1964 Pontiac "PARISIENNE"
Hi Guys,
Many thanks for all of the nice comments re. our "...barn find" at my deceased brother-in-law's garage, i.e. the 1964 Pontiac Parisienne...
Looking at the various posted pix here of other full-sized AMERICAN Pontiacs, it becomes painfully obvious just how GM/Pontiac Motor Division short-changed the Canadian car buyer back-in-the-day: specifically, take a peek at how the wheels are so much deeper inset into the wheel-wells of our car, versus those rides that belong to our American friends...
That's the famous "Pontiac Wide Track"---something that simply did NOT exist up here way-back-when, because our big-body Pontiacs were built atop Chevrolet frames & drivetrains. Ditto the engine options available for Canucks from that era: whereas US enthusiasts could option their Ponchos with 421 CID PONTIAC power plants, the biggest motor available to us was the Chevy 409---with a pair of Carter 4 barrel carbs.
The base "B" body Pontiac in '64, as I recall, was called the "Strato Chief" model; it then went up to the "Laurentian", and was topped-off with the "Parisienne". The only time this kid ever saw a "Bonneville", or "Grand Prix" was during our summer family vacations visiting friends in Ohio & Michigan! I recall even then that there was something appealingly "different" about those US cars, and in hindsight I guess it was their wide track stance---something completely alien to The Great White North at the time.
Oh well, so much for the history lesson on Canadian versus USA big body Pontiacs...!
BTW, who amongst our American brethern reading this, can tell the world just exactly what a "Beaumont" was...? Or its predessor, the "Canso"...? If you know the answers to this, then you really are a die-hard Poncho fanatic...! :>)
Eddy
Ontario, CANADA
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