1949 Pontiac Chieftain 2-Door Sedan

Pontiac introduced a restyled line-up in 1949 thanks to designer Herman Kaiser with influence from Harley Earl.

The Pontiac Chieftains had notchback body styling and wore the General Motors A-body shell. The lengths and widths were identical to the other model line in the Pontiac lineup, the Streamliner. Both rode on a 120-inch wheelbase. The Chieftains, however, were nearly 1 inch higher than the comparable B-body styles.

The Chieftains were available with either six- or eight-cylinder engines. Both engines were L-head units with cast iron blocks and solid valve lifters. The Six displaced 239.2 cubic inches while the eight displaced 248.9 CID. The Six offered 90 horsepower while the eight delivered 103 horsepower.

The vehicles with the 8-cylinders were referred to as Silver Streaks and had Silver Streak lettering placed above front fender spears on Deluxes. Eights also had the number '8' located between the two words.

The standard transmission was a three-speed Synchromesh gearbox with a Hydramatic four-speed unit available for an additional $159.

Both the Streamliner and the Chieftain were available as either a 4-door Sedan or 2-door Sedan Coupe. Chieftain's body styles added a 2-door Sedan Coupe, 2-Door Business Coupe, and a Deluxe Convertible.

This particular example was given a frame-off restoration approximately 15 years ago and has traveled just 3,800 miles since completion. It has a Hydra-Matic transmission and is painted in Wellington Green paint with a two-tone gray cloth interior.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2016