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1936 Pontiac Deluxe

The Great Depression, General Motors' hierarchy, and the youthfulness of the Pontiac brand brought about numerous changes to the Pontiac line throughout the 1930s. Pontiac was a fairly new company, having been introduced for the 1926 model year wearing bodies by Fisher and powered by a six-cylinder engine. Within GM, it was positioned above Chevrolet and below Oldsmobile, Buick, LaSalle (added in 1927), and Cadillac.

The Chevrolet was the 'entry-level' model and powered by six-cylinder power. Oldsmobiles from 1932 forward offered both a six- and eight-cylinder model. Buicks were powered by eight-cylinder engines of various displacement sizes and power beginning in 1931. During the early 1930s, due to the overlapping price structure and similarities between models, GM considered dropping either Oldsmobile, Buick, or Pontiac. All three survived, however, LaSalle was not as fortunate and their final year of production was 1940.

Pontiac marketed a single model through 1931. In 1932, the lineup included the Pontiac Six and Pontiac Eight, with the six-cylinder unit displacing 200 cubic-inches and offering 65 horsepower while the eight had a 251 CID and 85 hp. The Six had a 114-inch wheelbase and the eight rested on a 117-inch platform. Pontiac returned to a single model for 1933, the Economy Eight powered by a new 223.4 CID straight-8 with 77 horsepower, and installed in a 115-inch wheelbase chassis. The single eight-cylinder model continued through 1934, joined in 1935 by a Standard and Deluxe Six model. Both the Standard and Deluxe Six were powered by a 208 CID inline-6, with the Standard six using non-synchromesh first gear transmissions. They also had a solid I-beam front axle and headlamp beam indicators on the instrument dial. The fenders were finished in black, they had a single taillamp, and were devoid of parking lamps o the front fenders. The Deluxe Six came with a 'Knee-Action' front suspension and all-synchromesh transmission. The front fenders carried streamlined parking lights, and the headlights used a multi-beam system. Although the single taillamps were standard, most of the cars came with dual taillamps.

The 1935 Pontiac Improved Eight model rested on a longer, 116-inch wheelbase, increasing by 4-5/8-inches from the previous year. Standard equipment included dual taillights, fender safety lamps, and twin windshield wipers.

The 1935 Pontiac vehicles wore an all-new waterfall grille with 'Silver Streak' trim moldings along the hood. GM had embraced the modern and aerodynamic styling of the era, seen throughout the industry (albeit some manufacturers had fully embraced airplane-inspired aerodynamics, such as Chrysler with its Airflow models), with Pontiac bodies becoming more rounded, including on the grille shells and fenders.

The 1936 Pontiac vehicles waterfall grilles received even more refinement with fewer 'silver streaks' and thinner shells. The headlamps became longer and slimmer and were now positioned on the sides of the hood.

The 1936 Pontiac model lineup consisted of the Master Six (Series 6BB), the Deluxe Six (Series 6BB), and the Deluxe Eight (Series 8BA). All three were offered in seven different body-style options, ranging from coupes, cabriolets, to touring sedans. The base price was $615 for the two-door coupe while the top-of-the-line Touring Sedan with seating for five costs $840. The Master Six was priced from $615 to $745, the Deluxe Six listed for $665 to $810, and the top-of-the-line Deluxe Eight was $730 to $840.

The Master and Deluxe Six were nearly identical, except that the Deluxe Six added a 'Knee Aiction' independent front suspension, a larger fuel tank, automatic choke, and a higher capacity six-volt battery. The closed-bodied cars had taupe mohair or modified tweed pattern taupe woolen cloth upholstery.

The Deluxe Eight also received the 'Knee-Action' front suspension and automatic choke, plus a pressurized cooling system. The standard sedan body style came with twin assist straps, a dash-mounted clock, oriental grain interior moldings, and armrests in the front and rear.

The Master Six and Deluxe Six rested on a 112-inch wheelbase platform and had an overall length of 189.75-inches. The Deluxe Eight used a larger 116-inch platform and had an overall length of 194-inches. The additional space provided by the Deluxe Eight accommodated the larger inline-8 cylinder engine which had a 232.3 cubic-inch displacement, a Carter one-barrel carburetor, solid valve lifters, five main bearings, and offered 87 horsepower at 3,800 RPM. The six-cylinder unit had a 208 cubic-inch displacement, solid valve lifters, a Carter one-barrel carburetor, four-main bearings, and produced 81 horsepower at 3,600 RPM. Both engines were backed by a three-speed synchromesh manual transmission with a ventilated dry disc clutch and floor-mounted controls. Stopping power was by four-wheel hydraulic brakes. 1936 Pontiacs had an improved clutch, a new front suspension system with Kingpins positioned in floating bronze bearings, and an automatic choke. The eight-cylinder cars had an improved cooling system.

Along with the larger footprint, the eight-cylinder cars had the words 'Pontiac 8' on the grille, the sixes had an oblong loop style, and the eights had a circular design.

During the 1936 model year, Pontiac produced 44,040 examples of the Master Six (Series 6BB), 93,475 of the Deluxe Six (Series 6BA), and 38,755 of the Deluxe Eight (Series 8BA).

by Dan Vaughan

Cabriolet

The 1936 Pontiacs premiered what would become their trademark styling element for years to come, the 'waterfall grille.' The 1936 grille was thinner with fewer 'silver streaks' while the horizontal hood louvers now came to a point at the front. This handsome cabriolet with a front fender mounted spare was bodied by Fisher.

Cabriolet
Chassis number: 8BA8211

The Pontiac brand was introduced in 1926 and immediately set new sales records. Though sales were solid, and the product was sound - offering abundant standard features at a spectacular value, Pontiac sales declined as the Great Depression continued. In response, a new eight-cylinder engine appeared for 1933. Another introduction was the streamlined Fisher bodies designed by Franklin Q. Hershey, formerly of the Murphy Body Company. Refinements to styling continued, with changes in 1935 and 1936. Mechanical updates were added as well, with hydraulic brakes in 1935, and the eight was improved with a slight displacement and power increase for 1936. These subtle evolutionary changes paid off, as sales continued to increase as the world exited from The Great Depression. For 1936, Pontiac sold 176,270 vehicles.

The eight-cylinder engine was discontinued after the 1936 model year, and the eight-cylinder Deluxe Cabriolet was dropped from the Pontiac model catalog in April of 1936. There were about 2000 such cars produced, of which the majority were built by GM Canada.

This Deluxe Eight Cabriolet was given a restoration, bringing it back to its original condition. According to records, there are just two examples of the Deluxe Eight Cabriolet left in existence.

The 232.3 cubic-inch L-head eight-cylinder engine with the Carter one-barrel carburetor is capable of producing nearly 90 horsepower. There is a three-speed synchromesh gearbox and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. The car has earned 'VMCCA Gold' status with 97.5 out of 100 possible points.

In 2010, the car was offered for sale at the Vintage Motor Cars of Hershey auction presented by RM Auctions. The car was estimated to sell for $50,000-$70,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $75,900 including buyer's premium.

by Dan Vaughan