Pontiac

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About Pontiac

The Pontiac was a major automobile brand that traced its roots back to the late 1920s, and through the years became widely known for its innovative and beautiful cars. Manufactured and sold by General Motors, production of Pontiac vehicles ended in 2009, although the name is still registered to GM.

History

The Pontiac brand was founded in 1926 as a companion to General Motor’s high end Oakland line. The Pontiac proved to be very popular and by 1933 had surpassed the Oakland automobile brand and became a companion for the Chevrolet.

As its popularity grew, the brand was sold throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada. During its heyday, the Pontiac was considered the performance division of GM. Aside from the United States, the brand was a hit in Canada where it was marketed as a low cost vehicle.

The late 2000s saw GM encounter a host of financial problems, and in 2009 the company announced they would stop manufacturing and selling vehicles using the Pontiac brand by 2010. The last line of Pontiac cars were released in December 2009 as GM decided to focus on GMC, Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac.

Notable Cars

Through the years Pontiac released several notable cars including the 1956 Star Chief, which many consider to be the highlight of the entire Chieftain line. Other iconic Pontiac cars include the 2002 Trans Am WS6, the sleek 1978 Trans Am and the 1964 Pontiac GTO, which time after time would sell like hotcakes in showrooms. The brand manufactured a lot of other cars, but these stood out from the rest of the pack.

Trademark Style

Each Pontiac car had its own unique design and style, and until 1956 an American headdress was used as its logo. Also known as the Dart, the logo design was updated in 1957.

Pontiac cars were also notable for the Silver Streaks, narrow stainless steel strips that ran from the grille to the middle of the hood. By 1957, the streaks had been discontinued but style elements were used in its place like the multiple-striped taillights in the 1960s, the arrowhead nose in the 1970s and the cladding of fenders and doors in 1980s and 1990s Pontiac models.

Instead of reducing the side bumper, Pontiac cars had two troughs along its length, with bumpers commonplace until the G6. By the time the 2000s arrived, Pontiac cars laid emphasis on premium and cleaner styling, though the split grille remained.