Cheers or Jeers: 20,000 Mile 1956 Pontiac Chieftain Wagon

Link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SUPER-LOW-MILES-BEUTIFUL-WAGON-WIDE-WHITES-DRIVES-LIKE-NEW-/251079845407?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item3a7586661f

1956 PONTIAC

CHIEFTAIN 870 WAGON

ONLY 20,000.00 ACTUAL MILES

RAVEN BLACK & BOLERO RED

BLACK AND IVORY INTERIOR

PONTIAC OWNER SERVICE POLICY

ORIGINAL 316 V8

AUTOMATIC SYNCHROMESH TRANS.

LIGHTED HOOD ORNAMENT

DELUXE AM RADIO

WIDE WHITE WALLS

E-Z-EYE GLASS

BRAKE INDICATOR

FRONT & REAR BUMPER GUARDS

BEAUTIFUL STRAIGHT BODY

AND INTERIOR

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE CALL

what a gorgeous machine!

Kinda cool, but...

Interesting rig! Greatly resembles a '55 Chevy wagon from the windshield back. In lovely shape, apparently.

Interesting rig! Greatly resembles a '55 Chevy wagon from the windshield back. In lovely shape, apparently.

That resemblance is one of my objections, the goofy two-tone pattern doesn't help. Still, very clean and well preserved.

Interesting rig! Greatly resembles a '55 Chevy wagon from the windshield back. In lovely shape, apparently.

I've read that tri-five Chevy and Pontiac wagons shared the rear sheetmetal and other wagony parts...note the Chevy taillight opening w/ a Pontiac-specific light housing.

Edited June 10, 201213 yr by Cubical-aka-Moltar

Color is a bit strange, but other than that I like!

Interesting rig! Greatly resembles a '55 Chevy wagon from the windshield back. In lovely shape, apparently.

I've read that tri-five Chevy and Pontiac wagons shared the rear sheetmetal and other wagony parts...note the Chevy taillight opening w/ a Pontiac-specific light housing.

The tail lights really were "phoned-in", would have looked better if they had just used the Chevy lights.

A much cleaner design:

Interesting rig! Greatly resembles a '55 Chevy wagon from the windshield back. In lovely shape, apparently.

I've read that tri-five Chevy and Pontiac wagons shared the rear sheetmetal and other wagony parts...note the Chevy taillight opening w/ a Pontiac-specific light housing.

The tail lights really were "phoned-in", would have looked better if they had just used the Chevy lights.

Those taillights may have inspired the G8 taillights!

Interesting rig! Greatly resembles a '55 Chevy wagon from the windshield back. In lovely shape, apparently.

I've read that tri-five Chevy and Pontiac wagons shared the rear sheetmetal and other wagony parts...note the Chevy taillight opening w/ a Pontiac-specific light housing.

The tail lights really were "phoned-in", would have looked better if they had just used the Chevy lights.

Those taillights may have inspired the G8 taillights!

Maybe. The tails on a G8 GT are pretty bad - the ones on the base car are more attractive.

<-------- waits for a thump on the head from Balthy.

G8 doesn't interest me, so if that's the justification for a thump, you get a pass. I like the late model GTO, tho.

RE the slight thumbs down on this wagon, you are entitled to yours.

I think the color scheme, povertys/rings/red rims, makes for a sharp look. I gots no problems with it, other that '56 is a bit cluttered and I'd prefer a '57.

The '55 Chevy is nice too, but I grow tired of Chevys, you know that. Doesn't mean they aren't sweet, just common.

I look down my nose a bit on the Tri-5s, but my buddy has a '56 Bel Air coupe, and whenever I go over there, I circle it and smile.

Camino, we're usually on the same page, so we can split hairs between Pontiac & Chevy and still 'agree'.

G8 doesn't interest me, so if that's the justification for a thump, you get a pass. I like the late model GTO, tho.

RE the slight thumbs down on this wagon, you are entitled to yours.

I think the color scheme, povertys/rings/red rims, makes for a sharp look. I gots no problems with it, other that '56 is a bit cluttered and I'd prefer a '57.

