To trace the history of Pontiac Motor Division to its
beginning, it is necessary to go back to the gay nineties and to the
nostalgic days of the dashboard and whip socket.
Edward M. Murphy, a successful young businessman
organized the Pontiac Buggy Company in Pontiac, Mich., in 1893. During the
following 10 years, his company gained an enviable reputation for fine
carriage work.
It was in the early 1900s that the far-sighted Murphy
began to look with interest at the smoking, sputtering horseless carriages
that appeared occasionally on the streets. Sensing the potential of the
automobile which still was branded as an impractical and temporary novelty,
he acquired the rights to a two cylinder engine designed by A. P. Brush, a
famous motor pioneer who already had established his reputation in the field
of engineering by designing a successful one-cylinder Cadillac and Brush
car.
Murphy equipped a section of his buggy works for car
production and on August 28,1907, he founded the Oakland Motor Car Company.
The initial investment of $200,000 in the new automobile
manufacturing concern is less than the cost of some of the machines which
now equip sprawling plants at Pontiac.
Murphy produced the two cylinder Oakland for a year.
However, it did not sell, so in 1908 he introduced the Oakland Model K, a
four cylinder car that was powerful for its time and competitively priced. A
total of 278 four-cylinder Oaklands were produced in 1908 and 491 in 1909.
The growing young Oakland Motor Car Company attracted the
attention of William Crapo Durant, one of the organizing geniuses behind the
then forming business which was to become General Motors.
Durant, through his agents, entered into negotiations
with the Oakland stockholders and on April 9,1909, Oakland joined General
Motors taking its place beside Buick and Oldsmobile. Cadillac joined GM
later that year and Chevrolet was added in 1918.
In September, 1909, E. M. Murphy died at age 45. L. L.
(Lee) Dunlap, a long-time friend and business associate of Murphy's
succeeded Murphy and Oakland continued its growth.
In 1910, production of the Model K Oakland boomed to
4,639, mainly on the basis of its hill climbing ability. Three years later,
Oakland introduced its first "six" along with a fast "four" that was
equipped with a self-starter.
After World War I, Oakland pioneered closed bodies in the
light car field and skeptics shook their heads. In 1923, Oakland introduced
long lasting, fast drying Duco lacquer to the auto industry.
In 1925, rumors spread of a new companion car to the
Oakland line. Ben H. Anibal, who had been chief engineer for Cadillac, was
engaged by General Manager A. R. (Al) Glancy to design a completely new
light, six cylinder car.
Pontiac, the "Chief of the Sixes", made its bow at the
New York Auto Show in January, 1926. Little did Oakland executives dream at
the time that the Pontiac would one day supersede the parent.
The new automobile became as aggressive and powerful in
its field as did the colorful Indian chief who 200 years ago banded together
the Ottawas, Chippewas, Pottawatomis and Miamis into a powerful
confederation.
Embodying many features of high-priced automobiles, yet
costing little more than the least expensive lines, Pontiac immediately
captured public favor and in 1926 a total of 76,742 units were built.
Popularity of Pontiac became so great that Oakland was
discontinued in 1932. Pontiac is one of the few companion cars to survive
the rigors of competition and today holds the distinction of being the only
line introduced by General Motors after formation of the corporation.
Soon after the introduction of Pontiac, it was evident
that the original factory site near the center of the city of Pontiac was
too small, so 246 acres were acquired on the northern edge of the city for a
new plant.
The new facility was to be known as the "daylight plant"
because the extensive use of glass skylights provided natural illumination.
It was considered a miracle in the construction industry that within 90 days
after ground was broken cars were being produced in the new plant.
A new Fisher Body Division plant was built nearby,
connected by an overhead closed bridge... a convenience not available to
many manufacturers who had to truck in their bodies.
In 1933, Harry J. Klingler was named general manager of
Pontiac, and it was decided to put a "six" back in the line, retaining the
"eight" as well. The 1935 models were the first to bear the Silver Streak
identification; and sales doubled calling for further factory expansion.
Pontiac produced 330,061 units of its 1941 model, thus
becoming the largest producer in its price class and the fifth largest in
the nation. After an outstanding war production record, Pontiac returned to
passenger car production in 1945.
To satisfy growing demands, a vast expansion program was
launched in 1945 to increase productivity capacity by 50 per cent. Pontiac's
iron foundry was greatly enlarged. Layout of the engine plant was altered to
provide for more machines and heavier production. A new building was erected
for increased production of rear axles, and for heat-treating of steel
forgings to make them tougher and more durable. Pontiac's electroplating
system, one of the largest automatic setups in the new warehouse for
handling past model parts, was put into service.
In 1951, Klingler became vice president in charge of
vehicle production for GM and Arnold Lenz was appointed general manager of
Pontiac. Lenz served as general manager until his tragic death in 1952.
R. M. Critchfield succeeded Lenz as general manager and
under his guidance Pontiac embarked on the most extensive enlargement and
modernization program since 1927. A new car finish building was completed
and the engine plant was completely modernized to produce V-8 engines in
record volumes. Production for 1955 established a new high of 581,860 cars.
