Yesterday, the 84-year-old Pontiac brand officially ceased to exist, with General Motors letting its agreements with Pontiac dealerships expire on October 31. GM had made the decision last year to cease Pontiac production.
Pontiac has a special place in our hearts. Our grandfather owned a garage and Pontiac dealership in Minnesota starting in 1912 (the brand was called "Oakland" then). It was the "family" car brand since the 1947 Pontiac our father managed to keep running (with some help) for 20 years. Then there was the '57 two-tone green Star Chief, and the '67 champagne Bonneville, and a blue Catalina in there somewhere. Not to mention the '70 Firebird Esprit that one Hackwhacker scraped around in during his bachelor years. Body by Fisher. And who will ever forget the classic Pontiac lines: Silver Streak, Chieftan, Star Chief, Bonneville, LeMans, Tempest, Catalina, Firebird, GTO, and on. And engineering breakthroughs like Pontiac's Hydramatic transmission, one-piece windshields, and Wide-Track suspension.
Gone... but never forgotten.
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