Pontiac, or formally the Pontiac Motor Division of General Motors, was an American automobile brand owned, manufactured, and commercialized by General Motors. It was originally introduced as a companion make for GM's more expensive line of Oakland automobiles. Pontiac quickly overtook Oakland in popularity and supplanted its parent entirely by 1933, in turn establishing its position as one of GM's dominant divisions.
Muscle car is a description according to the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary in 2022 that came to use in 1966 for "a group of American-made two-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." The online Britannica Dictionary described these in 2022 as "an American-made two-door sports car with a powerful engine."
The Chevrolet Chevelle is a mid-sized automobile that was produced by Chevrolet in three generations for the 1964 through 1977 model years. Part of the General Motors (GM) A-body platform, the Chevelle was one of Chevrolet's most successful nameplates. Body styles included coupes, sedans, convertibles, and station wagons. The "Super Sport" versions were produced through the 1973 model year and Lagunas from 1973 through to 1976.
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 Chevrolet Chevette is a front-engine, rear-drive subcompact manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet for model years 1976–1987 as a three-door or five-door hatchback. Introduced in North America in September 1975, the Chevette superseded the Vega as Chevrolet's entry-level subcompact, and sold 2.8 million units over 12 years. The Chevette was the best-selling small car in the U.S. for model years 1979 and 1980.
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 Chevrolet El Camino is a coupé utility vehicle that was produced by Chevrolet between 1959–60 and 1964–1987. Unlike a standard pickup truck, the El Camino was adapted from the standard two-door Chevrolet station wagon platform and integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body.
The Chevrolet "big block" engine is a term for a series of large-displacement, naturally-aspirated, 90°, overhead valve, gasoline-powered, V8 engines; that were developed and produced by the Chevrolet Division of General Motors, from the 1950s until present.
The Pontiac LeMans is a model name applied to automobiles marketed by Pontiac. The name came from the French city of Le Mans, the site of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world's oldest active sports car endurance race that began in 1923. Originally a trim upgrade package based on the Tempest, the LeMans became a separate model in 1963.
The Chevrolet Malibu is a mid-size car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet from model years 1964–1983 and since 1997. The Malibu began as a trim-level of the Chevrolet Chevelle, becoming its own model line in 1978. Originally a rear-wheel drive intermediate, GM revived the Malibu nameplate as a front-wheel-drive car in 1997.
The Chevrolet Chevy II/Nova is a small automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, and produced in five generations for the 1962 through 1979, and 1985 through 1988 model years. Built on the X-body platform, the Nova was the top selling model in the Chevy II lineup through 1968. The Chevy II nameplate was dropped after 1968, with Nova becoming the nameplate for all of the 1969 through 1979 models. It was replaced by the 1980 Chevrolet Citation introduced in the spring of 1979. The Nova nameplate returned in 1985, produced through 1988 as a S-car based, NUMMI manufactured, subcompact based on the front wheel drive, Japan home-based Toyota Sprinter.
Super Sport, or SS, is the signature performance option package offered by Chevrolet on a limited number of its vehicles. All SS models come with distinctive "SS" markings on their exterior. The SS package was first made available for the 1961 Impala. Some of the other models bearing the SS badge include the Camaro, Chevelle, El Camino, Impala, Monte Carlo, Nova and Chevrolet Pickup Trucks. Current SS models are produced by the GM Performance Division.
The Pontiac Ventura is an automobile model which was produced by Pontiac between 1960 and 1977.
The GMC Sprint is a coupe utility/pickup that was produced by GMC for the 1971–1977 model years. The Sprint was renamed Caballero for the 1978 model year, and produced through 1987. The rear-wheel-drive car-based pickups were sold by GMC Truck dealers primarily in the United States and Canada as the GMC version of the Chevrolet El Camino. Trim designations, emblems, and wheel trim differentiate the GMC from the Chevrolet. The vehicles were built on the General Motors A platform through 1981; for 1982, it was re-designated the G platform as the A platform switched to front-wheel drive.
The GM A platform was a rear wheel drive automobile platform designation used by General Motors from 1925 until 1959, and again from 1964 to 1981. In 1982, GM introduced a new front wheel drive A platform, and existing intermediate rear wheel drive products were redesignated as G-bodies.
Beaumont was a make of mid-sized automobiles produced by General Motors of Canada from 1964 to 1969. These cars were based on the Chevrolet Chevelle, but the line had its own logo and nameplate, and was neither marketed nor actively sold in the United States. Its logo consisted of an arrow, similar to that of Pontiac, but with a maple leaf to signify its dual heritage from both sides of Lake Ontario.
The first-generation Chevrolet Camaro is an American pony car introduced by Chevrolet in the fall of 1966 for the 1967 model year. It used a brand-new rear-wheel-drive GM F-body platform and was available as a 2-door, 2+2 seat, hardtop, and convertible. The F-body was shared with the Pontiac Firebird for all generations. A 230 cu in Chevrolet straight-6 was standard, with several Chevy V8s available as options. The first-generation Camaro was built through the 1969 model year.
The Chevrolet Impala (fourth generation) are full-size automobiles produced by Chevrolet for the 1965 through 1970 model years. The 1965 Impala was all new, while the 1967 and 1969 models featured new bodies on the same redesigned perimeter frame introduced on the 1965 models. All Impalas of this generation received annual facelifts as well, distinguishing each model year. Throughout the early 1960s, Chevrolet's basic body designs became increasingly subtle, while the bright trim that was part of the Impala package added more than a touch of luxury to the look. The same pattern was followed in the interiors, where the best materials and equipment Chevrolet had to offer were displayed. In short, the Impala was on its way to becoming a kind of junior-grade Cadillac, which, for both the company and its customers, was just fine.
The General Motors X platform is a rear-wheel drive compact car automobile platform produced from the 1962 to 1979 model years. Developed by Chevrolet, the architecture was initially unique in the U.S. to the Chevy II, first joined by the Pontiac Ventura in 1971, then a range of other GM products as its divisions expanded their compact model lines.
The Chevrolet Turbo-Thrift engine is a straight-six produced from 1962 to 2001 by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. The entire series of engines was commonly called Turbo-Thrift, although the name was first used on the 230 cubic inch version that debuted in 1963. The new engine featured seven main bearings in lieu of the four bearing design of its predecessor, the "Stovebolt" engine, and was considerably smaller and approximately 100 lbs lighter.
