Vintage Nostalgia
The 1949 Pontiac Chieftain “A knockout”
Named for the Ottawa chief and produced in the town of Pontiac Michigan, the Pontiac Chieftain was produced from 1949-1955,
Described as the “cream of the crop” of GM ‘s offerings, the 1949 style was the first totally different car from the postwar and not a prewar design with slight alterations.
Had the design of the Chieftain not been a knockout, Pontiac would have been in big, big trouble in the coming decade.
It was a knockout design with its origins focusing on aerodynamic design to generate less drag through the air. Its aerodynamic design made the car much faster at speed very stable with little wind buffeting. The Chieftain was the start of something big for Pontiac and the design paved the way for the exciting Pontiac muscle cars of the 1960’s.
The cost for the “Chief” in 1949 was between $1800-$2500, the hydramatic (automatic) transmission was a $185 upgrade. It came with an in line 8 cylinder engine with dual carbs as well.
Hailed as a driver for a 100,000 miles “ the Pontiac Chieftain of 1949 was designed by the team headed by Herman Kaiser and featured body cues of a lower body line and the rear end styling being incorporated into the body . Chrome everywhere!
The 1949 also changed the driving public’s preconception of the Pontiac as a middle aged drivers car and went after the young returning soldiers. Sleek, chromed and sexy.
These returning soldiers, known in the countries they defended as “over sexed , over paid and over here” had survived a world war and the mood of the country had changed. They created the huge Baby Boom Generation (Likely in the huge back seat of the Chieftain). Their youth and enthusiasm powered the USA to super power status. They were buying! Truly the “Greatest Generation.
If you would like to experience this game changer of a car, contact us for a drive, tour, wine trip or anything you want . You may also catch a small glimpse of her in the upcoming Film Summer of Snakes.
The “Beauty Winner” 1936 Dodge Brothers touring car
Named the “Beauty Winner”by the Dodge company, the 1936 Dodge made significant changes compared to the 1935 car.
This 4 door showed a roomier interior with chair height seats , rounder convex radiator grills, chrome striping along the hood and more aerodynamic lights. The suspension was improved and the headlights were upgraded for safer night time driving.
Dodge continued the 1935 217 cid 6 cylinder engine which was rated at a whopping 87 hp. This Beauty was a winner! Priced from $640 .
Sounds quite affordable to us in 2020 right! Consider that the average annual salary was $1713.00, the average cost of a new home was $3295.00 and monthly rent was $24.00.
This “Beauty Winner” was not a cheap car. The 1936 Willys was the low price leader at $395.
In 1936, The world was struggling to come out of the Great Depression, unemployment still remained at 16%, Germany hosted the XI th Olympic Games, the rights to the games were won in 1931 before Hitler rose to power . Berlin wrestled the right to host from Barcelona, to which Spain boycotted the games.
Hitler wanted to forbid any country that was not of Aryan decent from participating. Faced with the threat that every country would boycott, he backed down.
Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals in track and field, besting the Germans who managed the bronze medals. Hitler was not pleased and refused to shake Jesse Owens hand.
Other events in 1936 included the inaugural sailing of the Queen Mary, the Hoover dam was completed and King Edward VIII abdicated the British throne to marry the twice divorced American ,Wallis Simpson .
Call or message Us at Vintage Car Tours Los Angeles to book this lovely old “Beauty Winner”.
Our services include customized Los Angeles-Santa Barbara Tours, wine tasting in the stunning Ojai Valley, transportation for weddings events and photo shoots.
All of our cars are rented with a chauffeur and options to add on are individualized.
