[SKClassics]

I have recently purchased a 1970 Formula 400, when I pulled the PHS report I was surprised to see it was a company owned car. I have always been very interested in the historical side of things and was curious if there was anyway to know what it was used for,and or who may have drove it? Or is that lost to time?

My next question is, is it rare
To find company owned cars or did they have hundreds?

Last question is does it make the car any more valuable? I have no desires to sell it but curiosity wants to know.

PHS Attached

[necdb3]

I have 2 Pontiacs that were PMD cars. I wonder the same thing. One of the cars that was a PMD car is a 1972 SSJ Grand Prix. It has 2 Invoices so Pontiac could be reimbursed for the Hurst option, even has "HURST" on the second invoice but still there is no way of knowing what the car was used for.

1000's of PMD cars are out there. Could have just been someone's company car that worked for GM.

[johnta1]

Welcome to the Forums!

Very cool that you have this Formula.
The Zone 07 is for Michigan.
I wonder if it would have another PHS?
(for the eventual dealer who sold the car to the public)

[SKClassics]

I have the other invoice as well it was sold to mcmullen pontiac on 2/08/71.

[johnta1]

If it had a build sheet in the car somewhere it might have a notation on who was getting the car. But, in Norwood cars it is very rare to find one. (at least in these years)


Have any pics of your car?

[srmmmm]

I worked at the Lordstown and Oklahoma City GMAD plants (General Motors Assembly Division) for ten years. Executives at 8th level salary positions and above were given company cars to drive for 3000 miles. The cars were then sold direct to an employee at very high discounts. The Material Dept Director drove a 1978 Monte Carlo as a favor for me so I paid more than $2000 below sticker for a car with 3000 miles on it.

Unless there is paperwork indicating the car was company owned for a specific testing/evaluation program or marketing activity, I wouldn't think there's any real value added by the company ownership.

[Keith Seymore]

This is correct. I was a company car driver (Truck Engineering) for nearly 20 years.

There were PEP cars (product evaluation vehicles, driven as daily's and as a perk) and also working vehicles, assigned to Marketing/Engineering development and durability).

The PEP cars might be "tagged" by an individual for purchase and their name noted. My 63 Lemans was tagged for a Mr Connor.

The usage on the working vehicles was much more fluid and would be difficult to track (unless you know it was at an auto show or used in a commercial for example).

The biggest discount I recall on one of my drive and buys was 38% on a new Suburban (7500 miles + past model year).

K

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by SKClassics

I have the other invoice as well it was sold to mcmullen pontiac on 2/08/71.

John McMullen owned the Somerset collection of car dealerships.

He was a noted vintage car collector and member of the Widetrackers Chapter of POCI (Lapeer Michigan based).

The theatre in the Pontiac Transportation Museum is named in his honor.

K

[jerry455]

When I bought my 1977 Can Am, in 1983, it was an executive car, according to the Pontiac Zone office. This was before PHS was out there. You would get ahold of Pontiac, and they would send you anything they had about your car, but the invoice had the prices redacted. They used to do it for free.

[srmmmm]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

This is correct. I was a company car driver (Truck Engineering) for nearly 20 years.

There were PEP cars (product evaluation vehicles, driven as daily's and as a perk) and also working vehicles, assigned to Marketing/Engineering development and durability).

K

I remember my boss always wanting the "PEP" cars that actually had some "pep". He wasn't overly excited with driving my Monte Carlo that only had the Buick 3.8L V6 until I told him I had a COPO order issued at the Kansas City plant to put the Malibu police car springs and sway bars on it. He did enjoy the handling, even it it wasn't the quickest car in the garage.

I was able to drive both a 1975 and 1976 Cosworth Vega a few nights when I was at Lordstown. The garage was "evaluating" performance mods and ran the fuel pump off a full 12 volts instead of the coil circuit 9.6 volts which boosted the fuel pressure at the injectors and added more power. They were fun to drive with their 5-speeds.

[SKClassics]

She’s alittle rough but will keep me busy, bought with no motor or transmission assuming it was a base firebird, once I got it home and did my research I found out it’s a formula.

[SKClassics]

Was told it has been sitting in the back corner of a barn the last 30 years

[johnta1]

Probably not bad for a MI car?
The rear frame rails are very bad about getting rusty.
The rear spoiler is not factory on the Formula, but it was probably a popular addition to the Birds.

Is the rear end still a 12 bolt?

Always nice to see a 70 Formula for me.

[poncho-mike]

I learned a lot from this thread.

I like the 1971 - 1972 A-bodies. In the early 1980s, I found a very tired oddball. It was an orange 1972 Luxury Lemans. It was heavily optioned with a drivetrain similar to a GTO. It was orange with a white vinyl top, white/black interior, bucket seats with console, electric seat back locks, the optional steering wheel, AM/FM with cassette player. The drive train was a 400 4-barrel, TH400, 3.23 posi, and rally wheels (14"). It had a/c, cruise control, power windows, power locks, etc. The option sheet was long. The PHS was free back then, so I sent off for it. I remember it was sold to a Pontiac zone.

It really looked like a granny car, even had the fender skirts found on a Luxury Lemans. Unfortunately it was rusty and had some accident damage by the time I ended up with it. The electric seat back locks were sold to a friend who installed them in his 1971 GTO.

[SKClassics]

I also have a 1972 luxury lemans someone painted the whole car blue at some point chrome and all.

[jerry455]

That Lemans looks nice with the body painted bumper.