WE RECENTLY VISITED PONTIAC AND OAKLAND AUTOMOBILE
MUSEUM, IN PONTIAC. BUT IT IS
MORE THAN JUST A COLLECTION OF
CARS.
CARS. >> THE PONTIAC'S NAME BEGAN AS
PONTIAC BUGGY COMPANY, IN
PONTIAC, MICHIGAN, IN 1893.
IN 1907, HE STARTED MAKING
AUTOMOBILES AND CALLED THEM
OAKLAND'S BECAUSE PONTIAC,
MICHIGAN, IS IN OAKLAND COUNTY.
TWO YEARS LATER, IN '09, GENERAL
MOTORS BOUGHT THE OAKLAND CAR
COMPANY.
COMPANY. IN 1926, THEY PUT A COMPANION
CAR WITH IT CALLED THE PONTIAC.
THEY MADE THE TWO OF THEM
TOGETHER UNTIL 1931 WHEN THE
DEPRESSION GOT THE BETTER OF THE
MORE EXPENSIVE OAKLAND AND THEY
DISCONTINUED IT.
DISCONTINUED IT. PONTIAC CONTINUED ON UNTIL 2010.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE ONE OF TWO
KNOWN PONTIAC BUGGIES ON
DISPLAY.
DISPLAY. OUR PARTICULAR EXAMPLE IS ALL
ORIGINAL.
ORIGINAL. THE SEAT MATERIAL, THE FLOOR
MAT, EVERYTHING.
MAT, EVERYTHING. WE HAVE FOUR OAKLAND'S ON
DISPLAY RIGHT NOW, FROM A 1910
WHICH IS A BEAUTIFUL, EARLY
EXAMPLE, BRASS ERA CAR.
WE HAVE A 24 WHICH WAS THE FIRST
CARS IN THE AUTO INDUSTRY TO
HAVE QUICK DRYING PAINT, A VERY
SIGNIFICANT ADVANCEMENT IN
AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY, AND THIS CAR
IN PARTICULAR HAS ORIGINAL PAINT
MANY WE WILL NEVER RESTORE IT.
PRIOR TO THE DUCCO PAINT THAT
CHARLES KET ERRING DEVELOPED AT
GM, PAINT TOOK WEEKS TO DRY.
MOST CARS WERE PAINTED BLACK
PRIOR TO THAT BECAUSE BLACK
DRIED THE QUICKEST.
BUT THEY HAD THE HUGE WAREHOUSES
WHERE CARS JUST SIT WITH THE
PAINT DRYING.
PAINT DRYING. NEW DUCCO PAINT DRIED THIS
HOURS.
HOURS. IMAGINE HOW THAT CHANGED THE
AUTO INDUSTRY.
AUTO INDUSTRY. THIS IS A 1926 PONTIAC WHICH
JUST HAPPENS TO BE THE VERY
FIRST PONTIAC RACE CAR.
IT WAS DELIVERED TO A DEALER IN
UTICA, NEW YORK, AND SHORTLY
THEREAFTER THERE WAS A FIRE ON
THE INTERIOR, AND THE DEALER
ENDED UP BACK WITH THE CAR.
HE SENT THE CAR ACROSS TOWN TO
WHICH WILLBY TO BE FIT WITH THE
SEATS YOU SEE NOW.
IT WON THE FIRST HILL CLIMB
RACE.
RACE. HILL CLIMB RACING AT THAT TIME
WAS VERY POPULAR AS CARS
SOMETIMES HAD TROUBLE MAKING IT
UP THE HILL.
IF YOU DID WELL AT THE HILL
CLIMB RACES, THEN THAT WOULD
TRANSLATE INTO CAR SALES.
RIGHT BESIDE THIS CAR, WE HAVE
ANOTHER FAMOUS RACE CAR WHICH IS
1966GTO CALLED THE TEN INDIAN.
IT WAS UNDEFEATED IN THE
1966NHRA SEASON, AND WON THE
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. IT WAS ORDERED WITH HEATER
DELETE, RADIO DELETE, NO POWER
STEERING OR BRAKES, JUST THE
GOOD STUFF.
GOOD STUFF. TRI POWERED FOUR SPEED AND REAR
END.
END. THE GOLD ON IS MY LAR, WHICH WAS
A NEW INVENTION AS LESS
EXPENSIVE VERSION OF GOLD LEAF.
THIS IS 1957 PONTIAC STAR CHIEF
CONVERTIBLE.
CONVERTIBLE. 1957 WAS A BIG YEAR OF CHANGE AT
PONTIAC.
PONTIAC. THE NEW GENERAL MANAGER WAS
SPUNKY NEWTSON, AND HE DECIDED
TO TAKE THE SILVER STREAKS OFF
THE HOOD, TAKE THE HOOD
ORNAMENTS OFF AND TAKE PONTIAC
RACING.
RACING. HE ALSO HIRED WOMEN DESIGNERS TO
DO THE INTERIORS OF THE CARS
THAT YEAR.
THAT YEAR. ONE OF THE MAJOR CONNECTIONS YOU
CAN SEE IN SOME OF THE SEATS WAS
THE OFF THE SHOULDER LOOK.
OH, THIS IS VERY POPULAR.
STAR CHIEF WAS THE TOP OF THE
LINE UNTIL LATE IN THE YEAR.
THEN THEY INTRODUCED THE
BONNEVILLE COULDN'T VERSABLE
WITH FUEL INJECTION.
THOSE TODAY ARE THE MOST
COLLECTIBLE.
COLLECTIBLE. WE HAVE A LOT OF MEMORABILIA ON
DISPLAY.
DISPLAY. WE DON'T JUST HAVE CARS LINED
UP.
UP. IN ONE CASE, NOTHING BUT CHIEF
PONTIAC ITEMS.
PONTIAC ITEMS. IN THERE IS A COMPLETE
COLLECTION OF HOOD ORNAMENTS
FROM 1926 TO 1956.
IT IS THE ONLY SUCH COMPLETE
COLLECTION THAT I KNOW OF.
WE HAVE ANOTHER DISPLAY THAT HAS
NOTHING BUT AUDIO VISUAL PIECES
FROM THE PONTIAC DEALER FROM THE
30'S CLEAR UP TO MORE MODERN
TIMES.
TIMES. WE HAVE PROBABLY THE COUNTRY'S
LARGEST COLLECTION OF PONTIAC
AND OAKLAND LITERATURE, AND
RESEARCH MATERIAL WHICH INCLUDES
SHOP MANUALS, OWNER MANUALS,
PARTS BOOKS, BULLETINS, COLOR
CHIPS, JUST ABOUT ANYTHING YOU
CAN IMAGINE AND SOME THINGS YOU
CAN'T THAT ARE RELATED TO
PONTIAC WE HAVE IN OUR LIBRARY.
TO ME, I HAVE HIT THE MARK WHEN
PEOPLE CAN ASSOCIATE WITH
SOMETHING IN HERE, AND THAT'S
WHY WE HAVE CARS OF ALL VINTAGES
AND STYLES.
AND STYLES. WE TRY TO HAVE SOMETHING FOR
EVERYBODY.
EVERYBODY. >> PONTIAC IS ALSO THE HOME OF
THE ROUTE 66 HALL OF FAME AND
MUSEUM, THE LIVINGSTON COUNTY
WAR MUSEUM, AND THE MURAL AND
SIGN ART MUSEUM.
TO REACH THE PONTIAC AND OAK PANNED AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM AND
RESOURCE CENTER, CALL
(815)842-2345 OR GO TO W
WWW.PONTIACOAKLAND MUSEUM.ORG.