The Pontiac Pathfinder was an entry-level full sized car[1] or station wagon[2] that was based on the Chevrolet marque, another General Motors brand. The Pathfinder was built and sold in Canada, and never sold in the United States. The Chevrolet chassis, engine, and body panels were used, but most of the distinctive Pontiac styling parts for each model year were incorporated. This resulted in shorter front and rear fenders than on U.S. built Pontiacs and Canadian specific wheels and hubcaps. Interior trim was often unique to the Pathfinder. The last Pathfinders were built in 1958 as Pontiac's (Canada) base model. Body styles included a sedan delivery which was Pontiac's last full-size sedan delivery, two-door coupes, four-door sedans, and a station wagon model. The Canadian built Pontiac sedan delivery was available only during the 1954 through 1958 model years since the sedan delivery was not sold in the U.S. after 1953.
1957 Pontiac Pathfinder
The entry-level Canadian Pontiac models, from 1946 through 1953, used the shorter Chevrolet wheelbase. The 1953 Pontiac Pathfinder De Luxe features all of the chrome bumpers and trim as the US built Pontiac Chieftain, with the exception of rear fender covers.[3] From 1946 through 1952 these "Cheviacs" were sold as the Pontiac Fleetleader. Starting in 1954 these low-end Canadian Pontiac models (called Pontiac Pathfinders since 1953) used Chevrolet body shells, but with Pontiac features at both ends. These variants of U.S. Chevrolets are only recognized when compared to their U.S. Chevrolet or Pontiac equivalents, since body details often differ slightly between the U.S. versions of the two makes. Model year 1958 was the last for the Canada only Pathfinder models. The Pontiac Pathfinders (as well as some other Canadian models) usually had Chevrolet engines and drive trains, so that one can find Canadian Pontiacs with OHV sixes or 283 V8 engines built by Chevrolet.
Although Canada-specific models of U.S. makes were gradually phased out after Canada's "Auto Pact" treaty with the U.S. made them no longer necessary, Pontiacs manufactured and sold in Canada maintained their unique model names for many years even after the "Auto Pact" treaty took effect.
Pontiac, or formally the Pontiac Motor Division of General Motors, was an American automobile brand owned, manufactured, and commercialized by General Motors. Introduced as a companion make for GM's more expensive line of Oakland automobiles, Pontiac overtook Oakland in popularity and supplanted its parent brand entirely by 1933.
The Ford Galaxie is a full-sized car that was built in the United States by Ford for model years 1959 through 1974. The name was used for the top models in Ford's full-size range from 1958 until 1961, in a marketing attempt to appeal to the excitement surrounding the Space Race. In 1958, a concept car was introduced called "la Galaxie" which incorporated the headlights into pods inline with the grille and a reduced front profile.
The Chevrolet Biscayne was a series of full-size cars produced by the American manufacturer Chevrolet between 1958 and 1975. Named after a show car displayed at the 1955 General Motors Motorama, the Biscayne was the least expensive model in the Chevrolet full-size car range. The absence of most exterior and fancy interior trimmings remained through the life of the series, as the slightly costlier Chevrolet Bel Air offered more interior and exterior features at a price significantly lower than the top-of-the-line Impala and Caprice.
The Chevrolet Bel Air is a full-size car produced by Chevrolet for the 1950–1981 model years. Initially, only the two-door hardtops in the Chevrolet model range were designated with the Bel Air name from 1950 to 1952. With the 1953 model year, the Bel Air name was changed from a designation for a unique body shape to a premium level of trim applied across a number of body styles. The Bel Air continued with various other trim level designations, and it had gone from a mid-level trim car to a budget fleet sedan when U.S. production ceased in 1975. Production continued in Canada, for its home market only, through the 1981 model year.
The Pontiac Catalina is a full-size, junior series automobile produced by Pontiac from 1950 to 1981. Initially, the name was a trim line on hardtop body styles, first appearing in the 1950 Chieftain Eight and DeLuxe Eight lines. In 1959, it became a separate model as the "entry-level" full-size Pontiac.
The Pontiac Bonneville is an automobile built by Pontiac from 1957 until 2005. Bonnevilles were full-sized, with the exception of a brief period of mid-size between 1982 and 1986. The brand was introduced as a limited production performance convertible during the 1957 model year. The Bonneville, and its platform partner, the Grand Ville, are some of the largest Pontiacs ever built; in station wagon body styles they reached just over 230 inches (5.8 m) long, and at 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg) and more were also some of the heaviest cars produced at the time.
The Cadillac Cimarron is an entry-level luxury car manufactured and marketed by the Cadillac division of General Motors for model years 1982–1988 over a single generation, with a mild facelift in 1985.
