Vehicle Sighting - 1962 Pontiac Parisienne

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

I thought the Ventura was considerably later.

I did too for a long time. In the 70s during high school I wanted one bad as my first car. Somehow I ended up with Chevelles. Later I found out : The Ventura was produced by Pontiac all the way from 1960 to 1977. I saw one of the early models at a car show almost the same factory color as the one in OPs photos and it was one hot looking auto for back in the day. Worth a pretty penny and a gold box worth a lot more than the 70s models I was once so took with. I am certain who ever restored that car spent upwards of $50,000 doing it.

 

[Snagglefoot]

The ugly years....

Yup, one of the last fast 70’s Trans Ams was the 71 with a 455 that could do 0-60 in 5.4 seconds. By 1976 it was 9.0 seconds.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

I came across this listing of small block Chevys. I do recall seeing 307’s In full size Chevy’s and assume they were the base V-8 until 73. The 305 didn’t come around until 76. One interesting application was the Chevy Monza Spyder. The 302’s were Camaro engines I believe. Another quirk was that the 400 was a small block but there was a big block 396 that eventually became a 402. The large displacement “small blocks” were more aftermarket engines. I don’t want to stir the pot on this one. Enjoy.

View attachment 218776

I had a 307cui in my very first used 1972 Chevy Malibu. Just to show how choked down the late 70s engines were due to pollution standards. I also had a new 1976, GMs last Chevelles produced TypeS3 (2 year only aero body styles for NASCAR) that only came with the smog era pathetic engines. That one had the 350cui 4bb. Brother in law and I , for fun took them both out and raced them. I beat him easily with the 307cui 72 Malibu. Of course both had patheic horsepower numbers. But racing was never my reason for car collecting.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

Yup, one of the last fast 70’s Trans Ams was the 71 with a 455 that could do 0-60 in 5.4 seconds. By 1976 it was 9.0 seconds.

Yes. Those are called "the super duty" Trans AMs + Firebirds due to the massive hi horsepower engines.
Also very highly sought after that command big bucks these days.

 

[ecotourist]

I detailed this car's twin when I (briefly) worked at a Pontiac Buick dealership in the summer of 1967. It had been pretty rough but with a day or so of work it cleaned up pretty good. My boss brought out one of the young mechanics and said. "From now on, when I ask you to clean up a car, this is what I mean."

 

[ecotourist]

I'm thinking the Parisienne (Canada) equated to the Bonneville (US).
I want to think the body spear was different too.

Q: Why say, "It's a Chevy with Pontiac badging"? The sheet metal is all Pontiac.

I saw an occasional Bonneville (and many Parisiennes) during this era. The Parisienne looked a lot like a Bonneville but the Bonneville was just a bit nicer. And in some years, as one example, Bonneville hubs and wheels were way more substantial.

Up until some point US Pontiacs had a Pontiac power train. I remember there even being a lawsuit over GM starting to put Chevrolet engines in other product lines. Parisiennes generally or maybe always had a Chevrolet engine.

Seems Canadians were getting a similar looking but slightly down market product. Parisiennes were a good product, but I think the Bonneville was a bit nicer and a bit better.

 

[ecotourist]

The US Chevy Chevelle's Canadian brother called the Beaumont is highly sought after as well as any Pontiac mates. I love em all.

In Canada we have Chevelles and Beaumonts. Chevelle was a Chevrolet product. Beaumont was a badge engineered Pontiac product. Identical or nearly identical with different badges.

Ford had badge engineered Canadian products too.

 

[Number_35]

I came across this listing of small block Chevys. I do recall seeing 307’s In full size Chevy’s and assume they were the base V-8 until 73. The 305 didn’t come around until 76. One interesting application was the Chevy Monza Spyder. The 302’s were Camaro engines I believe. Another quirk was that the 400 was a small block but there was a big block 396 that eventually became a 402. The large displacement “small blocks” were more aftermarket engines. I don’t want to stir the pot on this one. Enjoy.

View attachment 218776

Here's my understanding of which base V8 was used in full-size Chevys:

1955 - 265
1956 - 265 or 283 (not sure)
1957 to 1967 - 283
1968 - 307
1969 - 327
1970 to 1976 - 350
1977 to ? - 305

The 307, although available in full-size Chevys only in 1968, was also used through 1973 in the Malibu and Nova.

