Hi . . . I've been commissioned to write a book on marketing during the hi-po era. I've created a page on Facebook for this project:
https://www.facebook.com/sellingmuscle
I'm nearing completion, but I thought I'd try to squeeze in a sidebar on Canadian performance cars.
I have decent familiarity with Beaumonts - probably more than some Canadians (except for this site) - but I wanted to chat with real enthusiasts to make sure I address things correctly.
I realize there are brochures and ads out there, but if there's something I should be made aware of that would be a nice complement to the book, I would be interested in hearing about it.
(And, yes, I know about the Cheetah, but it's more of a dealer-prepped vehicle and not quite something that was marketing-related.)
Otherwise, this is my understanding:
The 1964 Beaumont was actually an Acadian Beaumont. In 1965, it was spun off from the Acadian line as its own model.
Starting in 1965, there was an L79 Beaumont. This engine was also available in 1967-68.
The SD was initially a trim level, but starting in 1966 there was a Beaumont SD 396 with 360 hp tops (no L78 ever in Canada).
There also was a Malibu SS available in Canada without the 396, unlike the US where there was only the SS 396.
From 1967-69, the top SD 396 engine was 350 hp.
Sound good so far?
So was there any hi-po marketing behind these cars back in the day? Thanks!
-- Edited by Diego on Friday 24th of July 2015 04:55:04 PM
Mostly good. The L-79 was offered on the Acadian Beaumont & Canadian Chevelles in 1965 only, then on Acadians & Canadian Chevy II models for 1966 only. It was dropped from Canadian production after that.
I'll take a closer look when I get a chance and see if there is anything I can contribute. I don't "do" Facebook though.
__________________
67 Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe, Oshawa-built 250 PG never disturbed.
In garage, 296 cid inline six & TH350...
Cam, Toronto.
I don't judge a man by how far he's fallen, but by how far back he bounces - Patton
I don't think you need to "do" Facebook in order to view the page.
Anyway, I am unaware of any hi-po marketing of Beaumonts beyond the "This is the car we have to sell, and we want you to buy it," so if you think of something, I would be very appreciative. Perhaps there was nothing and it all was piggybacking on the American marketing efforts.
I don't think there was a real push on the performance models other than mentioning the highest horsepower available.
One thing I do think though, was for 1969 when the GTO officially came into the fold in Canada it merely piggybacked on the strength of the existing U.S. GTO advertising. Meanwhile the Beaumont SD396 was offered only on the base-level Beaumonts for 1969, most certainly because of the low-cost Plymouth Road Runner.
__________________
67 Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe, Oshawa-built 250 PG never disturbed.
In garage, 296 cid inline six & TH350...
Cam, Toronto.
I don't judge a man by how far he's fallen, but by how far back he bounces - Patton
Mostly good. The L-79 was offered on the Acadian Beaumont & Canadian Chevelles in 1965 only, then on Acadians & Canadian Chevy II models for 1966 only. It was dropped from Canadian production after that.
I'll take a closer look when I get a chance and see if there is anything I can contribute. I don't "do" Facebook though.
Pretty sure the L 79 was available in 66/67 Chevelles. No proof, just going on recollection.
Mostly good. The L-79 was offered on the Acadian Beaumont & Canadian Chevelles in 1965 only, then on Acadians & Canadian Chevy II models for 1966 only. It was dropped from Canadian production after that.
I'll take a closer look when I get a chance and see if there is anything I can contribute. I don't "do" Facebook though.
Pretty sure the L 79 was available in 66/67 Chevelles. No proof, just going on recollection.
Yup on the 67s, but not Canadian-built ones. 66 Chevelles though, nope no matter which plant built them.
__________________
67 Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe, Oshawa-built 250 PG never disturbed.
In garage, 296 cid inline six & TH350...
Cam, Toronto.
I don't judge a man by how far he's fallen, but by how far back he bounces - Patton
The 1963 Acadian Beaumont Sport Deluxe isn't really a high-performance car, though, correct?
The purpose is to give an overview of performance cars across the pond. It's not going to have its own chapter devoted to the intricacies of Canadian production.
Could you explain more about the promotion on the '67 SD for the Canadian Confederation (which I'm assuming was like our Bicentennial, but a different anniversary)?
