Thanks Eric703. The post has been updated.
I believe my aunt/uncle got their “Pontiac” from “Hayman”, in “Alx, VA”. “Rosenthal” hadn’t usurped them yet.
During this period, Dwayne Hoover’s Exit 11 Pontiac Village was prominent in the novel “Breakfast of Champions” by Kurt Vonnegut.
Roc Cutri Pontiac was in CA, not GA. I LOVE these retrospective posts and like to Google Map their locations. Sadly Roc Cutri Pontiac is now a vacant lot. 1967 was the year my Dad bought a Bonneville. I wanted him to get the Grand Prix but he needed a four door for his carpool. That car gave him lots of problems and he swore off GM products for the rest of his life.
Thanks. The typo on the location is fixed now.
Cooper Pontic was that Stevens Point Wisconsin? Sure looks like it???
Mecham Pontiac was also the origin of the Macho T/As out front, and in the Rosenthal-Hayman showroom. Evan Mecham’s sons (Dennis and I don’t remember his brother’s name) took new Trans Ams, and tweaked them for more power. They added a true dual exhaust, warmed up the engine, and tweaked the WS6 optional suspension. They also did an export-only T/A called the ‘Tallon’, which was powered by a turbocharged Corvette motor, and also a modified El Camino and a tweaked Corvette called the ‘L-82 S’mores. Hot Rod did stories on the Machos and the Tallon, while Car Craft covered the L82S, and Motor Trend did the El Camino.
Yours is a helpful comment, Jason. I saw that pic, and gave myself a dope-slap for never realizing that a “Macho T/A” edition ever existed. If it was a Mecham creation, I feel a tad less dense. I’m grateful to you.
Tim, Yes that is indeed Cooper Motors on Division Street in Stevens Point, WI. They closed in 2010 and then the building was torn down some years later.
Thanks. Sometimes these photos are uploaded with no mention of location, and it’s certainly fun to see readers filling in the details. The post has been updated.
My family bought Pontiacs from a small dealer in Naugatuck, Ct. The owners name was Harris Rake. There were no cars on the showroom floor. Everyone of his cars were built to order. When your car was delivered, it took a week before delivery. He had a mechanic go over it and basically rebuilt the car, even sent it to a body shop with tape on in that pointed out the paint flaws. If you ordered a car in the summer, for fall delivery, he took over service of your car. He provided loaners, stored your snow tires, kept track of milage and called you for service. Everytime a bought a car after that and the dealer boasted about their customer service, I would tell them about Harris and they got quiet. It was amazing. He got one of the anniversary Firebirds, I was away at college. He set it aside for me. Told my father it was there for me to drive when I came home from collage, drove it and not impressed. He traded it off to another dealer.
I remember growing up 3 miles from Gay Pontiac and Houston International Drag Strip which was a quarter mile down interstate 45 from Gay Pontiac. The Gays owned the dragstrip and were heavily involved in National drag racing in the 60’s. Right next to the showroom was the car lot where you would find Ram Air 3 and 4 GTO’s,Firebirds,GT37 Lemans with 455 H.O.’s428 and later 455 H.O Grand Prix’s S.D. 455 Trans Ams, just about anything you wanted they had it. There were no security guards at night and they even encouraged after hour shopping. They posted the no haggle price on the windshield with big fluorescent numerals along with the window sticker on the driver side window. My very first car I bought there. A 1967 Pontiac LeMans coupe with the 326 H.O. engine. A typical Saturday evening as a kid would be to go to the drags down the street and then go over to Gay Pontiac and drool all over the cool cars on the lot and dream….some day…some day! What a great time to be alive.
Left a story about living by two dealerships on crashing senior Van Dyke in Detroit Michigan,North Brothers Ford and the Chrysler dealer dealer down the street from where I live am 73 years y
Then I was 9,hope you got my story,some way it got sent before I was finished, hopefully you got it you would love reading it ty,
Fun post! Thanks, Rich
Nice looking Ponchos .
In about 1974 I bought a 1964 Pontiac Tempest station wagon from the parents of a high school mate, the oil would come on at idle, it was basic with a 216CID i6 engine and powerglide, power steering and a non working AM radio .
I went through it, fixed the radio and drove it a few months, for a cheap car it was pretty nice and quiet inside .
-Nate
Living in Arizona in the 80s my main memory of Evan Mecham was when he replaced the 55 mph speed limit sign on I-10 with a 65mph sign. I believe the first governor to challenge that idiotic 55mph federal speed limit.