1932 Pontiac Series 302 Coupe

Pontiac was created in 1926 as a companion marque to Oakland and to fill a price niche between Chevrolet and Oakland in Alfred Sloan's carefully orchestrated stair-step brand strategy that had severed General Motors so well. General Motors, like so many others, was faced with many difficult business and product decisions. The company decided to keep Pontiac and end the Oakland marque (in 1931). Pontiac had outsold Oakland and though it was a difficult decision to make, it was the one that made the most sense.

With Oakland's demise, Pontiac's straight-six engine was replaced with the Oakland 85 horsepower 251 CID V8. The V8 engine was expensive so it was replaced the next year with a 223 CID straight-eight. A V8 would not be seen again in a Pontiac engine bay until well into the 1950s. This L-head V-8 used cast-iron construction with a 5.2:1 compression ratio that was fed by a one-barrel Marvel downdraft carburetor. The retail sticker topped out at $845 and included a synchromesh transmission and ride control with adjustable shocks.

This Rumble Seat Coupe was purchased in 2007 by the current owners from the McMullen collection. When new, this coupe, complete with a rumble seat, was reportedly driven as a company car by a Pontiac executive.