You say in 1965 the Beaumont became it's own marquee and in 64 the Beaumont was
just Acadian Beaumont. The 64 was the first year the car went from compact to midsize that included the sport deluxe and custom models. 65 was a continuation of the 64. The 65 was the lowest production year due to slow sales of the new 64 and left over 64s. The Beaumont was never marketed as a high performance vehicle. Beaumont was promoted as a affordable entry level luxury car.
Someone already corrected me and said the first year the mid-sizer lost the Acadian name was in 1966.
To your other point, the Beaumont Sport Deluxe 396 indeed was a high-performance machine, and I am curious if there was any push from GM to promote it in a certain way. For example, Mercury's Atlanta zone batch-ordered around 150 Cyclones, all in one of two colors, all with different engines, all rebranded "Cyclone 500." For years, some Mercury folks have been stumbling upon these cars but had no answers because the factory never made the Cyclone 500, but here was this car with "500" badges, and other people have found the same thing too! But now we know about the promotion that was centered around Atlanta with border states participating as well. Buyers won tickets to the Atlanta 500, got to meet some drivers, were feted in other ways, and then got to drive their car around the track - where all 150 were parked from 6 am till the beginning of the race in the afternoon.
*That's* marketing.
But so is having a "Performance Corner" in the dealership. Getting buyers to start a car club with other owners of a similar car. Etc.
Maybe something also was done by GM of Canada? I dunno.
If you want to get nit-picky, from my POV I don't consider it a sedan. The GM A-bodies all had the same roofline as the hardtops, and that doesn't scream "sedan" to me. Sometimes it's just a marketing thing!
In any case, GM called the '69 Beaumont a "thin-pillar coupe."
If you want to get nit-picky, from my POV I don't consider it a sedan. The GM A-bodies all had the same roofline as the hardtops, and that doesn't scream "sedan" to me. Sometimes it's just a marketing thing!
In any case, GM called the '69 Beaumont a "thin-pillar coupe."
Well, like I indicated before, the Beaumont post coupe is called "thin-pillar coupe" in 1969.
And if you notice in the 1967 link you posted, the roofline of the '67 post coupe is different than the hardtop's, which is why it's more properly called a "sedan."
Not Beaumont related, but are you familiar with the Canadian only early 1968 Chevrolet full size cars with 427 engines that had red front side marker lights rather than the mandated amber??
Thanks
Randy
-- Edited by GLHS60 on Tuesday 28th of July 2015 12:16:16 PM
I'm not a Chevy guy, but on the American ones, I know some people think a red overlay was used and then they changed it. One person Ive seen even thought the red was only used on L72 cars!
But I think the general consensus was that the red overlay was just an overlay that has aged, and that no running change was done to them.
But it seems like you're talking about the lens itself, right? I don't think amber was mandated in 1968 - most of the ones I've seen are white, no? Mandated in the US, though, as I don't know what Canada law was suggesting.
-- Edited by Diego on Tuesday 28th of July 2015 12:20:58 PM
The side marker light law was to take effect Jan, 1, 1968 and mandated amber front and red rear. The amber front was sometimes just an amber bulb in a clear lens and was used so others could determine which end of the car was the front at night. On the 1968 Chevys the engine size was always on a black background but on the Canadian only 427 cars, the 427 had a reflective red back ground. All 1968 Chevys adhered to the law even though it really didn't take effect Jan, 1, but somehow, Canadian only 427 cars had the unique red reflective back ground.
I should clarify its not actually the marker lens but the red reflective insert behind the 427 numbers, not the black as on every other engine size, including U.S. 427's. All early Canadian 427's had the red reflective background but it was eventually phased out. It has been surmised that U.S. 427 Chevys were to use the red but as they would not be in the spirit if the law they sent them to Canada to use them up! If the enclosed picture shows you might see the 427 set in red reflective. Sometimes people painted it red but its not reflective as in the Canadian cars.
My point is none of the brochures use the word "post".
Manufactures never use the term "post" but generic publications sometimes do.
Thanks Randy
To my memory, the term "post" has only seemed to come into common use over past 15 years or so. I recall when I first got into this hobby I never heard that term. I did often hear "hardtop" to refer to any car that had a roof, but not "post" so much.
