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Post Info TOPIC: Can someone give a good explanation of the Autopact


Canadian Poncho Superstar!

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Can someone give a good explanation of the Autopact


I know the autopact came in in 1965,  so the beaumont and acadian was created before that due to high tariffs on US cars being brought up to canada.  But can someone explain how it all worked between 1965 and 1971.     Because acadian and beaumont production carried on long after the 1965 pact.  I think auto parts have something to do with it.



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Beaumontguru

MY BEAUMONT HAS 4 STUDDED TIRES AND 2 BLOCKHEATERS......AND LOTS OF OIL UNDERNEATH.  The other one has a longer roof.

NOS


Poncho Master!

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Firstly I am far from being an expert. The Auto Pack was designed  to eliminate trade duties between Canada and the US, now known as Free Trade.. I don't believe Mexico was initially a member  ? Automobiles and parts  duties were to be eliminated over 5 years 1964-69. This made 1969 as the duty free year. As the  duties reduced you begin to see more US built cars such as GTO's , Skylarks'  and other US built  lower volume cars. Also Canada was able to increase production which helped to reduce costs as. more cars and parts were made. It also opened the  door to   the commonwealth for US sales as they were heavily taxed in these countries. They could export thru Canada.

 

Dale

 

 



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Canadian Poncho Superstar!

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I agree with Dale's synopsis. The Auto Pact was phased in over time. Production was already committed by the carmakers and they would need a little time to adjust. It lead to a dropping of the A51 Sports Option Malibu SS & Sport Deluxe after the 1st quarter of '67 production & adding the Chevelle SS396 & SD396 Sport Deluxe models, plus buckets & console as freestanding options. I can also add that basically for every car built in the U.S. & sold new in Canada, one had to be built in Canada & shipped to the U.S. Initially the new  Ste. Therese, Quebec plant built U.S. spec Chevies exclusively for export to the U.S. starting with the 1966 models. They were painted in lacquer with black firewalls & spatter paint trunks and carried a "6" alongside the paint code. Meanwhile Oshawa used enamel paint through the 1968 models, with body coloured firewall & trunk, and a "9" alongside the paint code.

Starting with the '69 models, Pontiac brought in the GTO as a mainstream offering. With luxury & performance image preceding it, the car was expensive to buy & insure and was for the well-heeled Doctor. Enter the 1969 Beaumont SD-396. Available only on base cars with cheap seats & rubber flooring, it was GM Canada's answer to a cheap affordable performance car to compete with the Road Runner, Super Bee, and now Torino Cobra & even the 300-Deluxe SS396. 1969 marked the start of GM Canada offering numerous axle ratios as offered in the U.S, not the assigned ratio as generally it had been in Canada up to then. The Beaumont wasn't to last, as the Le Mans would start to roll off the line in Oshawa for 1970. If your car didn't have any special need to come from the U.S. & was running a 350, you would get a Chevrolet 350 with a Pontiac 350 decal on the air cleaner. Back then the basic question when buying a battery or parts was, "Orange block or blue block?" As in Chevy or Pontiac power.



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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



A Poncho Legend!

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Some interesting info there Cam.

So Ste Therese at the start built cars only for the US market? And I have always wondered why we had body colour trunk/firewall when they had black. I just can't think of a good reason for it!

Also, If you ordered a 70 Lemans with a 350, you didn't know what you'd get until the car arrived and you opened the hood?

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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

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