Yes a GATSO/ Gatford. Bizarre car. Built of aluminum, like a plane fuselage, and fitted with a Mercury flathead. Can't find out how many they made, but " a few". Top speed was alleged to be 112 mph, with overdrive in all 3 gears.
Even Motorbase doesn't say how many were built and they usually have that info. Reading between the lines I'd guess that at most a couple of dozen were made from '46-'51.
Yep, a copy of the '37 Kadett. The whole plant was brought over to the USSR from Germany after WWII and was churning these. As a kid, I remember a lot of these on the streets, they were still pretty common even in the early-mid 70s.
BTW, speaking about the Gazelle - it is a name of the Russian-made van, very common there now, it has passenger, cargo and truck versions.
It's definitely a '53 Pontiac, even if Jalopnik has it mis-captioned as a '52 (not!). I doubt it is a Catalina which I think was a subset of the Chieftain and back then (IIRC) Catalina=Hardtop.
The pictured car is a low-end two-door model lacking side chrome, I don't know what they called low-line ponchos back then but I'll bet we're looking at one. If you're wondering what the side script says, it's no help, it simply reads Pontiac.
I have to confess to knowing very little about '53 Ponchos even though my family acquired a new one when I was ten. I think it was a 4-door/4-post Chieftain. It seemed pretty exciting and cool at the time but in retrospect mid-50s Pontiacs were pretty dowdy.
The Pontiac picture has bugged me. The side chrome (little as there is!) doesn't quite look like "Pontiac" in the picture. I searched and found two exemplars of a 53 with only that chrome accent; most have more chrome.
I found pictures claiming the name Chieftain and Catalina. To me the script on the picture looks like "Catalina." I think the blue picture below supports that.
I believe this car is really a stripper. I wonder if it was a businessman's special car. I have seen a few businessman's coupes from a little later in the 50 at car shows.
I find the names used here intriguing to try to figure out.
Again I think the reason you've seen pictures claiming the name Chieftain and Catalina is that the Catalina was the name for the pillarless Hardtop version of the Catalina. I couldn't find any pillared coupes labelled as Catalinas.
Folder opens to 23x36 layout with photo renderings of Pontiac Chieftain DeLuxe 2- and 4-Door Sedans, Convertible and Station Wagon; Chieftain Special 2- and 4-Door Sedans; Custom Catalina; and Deluxe Catalina
So the Catalina name was only for the hardtops shown on the right hand side and the stripped models were Chieftains, probably the Chieftain Special 2 and 4 door sedans listed in the text.
I'm with you, lostwrench, on the Pontiac - the description of the 1953 Chieftain in the "Standard Catalog of American Cars'" says;
"Chieftain line.... Standard models were now called Specials, and came with small hubcaps, rubber gravel guards, straight upper beltline trim and short arrow-shaped side trim. Deluxe Chieftains had long 'dual streak' body mouldings....".etc.
What we have here, therefore, as you say, is a Special, and you can actually see the rubber gravel guard on the rear wing, while the arrow shaped trim is also still there.
The Special was available two or four door, and I think this two door had a factory price of $2015. given it has lasted well, it was a good buy for someone, and it's nice to see the base model surviving - as usually the top of the range cars will survive in higher proportions than the base or fleet models..
The base models are often scavenged for parts for the top range cars. So even though (in most cases) far far more base models were made, they are often the most rare today.
Comments
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Reading between the lines I'd guess that at most a couple of dozen were made from '46-'51.
More on the Gatso.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
One Chrysler exec said:
Too square, too narrow, with buyers too old to notice
No wonder they started driving Acuras.
Oh, you are good, it's a 1952 Moskvitch 400, and it is indeed a copy of a 1930s Opel Kadette.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Oh, you are good,
Aw, shucks. Thanks.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Well, close enough it's a rare Boano-bodied 1957 Alfa-Romeo 1900 Primavera.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited Velvet Red over Wicker Beige
2024 Audi Q5 Premium Plus Daytona Gray over Beige
2017 BMW X1 Jet Black over Mocha
BTW, speaking about the Gazelle - it is a name of the Russian-made van, very common there now, it has passenger, cargo and truck versions.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
It's definitely a '53 Pontiac, even if Jalopnik has it mis-captioned as a '52 (not!). I doubt it is a Catalina which I think was a subset of the Chieftain and back then (IIRC) Catalina=Hardtop.
The pictured car is a low-end two-door model lacking side chrome, I don't know what they called low-line ponchos back then but I'll bet we're looking at one. If you're wondering what the side script says, it's no help, it simply reads Pontiac.
FYI, this is a typical '53 Catalina Chieftain.
I have to confess to knowing very little about '53 Ponchos even though my family acquired a new one when I was ten. I think it was a 4-door/4-post Chieftain.
It seemed pretty exciting and cool at the time but in retrospect mid-50s
Pontiacs were pretty dowdy.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
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I found pictures claiming the name Chieftain and Catalina. To me the script on the picture looks like "Catalina." I think the blue picture below supports that.
I believe this car is really a stripper. I wonder if it was a businessman's special car. I have seen a few businessman's coupes from a little later in the 50 at car shows.
I find the names used here intriguing to try to figure out.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Hertz has been around since 1918 - maybe it was made for their rental fleet.
Yup. That way people could judge all the well-equipped Pontiacs as being the same as the stripper model and inferior to the then few imports? :P
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Again I think the reason you've seen pictures claiming the name Chieftain and Catalina
is that the Catalina was the name for the pillarless Hardtop version of the Catalina. I couldn't find any pillared coupes labelled as Catalinas.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I had found this poster for 1953
http://www.mclellansautomotive.com/photos/B37897-2.jpg
Described as having these model pictures
Folder opens to 23x36 layout with photo renderings of Pontiac Chieftain DeLuxe 2- and 4-Door Sedans, Convertible and Station Wagon; Chieftain Special 2- and 4-Door Sedans; Custom Catalina; and Deluxe Catalina
posted on this site
http://www.mclellansautomotive.com/lit/bymake/pontiac/index-6.shtml
So the Catalina name was only for the hardtops shown on the right hand side and the stripped models were Chieftains, probably the Chieftain Special 2 and 4 door sedans listed in the text.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Sorry, had to zap that one.
We mentioned the edit the pic url trick, right? Insert height=400 width=600 before the right bracket should do the trick.
There were both 6 cyl and 8 cyl. cars available.
I'd love to have that steel wagon.
"Chieftain line.... Standard models were now called Specials, and came with small hubcaps, rubber gravel guards, straight upper beltline trim and short arrow-shaped side trim. Deluxe Chieftains had long 'dual streak' body mouldings....".etc.
What we have here, therefore, as you say, is a Special, and you can actually see the rubber gravel guard on the rear wing, while the arrow shaped trim is also still there.
The Special was available two or four door, and I think this two door had a factory price of $2015. given it has lasted well, it was a good buy for someone, and it's nice to see the base model surviving - as usually the top of the range cars will survive in higher proportions than the base or fleet models..
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Yup, supposedly the new lightweight version of the Boxster. Wonder why they didn't call it the "Speedster"?
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
To make up for my Boo-boo, here's a good picture of a different example with the top up>
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I was going solely on the spear on the side (roadster) and the dim view of the bumper over-rides.
I think in terms of desirability/value, the 356B twin-grille roadster is the "hot one" these days.
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