Glory Days by CoreyBlack
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Description
"We Build Excitement! PONTIAC! "
Now I guess we can say that they built excitement...
True Pontiac obsessives, myself included, like everything the brand ever made (with the possible exception of the Aztek; I'm still scratching my head over that one), but even the most diehard among us will concede that marques "glory days" were roughly 1959 to 1972. The American public obviously agreed because during much of this period Pontiac was the 3rd best selling domestic nameplate behind volume leaders Chevrolet and Ford. Was it the aggressively sporty movie star good looks? The undeniable high performance street cred? The perception of "step up" quality and value for only a little more money than a Chevrolet? Or maybe it was the famous Wide Track suspension that pushed the wheels out flush with the bodywork and gave the cars an impressive bearing (as opposed to the tucked in tires of the period that made the other cars look like football players on ice skates)? Whatever the cause, it was a winning combination that sold a lot of cars.
Pontiac (like the rest of the American auto industry)began to stumble in the rapidly changing 1970s, and was eventually put out to pasture in 2009. But that's a sad story for another time...
The car in this picture, a 1965 LeMans Sport Coupe, is good example of the height of Pontiac's glory days. I found it being restored in an auto repair shop in the Sauganash area of Chicago on April 3, 2011.
Comments (16)
kgb224
Stunning capture my friend.
Chipka
I see these and think: Land Shark. With Chevy Chase's voice nonetheless. I like the black and white feel of this shot, despite the fact that it's in color. Really well seen and I love the "don't show the whole car" POV. Really nice work here.
annie5
!950 to 1970 was the most beautiful cars! Great capture, Corey :)
Bothellite
Agreed. I always thought that they had elegant down pat without being gaudy. Then there was TV Tommy Ivo's four pontiac engine all wheel drive dragster.. ;P
danapommet
It is a classic and this end looks great. Super find and capture. Dana
pauljs75
Aztek bad? Don't forget the Phoenix... Oh wait, you do want to forget that one. ;) (Essentially a Citation, but somehow with 1/4 the build quality.) They also goofed a bit with the G6, since it wasn't quite a Grand Am replacement (too big, not as nimble) and not quite a Gran Prix (too small, and not as powerful) either. Splitting the middle of successful lines with something lacking their good traits wasn't the best idea. The Oprah promo wasn't going to fix that. And the G4/G5 was a worse job of badge engineering than the Sunbird or Sunfire ever was. (At least those were actually distinctive enough from their Cavalier siblings.) The minivans/SUVs weren't bad, but for me they just never fit the brand image. It diluted the whole sporty car history. At least they saved some of the best for last. Solstice and G8 were pretty tight. Real shame they dumped the platforms too, because they look better than anything stock rolling under Chevy or Buick badge now and are unique compared to what other companies offered. The Aussie GTOs weren't bad either, but not quite iconic as the originals. And I sort of favor the last gen Grand Am. (Is it because I've got one? Probably. And it runs pretty good considering how little I put into it.)
bmac62
Nicely done Corey...you are right-on about Pontiac's glory days. A Bonneville convertible did it all for me in 1968. Great crop and POV here.
auntietk
Great pov, and a wonderful photo! In theory, I'd love to see you and Bill meet in person. In practice, however, I think I'd need to find something else to do for the duration ... I'd lose my husband and my friend to each other, and would never get to speak with either of you ever again! LOL!
beachzz
Oh yeah, Pontiac had it. My fave----the 65 GTO, omg, what a car!!!
blinkings
Ooooh great shot my friend. The Astek was cool............if you like the look a Prius thats been beaten around the head with an ugly stick!
durleybeachbum
I can't get as excited as you about vehicles, but this is a great compo.
jeanebean
Great shot Corey. Nice POV. Like your comment too. Pontiac was always my favorite. They were never like any other car. Liked that deep throated engine sound.
Sea_Dog
Well done. Those old Le Mans were big in their day.
flavia49
wonderful detail of a marvelous car!
sandra46
SO BEAUTIFUL!
KateBlack10
Awesome shot Corey - I love this car and I as you know I am a Pontiac fan of the highest order - especially the GTO 66, 67 and 69. Great upclose shot of a gorgeous piece of automotive sculpture