Tempest V-8 Trivia Question of the Week: 1. What other model names, besides Bonneville, were used on Pontiacs for fifty-nine? 2. On May 1, 1960, a soviet missile shot down an American U-2, high altitude spy plane. What was the name of the pilot who survived the attack? 3. Fifteen days after the incident on May 16, the Premier of the Soviet Union demanded an apology from the U.S. president for flying the U-2 plane over the Soviet Union. Can you name these two heads of state? 4. The popular hit song ‘Georgia On My Mind’ was originally released in 1960. Who was the artist who took this song to the top of the charts? 5. Also on the charts for 1960 was a song in which Sam Cooke sang about “working on a ____ ____”. (Fill in the blanks.) 6. In the fall of 1960, as model change over began, the new 1961 models would see Pontiac’s first ‘compact car.’ What was its name? 7. The first model year for Pontiac was, A. 1903; B. 1926; C. 1934 or D. 1936? 8. E-Z Eye was GM’s name for what feature?

Answers to this week’s ‘Tempest V-8 Trivia Questions’ as well as more images of 1959 Pontiacs, may be found on the FIN MAN’s web site at http://www.thefinman.com.

It was the turn of the decade. The end was near for the fabulous fins of the fifties automobiles and I suppose the design team at Pontiac decided to go out with a bang... at least in numbers if not size. Evidently they thought that if two was good, four would be even better. So they designed a pair of small fins for each rear fender in a ‘V’ configuration.

Pontiac never really had any flamboyant fins like many of the other makes of the fifties. Oh sure, there was the typical flashy chrome adornments from end to end on many models, case in point the previous year on the 1958 Bonneville... one of the most heavily laden chrome boats on the market. But the fins were really not even fins... not at least in terms of what we think of fins as you can see in the photo above. As in many brochures of the day, the advertising chiefs took advantage of ‘artistic license’ to stretch and exaggerate, even more than normal, the long, low silhouettes of the period. The hot red Pontiac four door shown above is actually a Canadian model, the Parisienne... a name which would appear years later on American made Pontiacs. The Parisienne was manufactured at Oshawa Car Assembly, GM of Canada’s huge assembly plant in, where else, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. (This is the same plant which gave birth to my 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.) As always, there were slight differences in the trim used on Canadian models. The example shown above, dressed in Mandalay Red, is a case in point. Although the Parisienne was top-of-the-line in Canada, it shared the smaller oval taillights of the lesser series American born Pontiacs. (You can see pictures of the Bonneville, with its stretched taillights, at my web site at http://www.thefinman.com.)

The ‘59 Pontiacs showed restraint as far as fins went, but other styling changes were dramatic enough. This was the first year for the Pontiac split grill... a design cue which would find its way to many Pontiacs of all chassis and body sizes, for many years to come. This new look further enhanced another new feature of Pontiac for fifty-nine... the ‘Wide Track’ chassis. Pontiac’s marketing team played up this feature big time and for good reason. The track (distance between right and left tire outer sidewalls) was extended a full five inches over the ‘58 models, providing noticeably improved stability in corners and adding to the popular ‘longer, lower, wider’ look of which consumers of the day were simply intoxicated. The sales brochure claimed, “You’ll discover the most beautiful roadability you’ve ever known– in America’s Number 1 Road Car!”

Along with that improved ‘roadability’ came power to match. These beauties also had a beast lurking under that new V contoured hood. All Bonnevilles rolled off the assembly line with a ‘Tempest 420’ V-8 engine. The number 420 referred to the torque rating on the middle model of three offered for the year. All three were based on the 389 cubic inch (that’s a full 6.3 liters for you generation X and Y folks out there), American-made, cast iron engine. All Pontiacs could be had with the new Tempest 420E engine... the ‘E’ standing for ‘economical.’ Available at no additional cost on cars equipped with Hydra-Matic transmission, this engine used state-of-the-art engineering and ran on low octane gas. According to the folks at PMD (Pontiac Motor Division), ‘engineering’s hottest team’ had come up with another ‘great advance in V-8 engine design, which, according to ‘actual road tests,’ provided “the gas mileage of many ‘smaller’ cars with the power and pep of a V-8!” All this was accomplished through a “new balance of carburetor, manifold and camshaft-taxle ratio. I mean with gas approaching thirty cents a gallon, for pity’s sake, who wasn’t interested in saving a gallon or three whenever possible?!? Bonneville buyers who did NOT opt for the penny pinching version of the 389 mill, found a Carter 4-barrel topping the manifold. Those who could give a whit about mileage could choose the Tri-Power equipped 389 which produced 345 horses and insisted on premium fuel.

A Carter four-barrel carburetor topped the high end Bonneville, offering commendable performance for a car of its size. Equipped with the Hydra-Matic transmission, as 99.5% of Bonnevilles were, the engine was configured at a 10.0:1 compression ration (premium fuel only please, thank you very much) and cranked out a respectable 300 horses at 4,600 rpms... enough to keep Pontiac’s newly created performance image in tact. Paired with a new, improved ‘Super Hydra-Matic’ transmission, the new power train provide admirable performance. Pontiacs were star performers on the track, victorious in many stock car races for the year including both the Daytona and Darlington 500 races. Outstanding performance and a totally refreshing new design combined to win Pontiac the prestigious Motor Trend Car of the Year award.

The 1959 Pontiac sales brochure invited you to “custom tailor your Pontiac to your own ideas of performance and convenience. Appearance and convenience accessories were plentiful and included such advanced, high-tech items as the ‘Sportable Transistor Radio, a “full-powered car radio and transistor, battery-operated portable- all in one.” When inserted into the dash, it automatically connected with the car’s electrical system, dash mounted radio and speakers– but when you arrived at the picnic ground, a pull of the attached handle would release a pocket-size, aluminum-cased portable... all for the low price of just $104.00. (You can see a photo of the Sportable Radio on my web site at http://www.thefinman.com. Click on ‘more on this week’s story.)

