  Luckycar Member Username: Luckycar Post Number: 17 Registered: 02-2007 |
Hope this works.I'll start with our car lot,Lucky Auto Sales.We've been selling cars in Pontiac since 1952.820 Oakland Ave./Cesar Chavez/Dixie Hwy.This could be on a few threads.If this works,more to come on the OCF thread.  | ||
Lowell Board Administrator Username: Lowell Post Number: 3969 Registered: 10-2003 |
This is borderline advertising but your thread gets to stay because you have been there since 1952[!?] But now you have to tell us the history. Same name all along? Same family? What has changed? | ||
Luckycar Member Username: Luckycar Post Number: 18 Registered: 02-2007 |
Sorry about the plug.Same family.Mr.Lucky,my father in law Marv,has been selling cars to three generations of people since 1952.He's 81,works 5 1/2 days a week and can get the devil to buy a space heater! Lot used to be on S.Saginaw until the "loop" screwed up downtown Pontiac. What has changed is the types of cars of course.From Nashes and Hudsons to Toyotas and Kias.Suvs still sell ok.People that need trucks for work still buy them.Financing is different now.Got to pay cash or have good credit with your bank.No buy here-pay here.You got to be honest to people and treat everyone with respect.That's why they keep coming back all these years.Something the big three had forgotten!Sorry about the plug,please forgive,more Pontiac pics,railroad pics and GM pics to come. | ||
Jb3 Member Username: Jb3 Post Number: 174 Registered: 06-2007 |
He's 81!!!!! Different generation, different era...there used to be pride in being a good salesman, not just the sick and greedy twisted mentality of a 'sucker born every minute'. cut the guy some slack! Bring on the Pontiac Pics! | ||
Hpgrmln Member Username: Hpgrmln Post Number: 45 Registered: 06-2007 |
Ive been by this place. Theres a few small car lots on that strip, mostly shady. Lucky seems to be the better of them, more professional looking. Some look like nothing more than an auto repair shop. | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 9578 Registered: 12-2003 |
The art of the sale is nothing like a con as long as the product would be beneficial for the intended consumer. To a bystander, it may appear the same...and those comparisons of 'ice to Eskimos' etcetera are actually demeaning to one who knows how to work and close a deal that makes everyone happy...always looking for that perfect trade. I applaud anyone who can keep this sort of operation going for so long. If he were anywhere near the average used car salesperson, he would've been out of business in a decade or less. There ain't THAT much profit in used cars...and the odds of a car breaking after it leaves the assembly line is astonishingly even. So, Used Dealers get a bad rap from a stacked deck and a few lousy opportunists in bad plaid jackets. Kudos. (thanks Lowell for beating the legalists to this thread! Here come the judge...) | ||
Karl Member Username: Karl Post Number: 8562 Registered: 09-2005 |
Luckycar, is there still a Pontiac Retail Store in Pontiac on Wide Track Drive? My Dad used to buy our Pontiacs there. If it is gone, do you know when it closed? | ||
Chitaku Member Username: Chitaku Post Number: 1472 Registered: 03-2006 |
oakland Ave sucks is that hot dog stand still there on Baldwin? | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5449 Registered: 11-2003 |
Where do you get the cars? If Auto Auction, then we know there hasn't been much research into the history of them. You just bid and they roll. Do you guarantee your cars? jjaba. | ||
Luckycar Member Username: Luckycar Post Number: 19 Registered: 02-2007 |
Okay everyone relax.I was just trying to be cute with the space heater crack. WHY,I can't recall anyone being jacked around here. Karl,the Pontiac Retail Store closed in 1971.Can you belive there were no Pontiac Dealers in town during the 50s and 60s.Only the retail store.The dealers that moved into the area got their way and got Pontiac Motor Division out of the retail market. Jjaba,we get our cars from dealers and people wanting to sell their cars.We also get trade ins.You can buy a third party warranty.We didn't design,assemble,sell,recall or do market research on these puppies,just sell them.Remember there are no bad used cars,only bad former owners.We've seen some gems. | ||
Mattric43 Member Username: Mattric43 Post Number: 140 Registered: 03-2006 |
Chitaku Are you referring to the chilli bowl? Yes it still stands looking like it has not been updated since the day it was built. Never tried it though. Is it worth checking out? | ||
Lowell Board Administrator Username: Lowell Post Number: 3974 Registered: 10-2003 |
