Our June feature car belongs to a member who resides in Switzerland. Roman (aka Laurent63) is the new caretaker to this rare 1963 Pontiac Laurentian. He has a good solid base to start with and minimal restoration is needed. Roman and his wife are excited to find out more about the history of this Laurentian and to get their hands dirty learning how to work on a classic car. Congratulations to both of them on their purchase and I'm sure our great members will be more than helpful with any questions or parts they may need going forward. Now here's Roman with more details:
"This is my Pontiac Laurentian 2 door sedan. The dream to own a car like this came true for me and my wife. We always wanted to cruise the Swiss country roads in a classic car and let our minds wander.
We have been fascinated by US classic cars for many years.
In our area there is a classic car club called "Friday Night Cruisers" which organizes a big meeting once a year.
Since we know a few of the members personally, it is only logical that one of these members made us aware of the Pontiac Laurentian.
The advertisement he showed us didn't say very much about the Laurentian:
- 1963 Pontiac Laurentian
- V8
- Inspection of the road traffic office passed two weeks ago
- inexpensive
+ a few pictures
I was immediately fascinated by this car but I had never heard of a Pontiac named Laurentian.
I found out very quickly that it is a Canadian model. Now I really wanted to see this car!
I showed the ad to my wife and on the same day I contacted the seller to arrange a viewing.
Before the viewing we had a week to find out about these Canadian Pontiacs. I was mainly looking for technical data on the Laurentian models. I was interested in engines, equipment and options. My wife was looking for general information on Canadian Pontiacs and pictures of other Laurentians.
We also got a lot of valuable tips from the colleague who showed us the ad eg: What to look for when viewing.
We were well prepared!
When we saw the car live for the first time it was already clear to me that I wanted it if we didn't find any serious defects.
My wife was skeptical at the beginning but after the viewing she felt the same as me. All we found were mostly age-related blemishes.
The one bump on the side of the rear and the almost certainly non-original paintwork are manageable for us.
After the test drive that followed there was no longer any reason not to buy the car.
We didn't pick it up until a week later because it rained every day.
We used these rainy days again to collect information, but this time only information that pertained to our model.
We also had to look for a garage so the Laurentian didn't have to be outside.
I tried to decode the VIN somehow but all attempts at online decoders failed. A little frustrated I kept looking and found the crucial hint here in the forum that you should contact GM Vintage Vehicle Service or Heritage Center to decode the VIN.
I contacted VVS and the GM Heritage Center at the same time. I was a bit surprised at the response from GM. They referred me to VVS with my concern.
I ordered the data from VVS by post and email and couldn't wait to read it.
The day of departure was approaching and according to the weather report the sun should shine on this day finally after two weeks of rain!
Fortunately we also found a garage space.
The weather was beautiful when we picked up the Laurentian.
Unfortunately I had to drive my wife there by car. So only one of us could cruise home in the Pontiac.
I left this honor to my wife. The journey took a little over an hour. Our Pontiac Laurentian was driven to it's new home without any problems.
We are very proud of our Canadian pearl.
Here is some information about the car:
- Model: 7611 Pontiac Laurentian V8 2 door sedan
- Engine: 8cyl 283cui 195HP
- Transmission: Automatic Two-Speed Powerglide
- Color: P Azure Aqua Metallic
- Trim: 909 - Med. Aqua Cloth & Med. / Light Aqua Vinyl
- Production location: Oshawa, Ontario
- Production date: May 16, 1963
- Delivery date: May 16, 1963
- First dealer: Rumble Pontiac Ltd. , Toronto, Ontario
- Production number: 1063
We don't know very much about the history of our Pontiac.
- 1963 to 2017: unknown
- 2017: import to Great Britain
- 2018: import to Switzerland
- 2018 to today: 4 different owners
We will certainly try to fill the big gap beween 1963 and 2017.
Since we are completely new to the restoration of cars and we still have too little knowledge of automotive technology our Pontiac Laurention is also a project to further educate us.
We want to do as much as possible ourselves i.e. learning by doing with the support of many nice people who are familiar with it.
For example adjusting the carburetor yourself or removing small rust spots in the paint yourself are something new for us that we want to learn.
The car is currently the way we bought it.
But we have already started the "seat covers" project. We've been looking for covers, and getting offers from car upholstery, etc. Soon we will also renew the battery cables, carefully polish the paint and try to adjust the carburetor better.
The car will never look perfect. Our goal is for it to stay on the road for many years to come so that we can cruise with it for as long as possible and not lose a piece of automotive history.
We are also becoming more and more aware that thanks to a little luck we were able to get hold of an apparently rare vehicle that we want to take care of.
Finally we would like to thank our colleague from the bottom of our hearts who showed us the ad and who is of great help to us with his advice.
And we would like to thank you dear Canadian Ponchos for your help and the honorable nomination for the Feature Car for the month of June."