‘Custom tailoring’ or your new Pontiac was easy when it came to choosing colors as well. The four-door Bonneville Vista hardtop featured on me web site at http://www.thefinman.com, is dressed in Cameo Ivory, one of nineteen exterior colors offered for fifty-nine. (You can also view the entire color chip selection on my web site.) Those of us who remember ‘the good ole days’ recall that interiors were offered in a variety of colors, not the typical gray or tan choices that have become so common in these days of cost cutting. Pontiac offered interior trim in Buccaneer Blue, Sherwood Green, Sunset Glow (a cinnamon red hue), Red, Concord Blue, Copper and yes, Charcoal gray.

Standard fare on all Pontiacs for fifty-nine included electric wipers; dual sun visors; dome lamps; dual headlamps; front and rear ashtrays; coat hooks; dual horns; tubeless tires; directional lamps and instrument panel Snak Bar. Mid level Custom Star Chief added two speed wipers; a deluxe steering wheel; electric clock; loop-pile carpeting and deluxe chrome wheel covers. The prestigious Bonneville upstaged both of the entry level models with the addition of a padded dashboard; door safety reflectors; foam cushions for the back seat courtesy lights and padded passenger assist rails. For your comfort, push-button operated, ‘Circ-L-Aire heater/defroster combination was offered for just $74.00, promising “full-flow air movement throughout the entire interior.” The key element being floor mounted ducts which directed a portion of the warm air beneath the front seat. ‘Circle-Aire conditioning promised year ‘round comfort for those who could afford the extra $355.00 tab.

‘Wonder-Touch Power Brakes’ provided driver confidence for those sudden braking situations, like when Rover darted out in the street to fetch a ball. Ad writers claimed the “new design provides a lighter feel with more positive control... even the most severe stops are smoother, surer, easier than ever before.” Along with that easy touch braking, you might want to add “Wonder Touch” Power Steering. Claimed to be “the safest and easiest power steering system ever developed, it required just one to two pounds of steering effort in normal driving, offering fingertip ease in parking situations while delivering an unsurpassed feel of the road.”

Pontiac pulled out all the stops for their new Wide Track chassis, offering air ride suspension. ‘Ever-Level’ was a $155.00 option that not only absorbed road shock by using air bags at all four corners, but also provided automatic level compensation regardless of the load and automatic ‘lift’ for greater emergency ground clearance. This was a feature normally associated with higher priced luxury marques the likes of Cadillac, Lincoln and Packard. Pontiac’s new ‘Gyro-Level Ride’ went on to further enhance the handling of the new Wide Tracks for fifty-nine by including anti-dive front control arms with the lower arms suspended in rubber for a softer ride. ‘Trailing arm’ rear suspension was designed to eliminate sway and along with other engineering ‘firsts’ such as air-cooled brakes, promised to make Pontiac ‘America’s Number 1 Road Car.

Pontiacs for fifty-nine were cool and powerful... the kind of car which junior could proudly drive to the senior prom and not have to make excuses for. The pillarless hardtops offered superb 360 degree visibility with nary a blind spot in the entire circumference. Open air driving was in vogue back in ‘59 as the vast majority of automobiles did not have air conditioning... after all, that $355.00 option in 1959, equates to $2,687.00 in ‘08 monies.

The base price of a 1959 Bonneville Vista four-door hardtop was $3,333.00. If my story has inspired you to rush out and buy a ‘59 Pontiac in time for the Route 66 Festival, don’t plan on picking one up for anywhere near that figure... unless you’re happy with a ‘parts car.’ According to the Old Cars Price Guide, a Bonneville like the one featured in this week’s column will probably set you back somewhere in the neighborhood of around $20,000 and change. If a two door hardtop is more your cup of tea, expect to spend around $23-25k. Oh, I see, it’s a rag top that interests you. Well, in that case tack on another ten G’s or so.

Total Pontiac production for the model year (all models combined) was 383,320. Calendar year production of just a bit more, placed Pontiac in the number four spot in the industry.

Mark your calendars and join me on the old Chain of Rocks Bridge, Saturday, October 4th to share memories and celebrate the first Route 66 Festival. The event promises ten hours of fun and activities on both the Missouri and Illinois sides of the river. Motorcycles will be on display on the Illinois side as well as food, vendors, four bands and a walk-in movie featuring American Graffiti. The bridge will be lined with classic and collectible automobiles from one end to the other and it’s sure to be a memorable and fun filled day for all. For more information, visit http://www.lconfluencegreenway.org or contact Marc Clemens at mailto:marc@trailnet.org. Tell him you heard about it from The FIN MAN.

Bruce Kunz is available for your group’s special event and is currently booking dates for 2008 and 2009. During his appearances, he presents an overview of the collector car hobby plus a detailed look at American cars from the fifties and sixties. His program includes a Power Point presentation with images of collectible automobiles and various associated nostalgia and Americana. Guests also have the opportunity to play “FINS for FUN” (which inspired his nickname), the video car trivia game Mr. Kunz first produced in 1987, in which players compete for auto related prizes donated by supporting Fin Man sponsors. For more information, click on this link: http://groups.msn.com/the-fin-man/seminaragenda.msnw.

Bruce Kunz is a member of the Society of Automotive Historians, the St. Louis Chapter of the Buick Club of America and the Monte Carlo Owners Association of America. He welcomes your comments and suggestions. To e-mail him, click here > mailto:the_fin_man@msn.com.