[Sharkbait40]

This site has a very nice selection of Pontiac and every other type of Automobile Brochures printed. Check it out as there are a few early Pontiac ads that I have never seen.

Pontiac's
http://www.lov2xlr8.no/pontiac.html

All Automobiles
http://www.lov2xlr8.no/broch1.html

Enjoy, Norm

[70RAlll]

Thanks for the link. I have the 1970 Firebird brochure shown in this link. Look at the picktures of the TA and zoom in to the picture showing the steering wheel. You can see the pedals with the chrome trim surrounds. This has been a debated subject many of times on this board. That picture is where I have always gotting my info that 70's did have the chrome surrounds on the gas/brake/clutch pedals..

[RicksGTO]

Looks like there is chrome pedal trim on the Formula in that brochure as well.
Also note the leather shift knob on both the Formula page and T/A page of the '70 brochure. One of the magazine articles I posted the other day from June '70 showed a brand new '70 Formula with the black ball shifter.
I do think that since they took these shots before full production was up and running on a brand new model, that it's not safe to take every small detail of these pics as proof they were produced as shown.

[70RAlll]

Originally Posted by RicksGTO

Looks like there is chrome pedal trim on the Formula in that brochure as well.
Also note the leather shift knob on both the Formula page and T/A page of the '70 brochure. One of the magazine articles I posted the other day from June '70 showed a brand new '70 Formula with the black ball shifter.
I do think that since they took these shots before full production was up and running on a brand new model, that it's not safe to take every small detail of these pics as proof they were produced as shown.

I have always thought that the leather shifter was for deluxe interiors and the ball was in standard interiors?? Could be wrong...but that is what I have always known as correct..These brochures were the same ones you get at any GM dealer today. Maybe they were shot earlier, but the porpuse of printing them was to advertise the cars and show the various options one could order.. Regardless of when it wa sprinted/shot.... I would think the pictures would represent what you could buy in 1970, just like today. I know I was looking at a new GMC truck recently and came home with a similar book...

[RicksGTO]

Originally Posted by 70RAlll

I would think the pictures would represent what you could buy in 1970, just like today

I agree Bill, hard to argue with a picture of an original car in a factory brochure, just mentioning the possibility of last minute changes for production or variations in the way they were built thru the model year, etc.

On the shifter, here is that link I posted the other day, Chris (the Boss) noticed the black shifter ball in a deluxe interior '70 Formula:
http://www.pontiacserver.com/ps70_2.html

.

[70RAlll]

Nice article/comparison....but, that is a popular science photo spread vs the promotional material published by GM herself.. No way of telling if the formula in that pic had been delivered to a dealer and had the ball added...or could have been a car already delivered and changed out. Personally, I...and I think most back then, preferred the black ball over the leather knob on the car....

[keith k]

Originally Posted by 70RAlll

I have always thought that the leather shifter was for deluxe interiors and the ball was in standard interiors?? Could be wrong...but that is what I have always known as correct..These brochures were the same ones you get at any GM dealer today. Maybe they were shot earlier, but the porpuse of printing them was to advertise the cars and show the various options one could order.. Regardless of when it wa sprinted/shot.... I would think the pictures would represent what you could buy in 1970, just like today. I know I was looking at a new GMC truck recently and came home with a similar book...

Bill, leather shifter being for deluxe interior is definitely not a correct assumption, at least for '70. This forum has discussed that before... long thread(s) in the archives.

And I will second Rick that you should put no stock in what you see in a brochure. Philosophically, you're right... it should show the customer what they'll get, or what's available. But you need to remember that the artwork is created long before the first car rolls off the line, and there are many things that can cause the brochure to not be the same as the production car. Everything from miscommunication inside large companies with complex organizations, to late changes for engineering, manufacturing, or financial reasons.

Even today, when you'd think processes like that would be MORE controlled, I can point you to circumstances where the brochure does not match the production car (Designing cars is what I do for a living....). One was a case of Marketing not being aware of a late design change requested by the Design Studio, and it led to the color of the optional wheels on the brochure cars being all wrong. Another was a case where Marketing thought if they put an image of something THEY wanted on the car into the brochure, it would force the program management team to release it for production. Didn't work...

And on and on.

[RAFormulas]

These brochures DEFINATELY are not accurate of the delivered product... here's proof... what do you see WRONG here. (hint... look at the 8 track)

And for the record... my ORIGINAL deluxe interior shifter has a black ball.

[giles]

Brochures and early ad copy were done with Pilot cars. These cars, in that era, were built on a special "pilot-line" not the full assembly line like today. The pilot cars were built about 4 months ahead of start-of-production with what were believed to be the latest-and-greatest parts. The purpose of pilot then was to ensure that almost all combos were actually buildable and provide some early vehicles for evaluation as well as sales and marketing duties. Also the owner's manual and shop manuals were developed with these vehicles so that the info was available when the cars arrived at the dealer. If detail items changed between pilot and start-of-production then the changes did not make it into the marketing photos or early versions of manuals. Bottom line - no, the brochures cannot be trusted for accuracy