A new era started for Pontiac in 1956 when Semon E.
(Bunkie) Knudsen took over the reins as general manager. Knudsen, son of
William S. Knudsen, a former GM president, at the time was the youngest GM
general manager at age 43. He proceeded without fanfare to make over the
Pontiac image.
With a new engineering group headed by E. M. (Pete)
Estes, the new Pontiacs were methodically developed. Starting with the 1959
models, an image of a youthful car with appeal across the spectrum of new
car buyers emerged.
In the fall of 1960, following intensive research,
development and testing, Pontiac introduced the completely new Tempest
series. Unique in conception and fresh in styling, the Tempest became an
immediate success and was recognized as the outstanding engineering
achievement of the year.
When Knudsen moved to Chevrolet as general manager in
1961, Estes headed Pontiac. Under his direction the division continued to
grow in sales volume and facilities.
With the addition of the Tempest, the division moved into
third place in sales in 1961. Long regarded as the hot-spot in automobile
sales, third place has a reputation of being hard to keep. Several car
manufacturers have occupied the position over the years only to lose out to
another make.
Pontiac continued its dominance of third place during the
sixties as sales records were shattered.
The division also moved ahead in plant construction and
in 1964 three new projects were announced. All were completed the following
year and added some 11/2 million square feet to Pontiac's home production
facilities.
These include a 180,000 square-foot addition to the
foundry for new core-making machines, water-cooled cupolas and a new
finishing room to make Pontiac's foundry the most modern in the industry.
Also added was a service parts warehouse containing
1,070,000 square feet under one roof to consolidate storage of service
parts. A one-story storage and shipping building, 800 feet long and 330
feet wide, to expedite shipments to other Pontiac assembly plants was
completed in 1964.
Estes followed Knudsen's footsteps to Chevrolet as
general manager in 1965 and John Z. DeLorean was named to Pontiac's top
position, moving up from chief engineer of the division.
Before the introduction of its 1966 models, Pontiac
announced a completely new overhead camshaft engine as standard equipment on
all 1966 Tempest models. This was the first time such an engine had been
used in an American passenger car.
In January, 1967, Pontiac unveiled the Firebird. Aimed at
the youthful sports car market, it was offered with the OHC-6 and with a 400
cubic-inch V-8 engine.
1968 was another milestone year for Pontiac. Production
and sales records were shattered as 943,253 cars were produced for an
all-time high. Pontiac's GTO was chosen Car of the Year by Motor Trend
magazine for "being so successful in confirming the correlations between
safety, styling and performance."
The presentation of the Golden Calipers trophy marked the
fourth time Pontiac had won the trophy, more than any other manufacturer.
Contributing to the GTO success was the innovative energy
absorbing Endura front bumper developed by Pontiac engineering. Hailed as an
industry first and projected as a pace- setter for others to copy, the car
and bumper attracted nationwide publicity.
Sales boomed in 1968. For the first time, the specialty
cars Tempest, Grand Prix and Firebird exceeded those of the traditional
line. When the final tallies were in, 910,977 Pontiacs had been sold.
The 1969 Grand Prix was a phenomenal success as its sales
more than tripled over the previous model year to 105,000. Car Life magazine
awarded the Grand Prix its "Car of the Year" award.
In February, 1969, F. James McDonald returned to Pontiac
as general manager, replacing DeLorean who moved up to Chevrolet in the same
capacity.
McDonald (who had served as Pontiac's works manager from
1965-68) returned after spending one year to the day at Chevrolet as
director of manufacturing operations.
The division's new 300,000 square-foot ultra-modern
administration building opened in early 1970. The five-level structure,
headquarters the general manager and the sales, accounting, data processing,
purchasing and public relations departments.
In March, 1971, Pontiac entered the compact car market
with the low-priced, stylish Ventura 11. Built on a 111 inch wheelbase, the
Ventura II was offered in two door and four door models. ,
In April, 1971, Pontiac dedicated a new multi-million
dollar vehicle emissions control and carburetor testing facility. The
two-story, 43,000 square foot building is being used by Pontiac engineers
working on the development of vehicle emissions controls of components in
the power train and the fuel system.
The 1971 calendar year saw Pontiac take firm hold on
third place in the auto industry's sales race. Pontiac dealers sold 710,352
cars to capture the hotly contested third spot in sales for the 10th time in
the last 11years.
In 1972, Pontiac featured a new energy-absorbing bumper
on all full-size cars. The system consisted of two telescoping steel boxes
which contain urethane positioned between the bumper and the frame of the
car. Since the urethane blocks were not damaged by an impact, the bumper
could be struck numerous times during the life of the car and continue to
absorb energy.
On October 1,1972, Martin J. Caserio became general
manager of Pontiac replacing Mr. McDonald who was named Chevrolet general
manager. Mr. Caserio had been general manager of the GMC Truck & Coach
Division since 1966.
