Barn finds, 'verkeerd afgelopens'. They are all there. Including stories. We found a desolate Jaguar Mk 2 on a messy scrapyard in Walloon Belgium. The barrel dog had won the main prize when distributing the teeth. The scrap yard himself had a few brown stubs in his mouth in which the hanging corner smoldered a Gauloise. The Jaguar was the pride of his company. After all, it had belonged to Queen Elisabeth? It had English plates and the license plate said…
A kind of…
Well, the Jaguar belonged to a Mr. Stuart, who had been injured on Queen Elisabeth Road in Kidderminster. The Jag was a wreck. We congratulated the man on his possession. Expressed our regret that we could not purchase the car. Oh yes: a few villages further we got talking in a pub with someone who told us he had a Honda CBX engine for sale. We bought that six-cylinder in the dark. And the next morning noticed that the trailer floor was quite greasy. Then we also saw the fist-sized hole in the crankcase of the six-cylinder. Booze and darkness are bad guides for some enterprising classic enthusiasts.
The Pontiac: A real find
The Pontiac Chieftain in the photos belongs to Charles van Hoof from Someren and is another find with a history. The Pontiac has been dreaming since 1965 after a stylish life. It is a car that lived at Couthof Castle from Belgium and its owner was Count Henri d'Udekem d'Acoz. The car is 99% complete and the missing 1% has the papers. But it is quite a unique classic with an extremely unique history. And great old Americans are easy to restore. Unless, like Charles, you have a serious back problem. Then it becomes a long-term project. If you feel challenged, you can send an email to the editors.
Pontiac Chieftain
Produced between 1949 and 1958, the Pontiac Chieftain stands out as one of the first new car designs (alongside the Pontiac Streamliner) to be produced by GMC's Pontiac division after World War II.
The first generation of Pontiac Chieftain, produced between 1949 and 1954, was available with four engines, ranging from a six-cylinder with 90 hp to an eight-cylinder with 106 hp. Initially there was a choice of four models, a Sedan, Sedan Coupé, Business Coupé and Deluxe Cabrio Coupé. Optional extras for these models included a tissue dispenser, under-seat heating elements and a Remington shaver.
In 1950 these models were joined by the Catalina Coupé and in 1952 a station wagon was also added to the range. In 1953 Pontiac had also introduced the two-door Custom Catalina hardtop coupé, the base-level Pontiac Chieftain Special and the higher specification Pontiac Chieftain Deluxe.
Optional extras from 1954 included power brakes, power windows and air conditioning. The second generation of Pontiac Chieftain was launched in 1955, with a new chassis and body. The engine power has also been increased to a 180 hp V8 engine.
In 1957, further changes were made to the design of the Chieftains with the introduction of the new “In Flight” theme. This included larger bumpers, rear fenders with V-shaped ends and rocket-shaped side panels. This year, the Pontiac Super Chief was also launched as a sub-series within the Pontiac Chieftain line and was announced as a top-of-the-line chieftain.
Development continued
The Pontiac Chieftain needed further restyling in 1958 when the third generation was launched. This new generation had a longer, lower body with less chrome finish, and the engine was again stronger up to 270 hp. Optional extras from 1958 included a 'Sportable' radio and air suspension.
The end of the Pontiac Chieftain
The third generation would be the last generation of the Pontiac Chieftain produced, no new Chieftains were produced after 1958 and the all-new Catalina was introduced in 1959 as a completely separate model to replace the Chieftain as Pontiac's full-size entry-level model.
the name is beautiful, as with all Americans! But these models are unfortunately not so popular, because they are just less beautiful than the rest. However, keep her alive!
Count Henry d'Ukedem ď'Akoz is the father of the current King Mathilde of Belgium.
Nostalgia of years gone by when automobiles were still automobiles, at the end of the seventies I saw several “americans” left behind by soldiers who went back to the states at scrap yards in england an eldorado if they were still there! It is partly for this reason that I call my classic car site amazingyesterday, it is / was surprising that the cars that you just came across in the fifties on the street end up in the scrap heap in the sixties and later as expensive old-timers saw again: amazing yesterday, it could be ……
ide wobma harlingen
to add
my father also had one (and I am already 76), as a transition car between his Opel Kapitäns series. Sometimes I was allowed to drive to school when I had just got my driver's license. That was great of course!
http://johnvanhulst.nl/PontiacChieftain.jpg
That must have been a great childhood. And you are PAS 76!
: )
Just pump up the tires and go, will not work with this copy I fear. Unfortunately, steel plate of 2 mm also turns to dust after all these years, but the steel of that time was intrinsically a lot better in quality and composition than the current steel.
Amen!