Have never seen another 63 Laurentian 2 door post and this looks in very good shape, congratulations on being the June car of the month and on being such proud owners. Driving the car will create a lot of smiles for you and everyone who sees the car.
Don
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63 Parisienne sport coupe (The Big GTO), black, maroon interior, 409 4 speed; former owner of a 59 El Camino, 63 Corvette SWC, 62 Chev Bel Air SC. 1963- Pontiac top selling car in Canada
Mahone Bay, NS Still not old enough to need an automatic
Such an excellent car and for me it was sold at my local dealership, Rumble, same place that my Pontiac is from. The dealership was in the Town of Leaside and was quite well known in Toronto, Leaside is part of Toronto and was an middle class to upper middle class area. It was home to a number of well known companies, REO and Durant cars and trucks, Canada Wire Phillips Electronics, Coca Cola, Corning. Today it is a rather affluent part of Toronto and the dealership is no longer there. Rumble had quite a fleet business and I wonder if this car was a fleet car for some salesman to use.
Welcome to our world of really cool old cars.
Judging by the pics, any of the broken or missing parts will be surely be found here amonst the membership.
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
And special thanks to Todd for being nominated for the Feature Car and for the great article about our car.
It's a great honor for my wife and me.
@DonSSDD
I wonder if I'll ever see a Canadian poncho live here in Switzerland. Maybe we will see some when classic car events take place again after Corona. We always smile when we drive the Laurentian. People often wave to us or they give us a thumbs up.
@ 73SC
I read here in the forum that Rumble no longer exists. I was hoping to get more information about our car from Rumble. Unfortunately this is no longer possible.
@dcneric
Exactly, that's why the Laurentian suits us perfectly. We can drive it without having to invest a lot of time and money in the restoration first.
@Poconova
Thanks. that's very nice of you. I will certainly report here in the forum if I am looking for something.
Best I can do is say keep an eye out for a 63 corvette split window coupe, red with black interior, power windows, which was a rare option. It sold new in montreal.
The guy I sold it to had another one, maybe blue or silver? Plus a 1967 (or 66?) dark green Corvette, tan interior, convertible. He sold my car to a friend.
63 Parisienne sport coupe (The Big GTO), black, maroon interior, 409 4 speed; former owner of a 59 El Camino, 63 Corvette SWC, 62 Chev Bel Air SC. 1963- Pontiac top selling car in Canada
Mahone Bay, NS Still not old enough to need an automatic
Congratulations on the purchase and on being our June feature car. Beautiful colour and the 283 engine will last forever. You and your wife have a winner there.
Brian
Interesting that there were "4" owners since 2018 in Switzerland alone after a pit stop in the UK! This Laurentian has wordly experience but it sounds like the 63 has found another "long term" home in beautiful Switzerland!
The fact that the simple post car survived is probably owed to the fact it travelled away being something special. Most in Canada just dissolved from use.
To me these models really represent what used to be a simple and practical Canada, and they always mean more to me than the deluxe or popular stuff.
Congrats on your sweet 63 being a feature car!
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65 Laurentian post, 67 Grande Parisienne 4 door HT.
Wow two red beauties in your picture. The Corvette is cool but this El Camino is hot as hell! but back to the Corvette. do you know in which region of switzerland the car is? in any case, I'll keep my eyes open. If I ever see "your" Corvette, you will get a photo.
@ 68 Grande
Of these four owners, one is an importer and one is a car dealer. I think the car went from the importer to the car dealer and then to the previous owner at the end of 2018. But that has not yet been confirmed.
@cdnpont
Interesting what you say. I haven't looked at it that way because I haven't had any real connection to Canada (apart from sports on TV .
What a beauty, the classic stacked Pontiac headlights too! Congrats on owning a little piece of Canadiana and a worthy addition to the top of the page for the month! Enjoy cruising!
Wow two red beauties in your picture. The Corvette is cool but this El Camino is hot as hell! but back to the Corvette. do you know in which region of switzerland the car is? in any case, I'll keep my eyes open. If I ever see "your" Corvette, you will get a photo.
@ 68 Grande
Of these four owners, one is an importer and one is a car dealer. I think the car went from the importer to the car dealer and then to the previous owner at the end of 2018. But that has not yet been confirmed.
@cdnpont
Interesting what you say. I haven't looked at it that way because I haven't had any real connection to Canada (apart from sports on TV .
@ Magician40, Brendan and Leo2 + 2
Thank you for the congratulations.
I havent found the address for the vette, lost in my recent move.
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63 Parisienne sport coupe (The Big GTO), black, maroon interior, 409 4 speed; former owner of a 59 El Camino, 63 Corvette SWC, 62 Chev Bel Air SC. 1963- Pontiac top selling car in Canada
Mahone Bay, NS Still not old enough to need an automatic