I found it fascinating that a used car business had been in business that long -- a trade that is probably the most maligned other than lawyers. I wonder if there is any other used car dealer in the D, that is not part of a dealership, that has been in business that long. I find it very difficult to believe that a business could last that long if it did not provide quality service. | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1822 Registered: 11-2003 |
Luckycar--I am enjoying this thread as I have family roots in Pontiac. Does Marv remember Gaukler Moving and Storage downtown, my uncle's Allied dealership. I don't think Uncle Hank bought a big rig at Lucky's, but we were Pontiac drivers. Grandfather even drove an Oakland, the forerunner to the Pontiac. Lowell is right. Lawyers ( undertakers, too) and used car salesmen. We are maligned. No one loves us, 'til they need us! Congrats on 81 years. Keep kicking those tires and lifting those hoods. | ||
Dustin89 Member Username: Dustin89 Post Number: 46 Registered: 07-2006 |
I just passed by Lucky this morning. I would love to see some more Pontiac-related threads and pics on this forum--I've always liked Pontiac and many of its neighborhoods and businesses. | ||
Yaktown Member Username: Yaktown Post Number: 192 Registered: 02-2006 |
Hey Lucky, I was just next door this morning to see Bill Kelley. Had I known, I would have stopped in to see you. Looks like a good weekend to take some pics of "the Yak", minus the Loop construction. Ugh! Will it ever be done?! | ||
Karl Member Username: Karl Post Number: 8619 Registered: 09-2005 |
As I posted on another thread, 1965-1970/Pontiac/Delorean what an era. Any pics would be appreciated! | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5450 Registered: 11-2003 |
Can we get a picture of the Pontiac company store in Pontiac? jjaba never had heard of it. Was it retail or just for special plan GM workers? jjaba's other questions are about Pontiac production today. What is made FOB Pontiac today? jjaba wrote extensively on Old Car Thread (HOF) about Baudette Body Works, now a park, and long gone into the memory of Ford supplier history. We drove Pontiacs for yrs. purchased from Woody Pontiac in Hamtramck. Although jjaba has no dog in the fight, he's not fond of accountants, realitors, nor insurance salesmen either. jjaba. | ||
Dustin89 Member Username: Dustin89 Post Number: 47 Registered: 07-2006 |
The Pontiac road construction can be frustrating-what with simultaneous construction on Woodward, M59, Baldwin, Montcalm, and many street closures @ the Loop (Saginaw, Cesar Chavez)-but I think I'll end up appreciating it a lot when it's done. It's refreshing to see so many broken roads being fixed all at once, and pretty quickly too (they really moved on M-59.) | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 2598 Registered: 12-2005 |
Well that's very good timing for Pontiac because elsewhere, Roads sacrificed to maintain status quo. quote:It's an editorial. Hopefully it's exaggerated but it wouldn't surprise me if it were not. | ||
Karl Member Username: Karl Post Number: 8627 Registered: 09-2005 |
Jjaba, the Pontiac Retail Store was for the general public, though it may have been a convenient factory outlet for employees as well (savings on freight?) My Dad bought cars there, and wandering around their huge stock of that great era of Catalina/Bonnevilles/Star Chiefs was lotsa fun for a kid who loved 'em - coincidentally the era when they very nearly outsold the Chevy division - unheard of before and after, but almost so during those years. Those cars were works of art inside and out. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5452 Registered: 11-2003 |
Karl, we had the 1951 four door full-sized forest green Pontiac. Do you recall the model name? Thanks for the info. jjaba. | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1823 Registered: 11-2003 |
For those who might be interested in seeing some classic pictures of Pontiac, I recommend "Pontiac, Michigan, a Postcard Album", part of the Arcadia Publishing Series. About 200 photos are presented in this book. The author is Gottfried Brieger. | ||
Janesback Member Username: Janesback Post Number: 361 Registered: 08-2006 |
Does anyone remember a Pontiac that has a hood ornament of an Indian that is a dark yellowish orange color that lights up when you turn the lights on? Probably a 1953 Model, I think it was Pontiac Cheiftan? I dont, but my neighbor who has Packards had one and I thought it was too cute. The face of the mountain, actually, the profile of the Indian Cheif was identical to "The Old Man In The Mountain", a tourist spot near La Conia, New Hampshire..... Jane | ||
Crew Member Username: Crew Post Number: 1324 Registered: 02-2004 |
