While performance was a Pontiac cornerstone at this point, an interesting engine displayed on a stand was the Tempest 420-E 389-cid V-8, rated at 215 hp and able to run regular gasoline, a concession to economy/compact car market demands of the time.
January 16-24, 1960
While the '60 Pontiacs were restyled, the Chicago Auto Show display was not. Though the split grille disappeared for a season, visitors were greeted with the news that Pontiac was still the "only car with Wide-Track, a Whisper-quiet ride, spirited Tempest 425 performance, and seats softer than a sofa."
Featured was the new Ventura series, a cutaway of the four-door hardtop, and descriptions by the spokespersons of the wide variety of performance options available that year.
With GM Motorama dream cars no longer being turned out en masse, the corporation produced a number of modified production cars, mainly with special interiors.
February 18-26, 1961
The biggest news for the '61 show was its new home, McCormick Place, on the shores of Lake Michigan on the south side. Greater space and easier access were all features of the new facility that had room for 450 cars and trucks on two floors. There was a new Arie Crown Theater that seated more than 5,000 spectators for the "Motorevue of 1961," which featured the new cars on display along with stage presentations of music and dancing.
Pontiacs were a hit both on the show floor and on stage. The downsized Pontiacs were joined by a new Tempest compact, which featured front-mounted four-cylinder or V-8 power, a rear-mounted transmission, and a rope-like driveshaft between the two. Split grilles returned to both the standard Pontiac and Tempest lines.
February 17-25, 1962
"Meet the twosome with the come-hither look," said the spokeswomen at the '62 Pontiac display. They were referring to the new Grand Prix personal luxury sports coupe and Tempest LeMans convertible, the latter a midyear offering. Big Pontiacs featured revised styling and slightly larger dimensions.
Perhaps the highlight of the Pontiac exhibit that year was the Monte Carlo, a shortened Tempest two-seat roadster, with a cut-down windshield and supercharged four-cylinder engine. Somewhat confusing was the '61-based split grille, different from the '62 Tempests, which had a three-piece unit.
February 16-24, 1963
For those who weren't definite about attending the '63 Chicago Auto Show, Pontiac ads in the newspapers read, "If you didn't plan to go to the show, get ready to change your mind." In print and on the floor were revised '63 Pontiacs and Tempests. Once again, the Grand Prix was featured on a turntable with its vague connection to motorsports being touted.
Dazzling folks in the display was another show car, the Fleur-de-Lis, a Tempest LeMans convertible featuring a rich pearl mauve color scheme, a blacked-out grille, and appropriate badging.
Also in the display was the Bonneville Maharini, a convertible in pearlescent turquoise featuring an interior accented with peacock feathers.
OK, so Pontiac wasn't in a particularly masculine mood at the time.
February 8-16, 1964
A focus on performance was apparent in the '64 display-led by the GTO. Though GTOs were being sold (in healthy numbers) in late 1963, a specially trimmed LeMans Flamme convertible show car brought home the message: Pontiac was hot! It featured a bright-red finish and a special interior with anodized-aluminum insets.
Pontiac Motor Division General Manager Pete Estes was at the press preview to personally carry the message of the GTO and the rest of the lineup, which featured revised Pontiac and Grand Prix offerings.
February 20-28, 1965
The entire Pontiac line was chosen Motor Trend's "Car of the Year" for 1965, and rapidly increasing sales were vividly impressed upon visitors to the Pontiac display at the '65 show. All-new Pontiac and Grand Prix styling and increased emphasis on the GTO gave the division plenty to show off.
High ceilings and wide aisles...
High ceilings and wide aisles made McCormick Place a vast improvement over the old auto-show venues. The main focus of this shot is the one-of-a-kind Monte Carlo show car in the foreground. Based on the two-door Tempest, the Monte Carlo sported a shorter wheelbase, a cut-down windshield, a two-place cockpit, and a supercharged four-cylinder powerplant.
With a restyled body, the...
With a restyled body, the GTO was one of the '66 Pontiac models to rate raised-platform recognition that year. Another GTO is in the foreground, which would have been accessible to the public. On the right is a front view of a Tempest Sprint hardtop.
Several '63 Bonneville models...
Several '63 Bonneville models fill the scene, including the modified production convertible on the raised platform, titled "Maharani." The Maharani body was painted in a pearlescent turquoise color, and the custom interior was done in multihued leather, accented with peacock feathers. Adding a finishing touch are 8-Lug aluminum wheels. Note the wheel covers with simulated knock-off spinners on the Bonneville convertible in the foreground.
We're not sure if the lovely...
We're not sure if the lovely female model sitting in the custom '63 Pontiac convertible, or the Tempest Fleur de Lis show car itself received most of the audience attention in Chicago that year. Pontiac created the Fleur de Lis by performing modest exterior and interior changes to a Tempest LeMans ragtop.
In 1964, a LeMans convertible...
In 1964, a LeMans convertible show car, Flamme, was highlighted on the raised, finned platform in the Pontiac exhibit. The custom interior, wire wheels, and thin-line tires complemented the Firecracker Red exterior paint.
In the center of the '65 exhibit,...
In the center of the '65 exhibit, sitting on the raised platform, is a custom GTO Tiger show car. It featured a Tiger-theme interior of real animal skin with tiger stripes on the seats, doors, and seatbelts, as well as furry carpeting underfoot. Production models are positioned around it.