It was a good engine, which used the 283 block (bore 3.875") and the 327 crank (stroke 3.25").

It's a mystery to me why Chevy developed the 305 (which used a new bore of 3.736", and the 350's crank (3.48" stroke)) rather than resurrecting the 307.

With its larger bore and shorter stroke, the 307 both breathed better than the 305, and would have theoretically revved better.

 

[Number_35]

Up until some point US Pontiacs had a Pontiac power train. I remember there even being a lawsuit over GM starting to put Chevrolet engines in other product lines. Parisiennes generally or maybe always had a Chevrolet engine.

I remember the lawsuit - a woman was interviewed on TV (CBC, and a forerunner of Marketplace?) saying she had bought an Oldsmobile to get a Rocket V8, and was disappointed to find her car had a Chevy 350 instead.

In the same era, GM was under fire for putting TH200 transmissions (appropriate for Chevettes) into larger cars.

 

[joekingcorvette]

Nice looking old car! Those aftermarket fog lights bring back old memories. I had a pair on my 58 Oldsmobile in high school.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

I saw an occasional Bonneville (and many Parisiennes) during this era. The Parisienne looked a lot like a Bonneville but the Bonneville was just a bit nicer. And in some years, as one example, Bonneville hubs and wheels were way more substantial.

Up until some point US Pontiacs had a Pontiac power train. I remember there even being a lawsuit over GM starting to put Chevrolet engines in other product lines. Parisiennes generally or maybe always had a Chevrolet engine.

Seems Canadians were getting a similar looking but slightly down market product. Parisiennes were a good product, but I think the Bonneville was a bit nicer and a bit better.

A thing I always found off in some way was the multi brand GM deal. Not that in itself was strange. What I found strange was how you had Buick / Olds / Pontiac owned by GM yet were all were a step above Chevrolet. Meaning better quality builds. Now all are gone except Chevy.

 

[Snagglefoot]

You can carry on on beyond 1985 with the front engine, rear drive cars with the Chevy Caprice. The 305 lived on and morphed into the 5.0 until 1996 when everything went to front wheel drive, I believe. The station wagons got the Oldsmobile 307. The diamond in the coal mine was the 1992-1994 Impala SS. There was also the 9C1 Police Edition with a 350 4 bbl.

 

[Snagglefoot]

And behold one of the most unattractive cars ever built, the 91-92 Chevy Caprice, aka, Moby ****.

 

[Inked]

And behold one of the most unattractive cars built, the 91-94 Chevy Caprice, aka, Moby ****.

View attachment 218790

Unless it had the LT1. Then it was a pig with lipstick.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Unless it had the LT1. Then it was a pig with lipstick.

Yup, the LT-1 was one of the first signs that Chevy was capable of putting some HP back into engines especially after the long years of 150 HP V8’s.

 

[Kira]

In the same era, GM was under fire for putting TH200 transmissions (appropriate for Chevettes) into larger cars.

I had a T200 in a '76 Nova (250 c.i.d. 6). The reverse piston was cracked resulting in weak engagement.
My trannie guy gave me a promotional T450. A rebuild company was drumming up business and gave him a free unit. FWD cars were washing over the landscape and conventional units were readily available. The driveshaft went to the shop for two new U-joints and balancing.....adding a whopping $30 to my $140 tab.

I was told the T200 was even used in large snow thrower gear boxes. I often thought of the scene from, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" after I heard that.

And behold one of the most unattractive cars built, the 91-92 Chevy Caprice,

It'd be called the Caprice Classic down here and sold from '91 to '96.
Actually, confusion was created over the use of the name "Caprice" and "Caprice Classic" in vehicle and parts listings.

My neighbors had a gorgeous maroon w maroon leather '91. They used its oomph tow a tent trailer.
One day, distracted, not drunk, kiddies slammed into it parked and totaled it.
They looked better in darker colors.