Jjaba, I enjoyed your comments about the Beaudette factory in the Old Car Factory thread. I never knew where the factory was located but I drove by after reading your comments. I'm on the board of a non-profit that owns the old Beaudette house on Franklin Blvd (next door the house ItsJeff's grandmother grew up). It's now a fraternity house for Oakland University. His son owned the home on the corner of Huron and Franklin Blvd which is now a private residence. If old O.J. Beaudette could see the place now, I can only imagine what he might think. Thanks Jjaba | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1824 Registered: 11-2003 |
crew-My Grandmother's home was on the corner of Orchard Lake and Franklin Blvd. It was torn down some time ago to make way for a doctor's clinic and I believe it is now a lawyer's office. Next to her was a white frame house that was owned by my Uncle Clair ( named after the Lake) because of our Gaukler Point connection. That house is still standing. There are still some beautiful old residences along Franklin Blvd. | ||
Crew Member Username: Crew Post Number: 1325 Registered: 02-2004 |
Rock, There sure are - some in better shape than others. I remember you posting about your Grandmother's house. It must have been a great place to grow up. There was a beautiful old 3-story Queen Anne with a wrap around porch on the corner of Franklin Blvd and Henry Clay. Unfortunately, it burned about 1986 and is a vacant lot now. | ||
Luckycar Member Username: Luckycar Post Number: 20 Registered: 02-2007 |
Off subject,the the New Hampshire state quarter has the old man on the mountain on it.It collasped soon after the coin was issued!Went by Gaukler Storage on South Blvd. this morning.What is GM going to due with Center Point?Looks vacant.Why didn't they put Google in there instead of Ann Arbor.Pontiac could sure use it. | ||
Mattric43 Member Username: Mattric43 Post Number: 163 Registered: 03-2006 |
Amen Lucky. My Dad worked at Centerpoint they moved pretty much everyone to the tech center and then laid em off. Nothing like go here, now here, how about over here, ok you can go now. He started at the tech center. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5454 Registered: 11-2003 |
Crew, thanks for your comments about Baudette. The Old Car Thread (HOF) is of the best on The Forum. jjaba likes the story of the word "Pontiac" stamped on the Fords built in Pontiac by Baudette. jjaba was in grad. school of social work and did an internship for a yr. on Franklin Blvd. We had a student unit in the PPS house there. Does PPS still have that house? It was a huge wonderful mansion. jjaba was there in 1963-64. Address? One day in Nov. 1963, driving his 1957 Ford Custom to Pontiac from Detroit, jjaba had to pull over on Telegraph Rd. enroute to that house. President John F. Kennedy had been shot and Walter Cronkite was on the CBS news. (Everybody remembers where they were when JFK died in Dallas.) jjaba, memories of Pontiac. | ||
Crew Member Username: Crew Post Number: 1326 Registered: 02-2004 |
PPS owned two houses next door to eachother. One was the house ItsJeff's grandmother grew up (77 Franklin Blvd?)and the other is the fraternity house that I spoke about (87 Franklin Blvd), originally owned by O.J. Beaudette. If you'd like a tour sometime, let me know! | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1826 Registered: 11-2003 |
We were 149 Franklin Blvd. Dark red brick, a beautiful cherry tree in the back yard and the garage and driveway faced Orchard Lake. The Pontiac buses were the exact color scheme as the Rosa Parks bus at the HF Museum. | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 1070 Registered: 11-2003 |
I assume that car factory outlet stores would charge prices higher than the dealer, but with the shipping costs involved, it would come out even or lower? Another reason people liked to buy at the plant was having the assurance of owning it fresh off the line, instead of after it had been transported and sat around at a dealer. Oldsmobile also had a retail store ("Product Delivery/ Building 68") at the corner of Olds and Logan adjacent to its Lansing main complex. The building last served as a company fleet garage/wash, and Visitor Center. It was torn down within the past month. Chevrolet had a new car delivery building (Building 35) in Flint at the old downtown complex. Later serving as a heat treat facility, it was gutted & expanded, and now is part of Kettering University. | ||
Karl Member Username: Karl Post Number: 8657 Registered: 09-2005 |
Jjaba, I'm not familiar with all the models Pontiac had then - however, I think Star Chief was part of the lineup back then, not sure when Bonneville began. My folks had a '54 green SC, Jane I don't remember the hood ornament lighting up but you are spot on with your recollection. Perhaps in '53 it did light up - I've just never seen or heard of that - though I'm no expert. Ask me about the mid-sixties and I know much more. Loved that era as so much was going on with cars and every year brought major change. | ||
