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1957 Pontiac Chieftain

Semon 'Bunkie' Knudsen became the youngest General Manager of a GM Division in July of 1956, helping to change the persona of Pontiac cars from builders of reliable but mundane family cars to a performance leader. Knudsen's famously said 'You can sell a young car to old people, but you can't sell an old car to young people.' Even with GM's short-lived AMA racing ban in 1957, Pontiac (along with other companies) found loopholes that allowed continued support of high-performance products to privateers.

The 1957 Bonneville Convertible was the most exclusive and expensive automobile in the Pontiac lineup, with 630 examples built at a price tag exceeding $5,780. These were meant as a halo car for the company and as a traffic-generator for dealerships, with one example assigned to each Pontiac dealer showroom.

The 1957 Chieftain was the lowest-priced model in the lineup, offered in a variety of body styles including two- and four-door sedans, Catalina Hardtop Coupe and Catalina Hardtop Sedan, and two- and four-door station wagons. These were also the lightest Pontiacs and when equipped with the optional 347 CID overhead-valve V8 with Tri Power and 290 horsepower, the Chieftain was one of the fastest cars on the road. The famed Zink Special set a speed record in January of 1957 at the Daytona Beach Speedway in Florida, running the flying mile one way at 141.2 MPH. This was the fastest speed ever recorded to that date in its class.

The base engine in the Chieftain was an overhead-valve 347 CID V8 with a Rochester two-barrel carburetor, hydraulic valve lifters, an 8.5:1 compression, and 227 horsepower with the standard three-speed synchromesh gearbox. With the Hydra-Matic installed, the engine was rated at 252 horsepower. The Bonneville was equipped with a Rochester mechanical fuel injection system which brought horsepower to an estimated 315 bhp.

The Chieftains had 14-inch wheels, large bumper grille, Chieftain front fender scripts, three stars on the rear fenders, and small hubcaps. The Custom Safari station wagons received the Star Chief trim and were priced at $3,640 for the two-door wagon and $3,480 for the four-door. Combined production was low, with 1,292 of the two-door and 1,894 of the four-door wagon.

The total Chieftains built for 1957 was 162,575 units, considerably more than its higher-priced Star Chief sibling that had 103,588 examples built.


by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2020

Related Reading : Pontiac Chieftain History

As World War II ground to a halt in the late 1940s, production once again resumed at the Pontiac Motors Division of General Motors. Commissioned by the Government in 1942, Pontiac had assisted in the creation of rocket bombs throughout the duration of the war. Embroiled in the midst of the hysteria of a Communist Witch Hunt, in 1951, America also found itself of the long-lasting Korean War. At this....
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1957 Pontiac Chieftain Vehicle Profiles

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Performance and Specification Comparison

Price Comparison

1957 Chieftain
$2,900-$16,800
1957 Pontiac Chieftain Price Range: $2,460 - $2,900

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Other 1957 Pontiac Models

Chieftain

Specification Comparison by Year

Year
Production
Wheelbase
Engine
Prices
120.00 in.
6 cyl., 239.20 CID., 90.00hp
6 cyl., 239.20 CID., 93.00hp
8 cyl., 248.90 CID., 103.00hp
8 cyl., 248.90 CID., 106.00hp
$1,590 - $2,185
271,373
120.00 in.
6 cyl., 239.20 CID., 100.00hp
6 cyl., 239.20 CID., 102.00hp
8 cyl., 268.40 CID., 118.00hp
8 cyl., 268.40 CID., 122.00hp
$1,960 - $2,615
418,619
122.00 in.
6 cyl., 239.20 CID., 115.00hp
6 cyl., 239.20 CID., 118.00hp
$1,960 - $2,800
172,656
122.00 in.
6 cyl., 239.20 CID., 115.00hp
6 cyl., 239.20 CID., 118.00hp
8 cyl., 268.00 CID., 122.00hp
8 cyl., 268.40 CID., 127.00hp
$1,967 - $2,580
354,453
122.00 in.
8 cyl., 287.20 CID., 173.00hp
8 cyl., 287.20 CID., 180.00hp
8 cyl., 287.20 CID., 200.00hp
$2,100 - $2,960
122.00 in.
8 cyl., 347.00 CID., 227.00hp
8 cyl., 347.00 CID., 252.00hp
$2,460 - $2,900
7,359
122.00 in.
8 cyl., 370.00 CID., 240.00hp
8 cyl., 370.00 CID., 270.00hp
$3,025 - $3,025

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