tremendous car, tremendous photos. and how many of those garages would it take to contain that thing? hilarious!
the horseshoe shifter is so period, and yet such a totally reasonable design--i can totally see a modern automaker bringing it back. thanks for documenting. the ashtray full of cigarettes proves that this is a real-deal old parked car. i'm blissed to inaugurate the "smokers" tag, which i'm retroactively applying to at least one other post. ben, can you think of any others?
the wire wheels and yellowed white-stripe tires look just right, and the white vinyl roof is the ultimate badass compliment to the moss green paint.
also adding the "louvers" tag for the fender.
i know the parisienne was a canadian-built model, but wikipedia seems to suggest that these third-gen cars were built in australia. that can't be right?
@Tony: Australia's Holden did sell a version of the Pontiac Parisienne there, but your instincts are correct that this is a Canadian-built model.
The Parisienne was not simply a rebadged Catalina built up north, it used a Chevy frame, had some different body panels (to fit the smaller frame), and came with neither the performance upgrades or available 8-lug wheels that made the US-market 2+2 so hot (and incredibly quick).
The Canadian 2+2 was basically a sporty trim level of Parisienne, with a 250 six standard and only the emblems, buckets and console to set it apart from its plainer siblings. I think it came with a bench rear seat, too, making it a 2+2 only in seat-belt count.
Your instincts are correct Spiff. For years, Canadian Pontiacs were little more than a Chevrolet body with Pontiac trim. They did this to keep costs for customers down and profits up. Price was everything to Canadian car buyers and GM was more than willing offer a car that sold for the same amount as an American Chevy. Even though you could buy one in Canada. Seems like all the big 3 automakers sold something like this to woo buyers into their dealerships. Chrysler offered the Plodge, a Dodge-Plymouth hybrid, and the De Soto Diplomat based on the Plymouth platform. Ford offered the Meteor and Monarch, while Mercury offered the trucks. BTW, my in-laws had a '67 GP 2+2 ragtop. It ran the factory 428 V-8 but someone pulled out the M-22 rock crusher and replaced it with a T-400 auto tranny. Tried to buy it, but I didn't have the cash. It needed a lot of cosmetic work too. Nice to see one of these again!
Pop put a set of factory 5-spoke mag rims on his '67 GP 2+2 just before he sold it. Along with those hide away headlights, that car really looked sharp. So much so that I can still see it 30+years later.
I used to LOVE the pre-68 Pontiacs with the vertical headlights! Once they changed to these horizontal headlights, Pontiacs seemed to lose their appeal, and just kinda started looking like every other car..... This Parisienne is a very nice example though.
Best of OPC. 
14 comments:
1968 and Martin Luther King. How appropriate!
tremendous car, tremendous photos. and how many of those garages would it take to contain that thing? hilarious!
the horseshoe shifter is so period, and yet such a totally reasonable design--i can totally see a modern automaker bringing it back. thanks for documenting. the ashtray full of cigarettes proves that this is a real-deal old parked car. i'm blissed to inaugurate the "smokers" tag, which i'm retroactively applying to at least one other post. ben, can you think of any others?
the wire wheels and yellowed white-stripe tires look just right, and the white vinyl roof is the ultimate badass compliment to the moss green paint.
also adding the "louvers" tag for the fender.
i know the parisienne was a canadian-built model, but wikipedia seems to suggest that these third-gen cars were built in australia. that can't be right?
This must be one of the biggest 2+2 cars ever made.
Great find.
@Tony: Australia's Holden did sell a version of the Pontiac Parisienne there, but your instincts are correct that this is a Canadian-built model.
The Parisienne was not simply a rebadged Catalina built up north, it used a Chevy frame, had some different body panels (to fit the smaller frame), and came with neither the performance upgrades or available 8-lug wheels that made the US-market 2+2 so hot (and incredibly quick).
The Canadian 2+2 was basically a sporty trim level of Parisienne, with a 250 six standard and only the emblems, buckets and console to set it apart from its plainer siblings. I think it came with a bench rear seat, too, making it a 2+2 only in seat-belt count.
Your instincts are correct Spiff. For years, Canadian Pontiacs were little more than a
Chevrolet body with Pontiac trim. They did this to keep costs for customers down and
profits up. Price was everything to Canadian car buyers and GM was more than willing
offer a car that sold for the same amount as an American Chevy. Even though you
could buy one in Canada. Seems like all the big 3 automakers sold something like this
to woo buyers into their dealerships. Chrysler offered the Plodge, a Dodge-Plymouth
hybrid, and the De Soto Diplomat based on the Plymouth platform. Ford offered the
Meteor and Monarch, while Mercury offered the trucks. BTW, my in-laws had a '67
GP 2+2 ragtop. It ran the factory 428 V-8 but someone pulled out the M-22 rock
crusher and replaced it with a T-400 auto tranny. Tried to buy it, but I didn't have
the cash. It needed a lot of cosmetic work too. Nice to see one of these again!
Gorgeous car, but the late 70's-mid 80's Pontiac wire hubcaps look shabby on it.
Pop put a set of factory 5-spoke mag rims on his '67 GP 2+2 just before he sold it.
Along with those hide away headlights, that car really looked sharp. So much so that
I can still see it 30+years later.
also, love everything going on in the composition of the profile shot. bangin'.
And when's the last time you got to see the hardtop effect?
on april 23rd.
Ben: Have a look at the '65 Chevy Impala and you'll see the same thing.
I used to LOVE the pre-68 Pontiacs with the vertical headlights! Once they changed to these horizontal headlights, Pontiacs seemed to lose their appeal, and just kinda started looking like every other car..... This Parisienne is a very nice example though.
engine break is god, since old car hve it. popular near 1990
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