The 1973 Pontiac lineup was highlighted by a totally
redesigned intermediate series, topped by the stunning Grand Am. This fine
road touring car featured a "soft nose" front end made of flexible rubber
like urethane for protection. Pontiac sales of 854,343 for the 1973 model
year were the second-best in history.
The 1974 Pontiac lineup featured significant engineering
improvements in energy- absorbing bumpers and a new Radial Tuned Suspension
package.
By 1974 the major construction was completed on a
multi-million dollar program to clean up smoke emissions from the Pontiac
Casting Plant. Five modern arc melt furnaces and four electric induction
holding furnaces with the latest dust collecting units were installed. Two
remaining coke-fired cupolas had modern emission control equipment installed
making them as clean as the electric furnaces.
Introduction of the sub compact Astre, bold restyling of
the compact Ventura and extensive use of Radial Tuned Suspension with steel
belted radial tires highlighted introduction of the 1975 Pontiacs.
Rectangular headlamps were utilized on the Bonneville and Grand Ville
Brougham for the first time. Pontiac continued its strong emphasis on
customer satisfaction by extending its First 100 Day Survey program to all
retail purchasers of new Pontiacs. The survey was introduced on a sample
basis during the 1973 model year. The survey seeks customer reaction to the
new car, and to the dealership and its service. The survey is a domestic
industry exclusive for Pontiac.
Pontiac's Golden Anniversary model lineup for 1976
included a new sporty sub compact, the Sunbird, and a new top of the line
entry, the Bonneville Brougham. Usage of rectangular headlamps was expanded
to include the intermediate LeMans, the Grand Prix and the new Sunbird. The
new Pontiacs showed the positive results of Pontiac engineers' continuing
efforts to improve fuel economy.
On October 1,1975, Alex C. Mair was appointed general
manager of Pontiac, succeeding Mr. Caserio, who became General Motors vice
president and group executive in charge of the automotive components
electrical group. Mr. Mair had been general manager of the GMC Truck & Coach
Division since 1972, and previously had been director of engineering for the
Chevrolet Motor Division.
Pontiac's 1977 model lineup was headlined by the
introduction of the completely redesigned full size cars, plus Pontiac's two
new engines. Catalina, Bonneville, Bonneville Brougham, Catalina Safari and
Grand Safari models all were redesigned shorter and lighter than their
predecessors, they continued to offer as much or more interior and luggage
compartment space as earlier models. The new engines a 2.5 litre (151 cid)
cast iron L4 and a 4.9 litre (301 cid) V-8 were designed from the outset to
provide improved durability and reliability as well as outstanding fuel
economy.
Pontiac introduced a new car mid year in 1977. The
Phoenix was added to the Pontiac lineup as the top of the line compact car.
It joined the Pontiac Ventura as the only American compact cars to offer a
four cylinder engine. Among other features, the Phoenix offered the first
U.S. headlamps completely designed under the metric measurement system.
Complete redesign of the mid-size LeMans and Grand LeMans
and of the personal luxury Grand Prix, the return of the Grand Am and
continuing engineering and fuel economy improvements were the highlights of
Pontiac's 1978 model lineup. The LeMans, Grand LeMans and Grand Prix were
all shorter and lighter than their predecessors, providing significant
increases in fuel economy while retaining traditional levels of roominess
and comfort. New front and rear design treatments and several new interior
trims were offered in the 1978 full size Pontiacs. The Grand Am was
reintroduced with distinctive features that included a soft, flexible rubber
front end panel. The Phoenix replaced the Ventura and the Sunbird replaced
the Astre as Pontiac's compact and subcompact cars, respectively, for the
1978 model year.
In April, 1978, the completely remodernized manufacturing
office building was dedicated. Occupying the new building are Industrial
Engineering, Manufacturing Staff, Reliability Staff, Plant Engineering and
Production Engineering.
Pontiac Motor Division sold more new cars 871,391 during
the 1978 model year than in any previous model year in its history.
Firebirds, led by the performance-oriented Trans Am, continued to be among
the most popular cars in the auto industry, setting an all time model year
sales record of 175,607. Pontiac's sporty little Sunbird also set a sales
record.
The 1979 model lineup for Pontiac was highlighted by
Firebird's new front and rear styling and a new "crossflow" cylinder head
designed four cylinder engine for the Sunbird for improved performance. The
1979 model year marked the first full year since the 1930's that Pontiac
offered genuine wire wheels on certain models. Four wheel power disc brakes
were introduced as an option on Firebird Formula and Trans Am models. The
Grand Safari wagon was renamed the Bonneville Safari to more closely
identify it with the Pontiac family of cars. The 400 cubic inch V-8 was
discontinued for all Catalina and Bonneville models in the division's
efforts to increase its fuel economy average and help General Motors meet
stringent federal fuel economy standards.
On November 6, 1978, Robert C. Stempel became Pontiac
general manager, succeeding Alex C. Mair who was named vice president and
group executive in charge of the Technical Staffs Group at the GM Technical
Center in Warren, Mich. Mr. Stempel was formerly Director of Engineering for
Chevrolet Motor Division.
