Posts from ‘Pontiac’
2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer
I joined the Consumer Guide team the summer of 2002. That means that, in just a few months, I will have been writing about cars full-time for 20 years. I mention this because I have only recently begun to consider just how much the automotive landscape has changed in the past two decades.
Pontiac Grand Prix STE Turbo
by Don Sikora II
Note: The following story was excerpted from the Februry 2020 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine.
From the Pontiac Grand Prix’s 1962 introduction through 1989 it was exclusively a two-door car. That changed with the addition of four-door sedans for 1990. More-door GPs continued through 2008, but perhaps the most interesting one of them all came from that inaugural season: the little-remembered STE Turbo.
1957 Pontiac Star Chief Hardtop Coupe
Note: The following story was excerpted from the June 2017 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine
The 1957 Pontiac was the first Pontiac since 1934 without “Silver Streaks” on the hood. Before Cadillac had tailfins and Buick had portholes, Pontiac had its signature chrome band (or bands) adorning the hood. However, Semon E. “Bunkie” Knudsen arrived as Pontiac’s new general manager just as the ’57 models were ready for production, and he was determined to change that.
1932 Rockne
Instead of fumbling with task of explaining the concept of aerodynamics myself, I will simply lift some copy from the Porsche 924 ad seen below. Per Porsche:
1989 Ford Thunderbird SC Ad
We don’t normally ask readers to work too hard when they’re checking out classic car ads, but we do have an observation to share: The sporty Fords of the late Eighties were available with a fascinating array of engines.
1986 Chevrolet Corvette
In terms of general statistical sexiness, brake performance has long taken a backseat to acceleration. Horsepower numbers are fun, 0-60-mph and quarter-mile times are fun. But braking? Most car guys know that reaching 60 mph from a stop in less than 6 seconds is an impressive feat. How many folks, I wonder, know what a decent time would be for coming to a complete stop from 60 mph?
1957 Plymouth
In his 2012 book Fractured Times: Culture and Society in the Twentieth Century, historian Eric Hobsbawm noted, “In terms of literary pedigree, the invented cowboy was a late romantic creation. But in terms of social content, he had a double function: he represented the ideal of individualist freedom pushed into a sort of inescapable jail by the closing of the frontier and the coming of the big corporations.”
Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast
Whether you drive a car, need a car, or just occasionally bum a ride with friends, you’ve come to the right place. Join the editors of Consumer Guide Automotive as they break down everything that’s going on in the auto world. New-car reviews, shopping tips, driving green, electric cars, classic cars, and plenty of great guests. This is the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast.
1988 Pontiac Bonneville SSE
By 1988, light-duty trucks—a category which includes pickups, minivans, and SUVs—accounted for roughly one third of new-vehicle sales. At the time, the popularity of trucks seemed scandalous to many in the automotive media, most whom wagged a stern figure at automakers, warning that a sudden surge in the price of gas would leave dealers with lots full of unsellable product.
1957 Ford Ranchero and some of Collectible Automobile Publisher Frank Peiler’s “what-if” designs.
By Frank Peiler
Back in 1956, Ford was preparing for the introduction of their all-new 1957 models, and what an introduction it would be! Not just one line of cars, but two. The large cars were the Fairlane and Fairlane 500, which were built on a 118-inch wheelbase They were available as four-door hardtops and sedans, two-door hardtops and sedans, and a 500 two-door convertible. Later in the model year came the Skyliner retractable-hardtop convertible.