The Buick Roadmaster is an automobile that was built by Buick from 1936 until 1942, from 1946 until 1958, and then again from 1991 until 1996. Roadmasters produced between 1936 and 1958 were built on Buick's longest non-limousine wheelbase and shared their basic structure with the entry-level Cadillac Series 65, the Buick Limited, and after 1940, the Oldsmobile 98. Between 1946 and 1957 the Roadmaster served as Buick's flagship.
The Pontiac Parisienne is a full-size rear-wheel drive vehicle that was sold by Pontiac on the GM B platform in Canada from 1958 to 1986 and in the United States from 1983 to 1986. Right-hand drive models were locally assembled in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa until 1969. For most of its run, the Canadian Parisienne was nearly mechanically identical to the American Chevrolet Impala or Chevrolet Caprice. The Parisienne wagon continued under the Safari nameplate until 1989. Parisienne or La Parisienne means a grammatically female person or thing from Paris, France.
The Pontiac Safari is a line of station wagons that was produced by Pontiac from 1955 to 1989. Initially introduced as the Pontiac counterpart of the two-door Chevrolet Nomad, the division adopted the nameplate across its full-size wagon range in 1957. Through its production, the Safari was positioned between Chevrolet full-size station wagons and below its Buick and Oldsmobile counterparts. During the mid-1960s, the Safari added simulated woodgrain trim to the exterior, becoming a feature associated with the model line.
The Mercury Marquis is a model line of automobiles marketed by Mercury from 1967 to 1986. Deriving its name from a French nobility title, the Marquis was introduced as the divisional counterpart of the Ford LTD; four generations of the two model lines were paired through rebranding. Initially slotted as the flagship Mercury full-size range, the Marquis would serve as the basis for the later Mercury Grand Marquis.
The Pontiac Star Chief is an automobile model which was manufactured by Pontiac between 1954 and 1966. It was Pontiac's top trim package on the Pontiac Chieftain, with later generations built on longer wheelbases, and serving as the foundation platform for the Pontiac Bonneville. The car was easily identified by its chrome star trim along its sides, a feature all Star Chiefs were equipped with.
The Pontiac Chieftain is an automobile which was produced by Pontiac from 1949 to 1958. The 1949 Chieftain and Streamliner models were the first all new car designs to come from Pontiac in the post World War II years. Previous cars had been 1942 models with minor revisions.
Chevrolet Nomad is a nameplate used by Chevrolet in North America from the 1950s to the 1970s, applied largely to station wagons. Three different Nomads were produced as a distinct model line, with Chevrolet subsequently using the name as a trim package.
The 1955 Ford is an automobile which was produced by Ford in the United States for the 1955 model year and, in revised form, for the 1956 model year. A new design would be offered in 1957.
The Ford Falcon (XK) is a mid-sized car that was produced by Ford Australia between 1960 and 1962. It was the first of seven generations of the Falcon, produced until 2016.
The Buick Super is a full-sized automobile produced by Buick from 1940 through the 1958 model years, with a brief hiatus from 1943 through 1945. The first generation shared the longer wheelbase with the top level Roadmaster while offering the smaller displacement engine from the Buick Special. The Super prioritized passenger comfort over engine performance. For several years, it was called the "Buick Eight" or "Super Eight" due to the engravement on the grille while all Buick's since 1931 were all installed with the Buick Straight-8 engine with varying engine displacement.
The Mercury Voyager is a station wagon that was sold by the Mercury division of Ford for the 1957 and 1958 model years. For the 1957 model year, Mercury created a model range of station wagons distinct from sedans, following Ford. The Voyager served as the mid-range offering, slotted above the base-trim Mercury Commuter, with the woodgrained Colony Park serving as the top-range offering.
The Pontiac Torpedo was a full-sized car produced by Pontiac from the 1940 through the 1948 model year. When released, it was the biggest Pontiac, used an 8-cylinder engine, and it had more standard features than other Pontiacs. Although the Torpedo name was exclusive to the highest line of Pontiacs in 1940, in 1941 the name was applied to all Pontiacs in three separate lines. The Custom Torpedoes were now top-of-the-line name, while the DeLuxe Torpedo became the base line, and the Streamline Torpedo became the middle line of Pontiacs. All Torpedo models could be had with either a 6-cylinder or 8-cylinder engine beginning in 1941. From 1942 to 1948 the Torpedo name designated only the base line of Pontiacs. The Torpedo was replaced by the Pontiac Chieftain in 1949. It was with this generation that all GM vehicles experienced increased width dimensions to accommodate three passengers on the front bench seat and an additional three passengers on rear bench seat installed vehicles. This was accomplished with the deletion of running board thereby adding additional room inside the passenger compartment.
The Pontiac Streamliner is a full-size car produced under the Pontiac brand by General Motors from 1932 until 1952. A mass-produced and popular vehicle, it was a significant luxury car during the recovery from the Great Depression, and during and immediately after the Second World War.
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1956 Pontiac Pathfinder Sedan Delivery
1958 Pontiac Pathfinder
