One Owner 1956 Pontiac Chieftain V8 Project!
When Chevrolet redesigned its cars in 1955, Pontiac and the other GM divisions were in unison. The family resemblance from brand to brand was clear, like the dog-leg windshields and wider/lower profiles with attractive two-tone paint jobs available divided by bright trim. That also applied to the Chieftain, which was Pontiac’s entry-level car. Styling changes were minor for 1956, including those to the seller’s Chieftain 2-door hardtop. It’s said to be a complete one-owner car available in McKinney, Texas and here on Facebook Marketplace where the asking price has been lowered to $5,000.
The fresh, new look of the mid-50s Pontiacs helped the division pass a half-million units sold for the first time ever, placing the car maker sixth on the manufacturers list for the year. The ’56 edition got an increase in displacement for the Pontiac V8 to 316 cubic inches and horsepower output ranging from 192 to 285 depending on carburetion and compression ratio. That engine should be the one residing in the seller’s car, but we can’t make out which set up this Pontiac came with.
Chieftains could be ordered in two trim levels in 1956, the Series 860 and 870. There were 46,000 2-door hardtops built that year as 860s, while another 25,000 were in 870 mode. Given the single-color paint job and the absence of chrome used on two-tone models, we’re going out on a limb and saying this is the higher production 860 hardtop. The mileage on the car isn’t known as the placeholder “222,222” was used. The Chieftain is equipped with an automatic transmission.
The light blue paint job is pretty faded after 65 years and – while the seller says it’s a California car with no rust – there appears to be some peaking through in places like the front of the driver’s door. We’re also told there are no missing parts, but part of the chrome spear on the passenger’s side seems to be off. Perhaps it’s in the trunk, which we aren’t given a photo of. The interior is dirty but may clean up and the front bench seat is going to new a new covering.
All-in-all, this looks like a very restorable automobile. In Fair condition, Hagerty says they’re worth $9,600, so this one might be had for half that. If brought to like new condition, a Concours edition is a $36,000 car. I’d shoot for somewhere in the middle and have a car you could take to Cars & Coffee without having to fret over every possible parking lot scratch.
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Comments
If I was in the market for another project I might be taking a closer look at this one. Love the mid 50’s Ponchos. This looks like a bargain if it stays near where it is. I’d do this up in a classic two tone, but not sure what colors. They all look good to me.
I too would grab this up if I could.
It’s a complete original all steel car. Rust is minimal.
Body off for sure.
Bob
What a cool alternative to the Chevy tri-fives.
Based on the upholstery, it appears to be a Chieftan 870.
My Dad owned a 1956 Pontiac 4-door hardtop when we lived in Canada. I remember it being black and white with a 3-speed manual. He called it a Sportsman although I have not been able to find a 1956 Pontiac Sportsman. Maybe it was a Canada only model? The windows rattling against one another turned him off of hardtops for ever!
Different than a Chevy and with a front end not as dour as the Buick or Olds of the same year. Gotta like the Pontiac styling
When Bunkie Knudson came to GM this body style is one of the 1st cars he wanted restyled he wanted the hood strakes gone he called it an old man’s car, his words ” You can sell an old man a young man’s car but you can’t sell a young man an old man’s car”
Not sure what you mean by “Pontiac and the other GM divisions were in unison”, particularly not as to the “dogleg” windshields. Chevy and Pontiac had vertical A pillars from 1955 through 1957, whereas those pillars on Olds, Buick and Cadillac sloped rearward from their roofs. [In 1958, Chevy and Pontiac finally got the A pillars that the other three GM divisions had had since 1954.]
I’d take one of these over a 55 or 56 chev
My boss had a 56 Chieftain back in the 70s, we used it as a shop car in the service station. 3 on the tree V8. We talked about it at Christmas on our annual catch up call. When he sold it, he told the guy if he ever wanted to sell it, call him. A year later, the guy’s father called to ask if James wanted to buy it back. However, the reason why was that the guy put an exhaust hose in the car And topped himself. They didn’t find him for 6 weeks. James declined the offer.