The '55 Chevy is nice too, but I grow tired of Chevys, you know that. Doesn't mean they aren't sweet, just common.

I look down my nose a bit on the Tri-5s, but my buddy has a '56 Bel Air coupe, and whenever I go over there, I circle it and smile.

Camino, we're usually on the same page, so we can split hairs between Pontiac & Chevy and still 'agree'.

True enough, this car just looks like the Pontiac DNA was just sort of "hung" on a Chevy design to me. Plus I like 'clean" so the Chevy wins this one for me.

IMO, in general, '55 is a toss-up, '56 goes to Chevy, '57 goes to Pontiac

what a gorgeous machine!

Agreed....

A much cleaner design:

I'm not into the Chevy verses Pontiac thing. I see so many Chevrolets and so few Pontiacs here in the midwest....the old Pontaics are such a refreshing change.

IMO, in general, '55 is a toss-up, '56 goes to Chevy, '57 goes to Pontiac

And actually, 56 is the lesser of the three years IMHO when it comes to Chevrolet...

To be honest, very few 50s designs work for me - at least until '59.

The '55 Chevy is one of them.

Others:

Corvette (better each year through the decade generally)

Studebaker Hawk (and variants)

Some Chryco products

The rest kinda leave me cold, and Pontiac really begins for me in '59.

Lower, longer, wider really beats the bulbous, chrome-laden look for me.

Camino, here's where you and I differ on our love of Pontiac... I'd take this:

or this:

over this anyday:

But to each their own and I can respect your love affair of any Pontiac

IMO, in general, '55 is a toss-up, '56 goes to Chevy, '57 goes to Pontiac

Ugh... if you're talking just tail lights, ok.. but overall '57 goes to any division BUT Pontiac. I think their grills are terrible. The only '57s I dislike more than the Pontiac are the Mercury and Dodges.... but all three would be improved by a medium speed impact into a brick wall.

^ you are GRUMPY today!! .... unless you're being serious.

The '57 Pontiac is in my top 5 favorite designs. I LOVE the grillework/bumper, flows awesomely, is so unique.

Among GM Divisions, it's my #1 in '57.

I am grumpy (exhaustion) but my opinion is still the same.

My #1 1957 GM? The '57 Oldsmobile:

...followed by #2 Chevy and #3 Pontiac. I actually prefer the 1955 Pontiac more than the '57, but wouldn't let a '57 Pontiac Star Chief pass me by

It's funny that the '55 & '56 Safari's {'56 pictured below} didn't suffer the same rear taillamp fate that the other Pontiac wagons did with using Chevrolet rear styling:

Freakin HOT wagon

I do like the sweepspear on the fifities Buicks...

But overall, it's '59 and up for GM stuff.

I do like the sweepspear on the fifities Buicks...

But overall, it's '59 and up for GM stuff.

I'm the reverse. Prewar -> about 1960, then about 1965 - Mid-70s, then 1980 - 87, then 1992 - 96 for me.

GM loses me completely from 1961 - 1965/66

Funny how we all have different notions of when GM was at it's design best..

I pretty much love the whole run from 1959 - 1972, the interest tapers and narrows for me at both ends of that. Just a few things here and there at both ends of the timeline.

My interest in big GMs is '61-85ish (when the B- and C- bodies went FWD). The '50s and earlier just don't capture my interest the way the '61-64, '65-70, and '71-76 generations do..

My core favorite years are '59-68.

Also have a strong attraction to the '57-58s.

After that, I tend to float earlier.

The '70s stuff does VERY little for me, and most everything after that grows increasingly dreadful.

There are exceptions and qualifiers, of course.

Funny how we all have different notions of when GM was at it's design best..

I pretty much love the whole run from 1959 - 1972, the interest tapers and narrows for me at both ends of that. Just a few things here and there at both ends of the timeline.

Pretty much my range, as well... 1959 - 1974, with a secondary range of 1955 - 1958, 1975-1988, 1989-2009 for B-bods, H-bods, F-bods, GTOs, Kappas and G8s, pre-2004 Grand Prixes.