Karl Member Username: Karl Post Number: 8658 Registered: 09-2005 |
Jjaba, I did some further checking. Looks like "Chieftain" might be the name you're looking for - Star Chief didn't debut until '54. Had no idea Dad was so "with it"  More here, enjoy the memories: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P ontiac_Straight-8_engine | ||
Luckycar Member Username: Luckycar Post Number: 21 Registered: 02-2007 |
Some promised pictures.I'll start with the Canadian National Railyard on Cesar Chavez.   | ||
Miken123 Member Username: Miken123 Post Number: 11 Registered: 06-2007 |
I got lots of pics of Pontiac, MI - none too great but a few worth posting but they must be downsized so I'll post them later With regards to the classic pontiacs with the Indian head on them - those were on lots of 50s pontiacs and if it wasn't Chieftain it might have been Superchief or Starchief - my expertise is in the 60s Ponchos - I love my '65 Bonneville! | ||
Luckycar Member Username: Luckycar Post Number: 22 Registered: 02-2007 |
First pic is the coaling tower,turntable and refueling shed.Downtown Pontiac is in the backround.This is looking N.W.to S.E.This line goes thru Royal Oak to Detroit.Second pic is the control tower.Looking S.E. to N.W.This line goes up thru Holly to Flint.It also branches off just north of here to the GM Lake Orion Plant. | ||
Jb3 Member Username: Jb3 Post Number: 177 Registered: 06-2007 |
Thanks Luckycar! | ||
Miken123 Member Username: Miken123 Post Number: 12 Registered: 06-2007 |
The first is of the Pontiac Paint Co. It's right off of The LOOP. (see below x1) This second pic is of the corner of Saginaw and Pike streets in downtown Pontiac. Just around this corner and on the left is JD's Key Club - which I've been by a few times since coming to Mich. (See below x2) This last picture is of the tall building in downtown Pontiac. Anyone know what this building used to / is now used for? See below (x3) Last Q ---- I KNOW there used to be a Widetrack Dr. in Pontiac - and I know my old pontiac owner's manual states Pontiac to have offices on Widetrack Drive - Is widetrack drive part of "The LOOP"...? When did it change names or what's that all about and are there anything left of Pontiac's offices there? Sorry if the pics kinda stink! (Message edited by miken123 on July 12, 2007) | ||
Miken123 Member Username: Miken123 Post Number: 13 Registered: 06-2007 |
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Beavis1981 Member Username: Beavis1981 Post Number: 569 Registered: 08-2006 |
^on woodward "loop" aka "wide track" looking south to m-59/huron street. A right turn here and a left turn 6 blocks down will take you to the Franklin historical district. | ||
Miken123 Member Username: Miken123 Post Number: 15 Registered: 06-2007 |
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Miken123 Member Username: Miken123 Post Number: 16 Registered: 06-2007 |
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Karl Member Username: Karl Post Number: 8662 Registered: 09-2005 |
Miken123, my family had a 1965 Catalina Safari, then a 1967 Catalina Safari. The '65 was my favorite. Pure Delorean. | ||
Miken123 Member Username: Miken123 Post Number: 17 Registered: 06-2007 |
Ah Catalina is a great vehicle. Just a foot shorter than the big Bonne but always available with the same engines/etc. The safaris (station wagon-esq editions of vehicles with an extra row of seating for those who may be wondering) are very unique and I think underrated. I am tempted to post a pic of my 65 but I'll save it for a more appropriate thread! '65 is my favorite too. The Cats/Bonnies got the famous coke bottle swoop in the back look that year for Pontiacs (so did the Grand Prix for that matter). The smaller Pontiacs... ahem Tempests [incl GTO, LeMans etc] had to wait a year And you're right DeLorean did a FINE job chief engineering those vehicles to perfection- Motor Trend agreed but you and I know the story Speaking of DeLorean - and I DONT mean to hijack this thread - I went to the cemetery where his final resting place is. It's a little north of me at White Chapel Memorial Park on Long Lake rd. They wre closed for the day but As a HUGE pontiac fan and huge automotive lover, I'm glad I at least got to the gates | ||
Karl Member Username: Karl Post Number: 8669 Registered: 09-2005 |
Miken123, somewhere I have the sales brochure for Pontiac 1965. Besides all the models, it shows all the engine choices (I think there were 12!) and various upholstery and other options - there were many choices. Lotsa fun. | ||
Karl Member Username: Karl Post Number: 8670 Registered: 09-2005 |
PS - Go ahead and post that pic of your '65! | ||
