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 big Ponchos from Canada - 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.
(I've posted on the Beaumont page too)
Otherwise, this is my understanding:
No L72 427 cars were built - the top engine was the L36, which was rated at 385-390 depending on the year.
The 2+2 was more like the American 1964 Pontiac 2+2 - a buckets/console package or trim level - than a performance model like Americans had in 1965-57. Not sure of the first year, but the last was 1970.
Sound good so far?
So was there any hi-po marketing behind these cars back in the day? Thanks!
Looks pretty good. I can say that in fact the L-72 was offered in 1966 only for both Canadian full-size Chevrolets & Pontiacs. It also looks as though no 396s made it to the Canadian-built Chevrolets or Canadian Pontiacs for 1965; rather they used up the 409s until the well ran dry. Since they merely trickled off the line, they managed to reach the 1965 build-out offering the 409s.
Something else I had seen in an old 1981 article on Canadian Pontiacs that erroniously stated that the Custom Sport was gone from the 1966 Canadian Pontiac line. What actually happened was that on both the Canadian full-size Chevrolet & Pontiac lines they offered the "Sports Option" that would turn an Impala into an Impala SS and a Parisienne into a Parisienne Custom Sport. Weird huh? For 1967 the Impala SS became its own series again (for the last time), as did the 2+2 Pontiac. Also they did not offer the specific Impala SS427 (Z24) package for Canada in 67 although you could get a regular Impala SS with an option L36 427. Curiously enough they actually did build a few 1967 Z24 Impalas in Ste. Therese, Quebec for export to the U.S. market. For 1968 & 69 they did offer the Canadian-built Impala SS427. For 1970 they dropped the SS and the bucket / console availability from full-size Chevies, but the Canadian 2+2 continued with buckets that one last time.
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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
One real interesting tidbit you may want to include is in regard to 66 Acadians in Canada.
In the US, the Nova's came with a 153 CI 4 cylinder, 194 CI 6 cylinder, 283 CI 2 bbl 195 horse or 4 bbl 220 horse, 327 CI 275 horse or the 327 CI 350 horse L79 option. 6 engines to choose from, a broad selection.
In Canada, the Acadian came with the 194 6 cylinder, 283 2 bbl 195 horse, or the king of the hill 327-350 horse L79. Basically you could order small, medium or large, non of this multi choices like the US!
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
For some reason, I thought it started earlier, but I was mistaken.
The closest we had earlier on was the Custom Sport which is kind of the equivalent with the buckets and console, special exterior trim. I think GM saw it that way too because we never had a year where we could choose between Custom Sport or 2+2.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
Hi, folks, you may have some deja vu with this thread....book is out and available.
Alas, shipping for Canadians is quite expensive.
Your best bet is to check out Amazon.ca, but if you want a signed copy from me, I think I found a way around that:
eBay!
If you're familiar with the Global Shipping Program, foreigners only pay U.S. shipping charges; it''s sent to a depot in KY, then eBay handles the rest across the border.
I set up a website:
www.sellingmuscle.net
Canadian cars are featured, including a '65 Beaumont SD L79, '66 Acadian, a '67 SD 396, and '67 Cheetah. Also discussed is the Firebird Comanche.
If you think you'd like a signed copy, I'll consider the eBay avenue if there's enough demand. You can email me at diego at sellingmuscle dot net.
Otherwise, I appreciate everyone's help in trying to assist me in getting the info correct.