They got a '96 to replace it. That one was "Driftwood" (gold) w Driftwood cloth interior. It had a factory tow package which featured external transmission and engine oil coolers. It featured the stupid "OptiSpark" distributorless ignition mounted behind the water pump. Only some Chevys and Buicks had it over a shy two years. I took care of that car and cussed that system in my sleep.
My wife asked me once, "What is that "Sparkola".

That car had premium rear reading lights and 3 lights in the trunk. It had optional everything except leather.
Obviously, the Impala options were not involved.

I sold it for the owners and was surprised as the phone did not ring. Finally, a guy who's earlier Caprice was stolen called me and bought it.

 

[Number_35]

And behold one of the most unattractive cars ever built, the 91-92 Chevy Caprice, aka, Moby ****.

View attachment 218790

I remember the first time I saw one of these in person. Early 1990, I was running to work, and saw what I thought was a Taurus on steroids. (Unlike most of the North American public, I always found the Taurus and Sable absolutely hideous.)

I was appalled when I saw it was a Chevy. Based on its blobby extruded lines, I assumed it, like the Taurus, it was FWD. I was quite surprised to learn that it was similar mechanically to the long-lived Impala/Caprice of 1977 to 1989.

Strangely enough, I came to develop a liking for the wagons.

They were featured years later in our local paper, in a retrospective about cars of the past. Two things stuck in my mind:

- The big aero Caprices were in very high demand in Kuwait. At least one man was buying them up in the States, shipping them to Kuwait, and selling them for a good profit.

- The author quoted a Texas Chevy dealer who said something like "Great cars - comfortable, reliable, good handling for their size, good-looking from the front - but oy, their Achilles heel, that back view! They look like a football player wearing ballet slippers!"

 

[Kira]

but oy, their Achilles heel, that back view!

I recall a print ad where a shear drape was actually drawn over the rump end of the sedan to obscure the look.

I came to develop a liking for the wagons.

A medium red example of a wagon was for sale near me. I was extra hideous as it had wire wheel covers and wood side appliques.
I imagined getting a red plastic hood mounted bug deflector painted to read, "...hideously ugly!"
Oddly, my big sister jumped down my throat forbidding me to buy it. So glad she did.
I filled the void with my first of three Volvo V70's.

In reality, the deceased owner's daughter was asking tippy-top dollar for it and the oil was grimy black.

edit: I liked the first iteration of the Taurus/Sable because they were plain. Aerodynamic designs were coming, like it or not.
Dear Mom got a '91 Taurus GL in titanium (putty, to us older folk) which looked clean and tidy.
The revision was uglier.

 

[Fabulous50s]

I remember that ridiculous "distributor" behind the water pump. Ok, I get it, drive it directly off the cam sprocket. But what engineering team and bean counters let that fly?

GM certainly did some interesting things, like reviving the body on frame high HP V8 and RWD car, maybe to compete with Ford's Panther platform? But the bulbous 90s style.....

GM really did have all the teething pains of FWD figured out and the series II 3800 powered cars were fantastic IMO by the 90s. But the last of the Moheccans is the Chev/Buick Caprice Classic with LT1. Why?

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

I remember that ridiculous "distributor" behind the water pump. Ok, I get it, drive it directly off the cam sprocket. But what engineering team and bean counters let that fly?

GM certainly did some interesting things, like reviving the body on frame high HP V8 and RWD car, maybe to compete with Ford's Panther platform? But the bulbous 90s style.....

GM really did have all the teething pains of FWD figured out and the series II 3800 powered cars were fantastic IMO by the 90s. But the last of the Moheccans is the Chev/Buick Caprice Classic with LT1. Why?

Truly was very sad what the once great American "Big Three" were reduced to from about late 70s thru late 90s. At least as of late, they are showing signs of trying to step lightly into the modern / advanced world of better quality that Toyota / Subaru / Honda etc.... others have been a part of for many years. SURPRISE/SURPRISE/SURPRISE: The wife finally let loose this weekend and said "you know, instead of you spending countless hours trying to determine the best quality , most economical , conservative vehicle that makes the most sense.... I dont know why you do not just buy one of the newer Chargers or Challengers and stop wishing and lusting over so many "old mobiles!" that you can NOT work on anymore. You just need to get one for us to enjoy cruising in just like we used to do....... Old girl is not only wiser , she is also kinder in our older age!