I have to quickly jump in and say that 65 was the pinnacle of styling both exterior and interior( thought I'd better do that before someone else tries to say that they then improved it even more in 66 )
I have to quickly jump in and say that 65 was the pinnacle of styling both exterior and interior( thought I'd better do that before someone else tries to say that they then improved it even more in 66 )
Now who would say something like that.....
But you are so close to correct, they had it almost perfect in 65 and just had to do some finishing touches to hit the home run the following year.
__________________
1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
Pontiac hit many home runs, but not all in the same year in my opinion. GTO? '67 for me. Parisienne? '65 hands down (sorry Carl) Beaumont? '66/'67 tied. Acadian? '69.
I read the complete article and it was a very good read especially the history of the rebirth of Pontiac. From 1957 into the sixties it was save Pontiac or die Pontiac. The team that saved Pontiac under Bunkie Knudson, Pete Estes, John Deloren and others did such an amazing job as of 1957. That Pontiac became number three in sales after Chevrolet and Ford. A major success story and for that reason it is so hard to believe that Pontiac is gone now.
__________________
1957 Pontiac Pathfinder Deluxe sedan restored 261 six
1974 Chevrolet Caprice Estate wagon low mileage original 400 V-8
I have to quickly jump in and say that 65 was the pinnacle of styling both exterior and interior( thought I'd better do that before someone else tries to say that they then improved it even more in 66 )
agree, I'm from that era and it was pretty much a 2 year cycle for styling during the sixties...
off hand I can't think of any 2nd year face lifts that were an improvement but then styling is subjective and it's just my opinion
They did have some questionable choices, like the Vega, Mustang II, Volare and Omni, but they had some good ones as well, like the '66 Toronado, the '67 Cougar, the '68 GTO, and the '69 Road Runner. Problem is, once you got up into the 1970s, there were some real dogs for sale as the US auto industry was in turmoil and transition.
I once read a post from a guy on another messageboard who worked for Pontiac back in the day. He said internally in GM, that Motor Trend was known as "Motor Friend"....
Regarding '65 vs '66 Pontiacs, I have to say that my preference is for the '65. Overall, however I like the '67/'68 full size GMs better across the board. The styling is just that much more fluid, especially the fastback models where the roofline gracefully transitions into the trunk. It's all about personal preferences, though, and perhaps what we own or have owned...