Once upon a time there, was an American Indian named Pontiac. He was known as an Ottawa leader who became famous during the American Indian struggle against the British military occupation of the Great Lakes region in the years 1763 to 1766.
Now the name Pontiac has become a brand for automobiles that is produced by General Motors and has been sold in Canada, Mexico, and the United States since 1926. It is marketed by General Motors as an athletic brand which specializes in mainstream performance vehicles.
The Pontiac story begins at a time were the car was seen as a middle-of-the-road reliable car that were more suited to middle income buyers of middle age. The young lucrative emerging performance oriented customer eluded the brand. Yes, they were reliable but Pontiac just could not shake off that dowdy image.
It was like that during the years 1946-1948, sales were growing alright but their cars, the Torpedoes and Streamliners, were quickly becoming out of step and out of date with the growing youth market.
Change had to come and it came with the introduction of the Chieftain which replaced the Torpedo. Then in 1954 the Star Chief was created. The Star Chief was Pontiac’s prestige model. It was easily recognizable because of its chrome star trim along the sides. On episode 100 of I Love Lucy the characters drove to the West Coast on a 1955 Star Chief.
In 1957,the Star Chief Custom Bonneville was introduced as part of its push to raise the marque out of the doldrums. The Bonneville gained a full range of styles and received the lion’s share of Pontiac’s attention in the the marketplace
In 1958, the Star Chief was only limited to sedans and hardtops. Nearing its end the Star Chief was no longer Pontiac’s prestige model but it still was a well appointed car.
Already in the early 1960’s the model had become dated so in 1966, the car was renamed the Star Chief Executive as its first step to retiring the name. In 1967 the Star Chief name was dropped and was renamed the Executive. And so ends the story of the Pontiac Star Chief.
Yet we can still continue our own story. Now the Pontiac Star Chief still can be appreciated by renting the car at one of classic car rental dealers. Check on the Internet and find one that suits your needs.
The Pontiac Star Chief is one of the first cool cars of Pontiac, but it is now part of the history books. By renting it at one of the classic car rentals in Las Vegas, you can revive it and write your own history on the asphalt.
Make your own history.
