This is the 1953 Motorama Show Car, Pontiac Parisienne. It features an open front landau style roof.
The Parisienne was created to market test a romantic concept. Built like the old town cars of the 1930s and featured front seats the moved back a foot to allow for easy entrance. With a black exterior and a pink interior it still is a very striking model. This car was ordered destroyed in the late fifties. It was discovered during the 1980s in a New Jersey junkyard and restored.
From L to R: 54 Strato Streak, 56 Club de mer, 61 XP 758 Scorpion, 64 Grand Prix X400, 66 XP 798.
-- Edited by 73SC at 09:25, 2008-04-04
I've seen the Parisienne in real life at POCI. Also one of the two Bonneville concept cars, and the Banshee. I LOVE it when Pontiac brings that kind of stuff to the show.
Seems to me that the Parisienne and Bonneville are owned by Joe Bortz in Chicago, right?
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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
I've seen the Parisienne in real life at POCI. Also one of the two Bonneville concept cars, and the Banshee. I LOVE it when Pontiac brings that kind of stuff to the show.
Are these the ones? Seems like Pontiac stylists designed cars for other Divisions , not sure of internal politics inside GM but these two are Corvettes as far as I can tell, 54 Bonneville and 64 Banshee....
Here's the 54 in colour .I seen this one at R&M Shop after they restored it.just before they ship it to the owners place They said there where only two left this one and a white one.
Here's the 54 in colour .I seen this one at R&M Shop after they restored it.just before they ship it to the owners place They said there where only two left this one and a white one.
Hey, weren't these styling cars ordered destroyed ?
Nope, some are labelled not roadworthy... but GM has a lot of concept cars in their possession but they do sell quite a bit of their collection off because it is so extensive. they have sold off some really nice cars...
1960 Pontiac Strato Chief Safari 1960 Laurentian Safari 1960 Laurentian 4door(scrapped) 2001 Grand Am Traded on a '96 Suburban 2WD 2002 Hyundai Accent(SOLD) 1968 Grand Parisienne Scrapped and SOLD
I know where there are a few Ford concept cars in the Detroit area that are owned by the son of a restaurant owner where Henry Ford used to have lunch all the time. Ford used to take the concept cars to the diner for a ride to show the owner and his son. Apparantely Ford was a big fan of Armanian style food.
We meet this guy at the 50th anniversary of the 56 Chev at the GM tech centre in Michigian. He drove up in a concept Ford pickup truck convertible. I struck up a conversation with him while looking at a 56 convertiable and he ended up hanging around with us for the day. He owns a 56 Ford gull wing door car that was used in a movie from the 50's starring Jack Lemmon.
He offered to show us his collection when we are in the Detroit area again. I have his business card and his cell phone number to make an appointment.
As they would say back in that day, "Top drawer Wally!" What a PIP! A lot of the concept cars we've seen from time to time on here REALLY makes me wish they'd have produced SOME of them. Pretty futuristic looking stuff given the era. Of course I'M up for ANYTHING convertible!
No, I haven't been to Woodward but I would be willing to try and arrange a tour or showing for a group of guys. I will call him this week and let you know. I haven't talk to him in a while so it is about time I make contact with him again. One thing I do remember him talking about is one Armanian dish Henry Ford really liked I think it was called Bach a la or something like that. Are there anybody on here with some Armanian heritage who knows what this food is?
, not sure of internal politics inside GM but these two are Corvettes as far as I can tell, 54 Bonneville and 64 Banshee....