56packman Member Username: 56packman Post Number: 1504 Registered: 12-2005 |
In the early 50's Pontiac had the streamliner and Chieftain Models ('50-'51) then they were just Chieftain Models, either Chieftain six or Chieftain eight models. Starting in 1954 the Star Chief Models were introduced, a longer wheelbase offering, adding 11 inches to the rear portion of the body. 1955 saw the introduction of the Chieftain Catalina line. The illuminated Indian head (oh, excuse me, the “aboriginal American” head) ornament was an option from about ‘50-’56. The first Bonneville was introduced in 1957; they were a special edition convertible-only model, with fuel injection induction. GM built one Bonneville for every dealer. Pontiac spent three years researching/investing in fuel injection starting in 1954. There was a goal that by '57 or '58 all Pontiacs would be fuel injected, that would be a distinction they would market. They had made several test using a Bosch FI unit that were highly satisfactory, but the bosses wanted a unit that was cheaper that could be built by GM parts subsidiary Rochester Products. The Bonnevilles in '57 and '58 were the only such cars so equipped. There were a lot of problems they never really solved, the cars were harder to start under some conditions, didn't get off of the line very fast, and didn't like to idle. 30-80 MPH was fantastic, like a dream! A new head of engineering came into Pontiac, he s__t canned the whole FI program with the simple edict "just put a carburetor on a manifold on them and get them out the door!" The Bonneville became a regular model after that. I personally love the '65 and '66 Bonnies, especially the '66. The styling is aggressive and clean, the IP is classy with the gauge-pods aimed at the driver, and the real wood veneer on the instrument cluster added a touch of class. Those "wide track" cars drove like a dream out on the highway, and had power to burn! | ||
Crew Member Username: Crew Post Number: 1327 Registered: 02-2004 |
As a kid my mother drove a white '67 Bonneville convertible with a black top and seats. It would be sweet to have that car now! She later gave it to my older sister and got herself a Ford LTD wagon....what a shame. | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1827 Registered: 11-2003 |
We had a 1956 Pontiac StarChief--white with turqoise trim. Quite a bucket, and talk about chrome. Super ride. It came with a spotlight, and after my first summer at Mackinac Island, we took it up to the Soo along the St. Marys River and would put the spot light on lake freighters late at night to read their names on the bow. We often got "spotlighted" back. | ||
Karl Member Username: Karl Post Number: 8671 Registered: 09-2005 |
Thanks for that history, Packman - very interesting, and first time I've ever heard details of the illuminated hood ornament (besides the previous mention) too cool. As a kid who envied those who were forward-thinking enough to have AC in their cars, the '65-66 Pontiacs always made me take notice, for during those 2 years, the center AC vent put a lump in the middle of the dash, which could be seen from nearly every angle. That lump would immediately raise the image of that car and its driver in my mind (especially on hot days!) Thanks again for the info, Packman. | ||
Janesback Member Username: Janesback Post Number: 362 Registered: 08-2006 |
Speaking of Pontiac, Lucy and Ricky drove their new 1955 Pontiac convertible to California with their 2 best friends, Fred and Ethyl. I just happened to watch for a few nights of I Love Lucy and sure enough, the episode of them driving to Ca was on last week. Lucy wrecked her new Ponitiac into Freds used Cadillac. Funny though, the car used had no windows in it, no windsheild or lights. Guess they would reflect the lights on the set and make a glare? Didnt want to hijack the thread, just thought the older posters would remember this show since you all were talking about Pontiacs .THanks, Jane | ||
Dustin89 Member Username: Dustin89 Post Number: 48 Registered: 07-2006 |
Wide Track Drive was created in (I think) 1968 to solve traffic problems downtown-it basically bypassed downtown and allowed everyone to drive around it. The Loop is the same thing; they changed the name a few years back. In retrospect, Wide Track Drive was one of the huge so-called "urban renewal" mistakes made in Pontiac: bypassing downtown, covering up the Clinton River downtown, and of course building the underused Phoenix Center garage, which disconnects the very southern tip of downtown. | ||
Karl Member Username: Karl Post Number: 8695 Registered: 09-2005 |
OK, here's some Friday/weekend fun for everyone on this thread: Go to www.traderonline.com Click on "Collector cars" Then click on "Search for cars" Then, for years, fill in your favorites (I used 1965 thru 1967) Under "Make" put "Pontiac" and leave the rest blank, hit enter. I got 200 wonderful hits from that era, perhaps you'll see some great ones also. Have a great weekend, everyone! (Message edited by karl on July 13, 2007) | ||
Karl Member Username: Karl Post Number: 8696 Registered: 09-2005 |
BTW, I just googled "Pontiac Retail Store History" and this thread came up - LOL! Dustin, I think WT Drive was earlier - at least 1965 - is the Pontiac Retail Store building still standing? If so, what is it now? Can't even seem to find an old address otherwise would head there on Google Earth. | ||
Hornwrecker Member Username: Hornwrecker Post Number: 1831 Registered: 04-2005 |
Wayne State recently added lots of photos to their website. A search for Pontiac had 170 hits, including quite a few old aerial photos of the downtown area. http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/ i/image/image-idx?c=vmc | ||
Fury13 Member Username: Fury13 Post Number: 1905 Registered: 10-2003 |
I owned a '62 Catalina, 2-door hardtop, sky blue, and with the ubiquitous 389. It would cruise all day at 80 mph. | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1829 Registered: 11-2003 |
wrecker--you just made my day ( again ). Great photos from the WSU collection of Pontiac including a fine shot of the old court house at Saginaw and Huron Streets where my Grandfather was both Probate and Circuit Judge, as well as a bonus shot of Phil Sauer, my Uncle Bob's brother. Bob was a Pontiac attorney all his working life. Brother Phil was a former Mayor of Pontiac but will go down in history as being better remembered as the owner of Griff's Grill, right around the corner from the old courthouse and a Pontiac watering hole landmark. A lot of cases were settled"out of court" at Griff's Grill. | ||
Luckycar Member Username: Luckycar Post Number: 23 Registered: 02-2007 |
Corner of Mill and University was the site of the Pontiac Retail Store.Next week I'll have some pics or items from the store.I work with a 88 yr.old man who was a used car salesman there!Oh the history of this place. | ||
Karl Member Username: Karl Post Number: 8708 Registered: 09-2005 |
Lucky, please ask your friend if he knew a new car salesman named Bill Pollette at PRS. Very nice man. And (lol) ask him if he sold the 1960 Ford Country Squire that my Dad traded in on a new 1965 Catalina Safari - after towing it to the Pontiac Retail Store because it wouldn't run. No one could figure out why the car was such a lemon with only 45,000 miles - but later my older brother revealed that he and his friends drove that car to Ohio for 3/2 beer every chance they got - as well as all over the countryside - after disconnecting the speedometer. We still laugh about it. | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1830 Registered: 11-2003 |
And as long as you are referring questions to your senior salesman who is 88 years young, please ask him if he ever drove or saw an Oakland automobile. They were built in Pontiac for a few years and I think GM took them over around 1920. And, of course, they evolved into the Pontiac. My Dad drove one but to my knowledge never actually owned one. Grandpa ( the Judge) owned one., | ||
56packman Member Username: 56packman Post Number: 1508 Registered: 12-2005 |
Rock--Oakland was the brand bought by by GM in 1909 (they began production in 1907). Built in Pontiac, they were a solid early GM offering. In 1926 GM noticed holes in their "stairstep" marketing approach of "a car for every person and purse" The difference between the top Chevrolet model and the base Oakland (next make in line it terms of price)the Buick and Oldsmobile and the Olds and Cadillac were considered too wide, s GM launched the "companion make" brands, in-between makes that were the next half-step up in appointment. chevrolet was the only brand to not have a companion brand. Cadillac launched the LaSalle, Buick--the Marquette, Oldsmobile--the Viking and Oakland introduced the Pontiac (1926). The companion models were good cars, had unique styling while using the drivetrain of its companion. The Viking and Marquette were short lived, the LaSalle was a great car, it continued until the 1940 model year (its last) and the Pontiac sold in such huge numbers that it completely overshadowed the Oakland, which was dropped in 1931. After the elimination of the LaSalle the price stairsteps between the brands was tightened so that the top model Pontiac was just under the base model Buick, etc. | ||
Luckycar Member Username: Luckycar Post Number: 24 Registered: 02-2007 |
Isn't there an Oakland auto in the Oakland County Building @1200 Telegraph?Blue with black fenders,about a 1926 or so. | ||
56packman Member Username: 56packman Post Number: 1511 Registered: 12-2005 |
yes |
