Profile of the 1960 Pontiac
Originally a luxury brand, in 1926, General Motors Corporation introduced the Pontiac automobile line featuring a sportier, performance car experience at a reasonable cost. Named after the American-Indian Ottawa Chief, the Pontiac represents power, strength, and durability. The Pontiac logos down through the years have been the arrowhead and headdress.
Pontiac brands have included the Bonneville, GTO, Firebird, Lemans/Tempest, Trans-Am, Fiero, Solstice, 6000, Acadian, Astre, Aztek, Beaumont, Catalina, Chieftain, Executive, Firefly, G3, G4, Cobalt, G6, Grand-Am, Parisienne, Grand Prix, 2000, and many others. The 1960 Pontiac models introduced were the Bonneville, Ventura, Catalina and Tempest.
1960 Pontiac Bonneville
A consumer could choose from the luxurious, elegant Pontiac Bonneville convertible, Sports Coupe or Vista. The engine was a 303-horsepower Tempest V-8 engine with a four-barrel carburetor, a 389-cubic-inch displacement, and 425 pounds-foot of torque. It promised a powerful engine performance.
Standard equipment and options
Standard equipment included soft, deep pile carpet extending up into the door panels, a padded hand-rail assist bar on the cushioned instrument panel, a polished walnut panel cove with a red and gold series name plate, an aluminum seat end and side panels, and a custom steering wheel.
Color options included three special three-tone blends with Morrokide accents to match with the 15 “Magic Mirror” body colors and six fabric top colors. The Coupe and Vista models combined striped wool broadcloth and nylon faces, fine textured weave fabric in five three-tone combinations. Or, it could be combined with Morrokide in four color options. Bucket seats were another option made available on convertibles, as well as folding rear wall center arm-rests.
Pontiac Star Chief Sports Sedan and Vista
With the 124-inch wheelbase, Wide Track wheel design, and 283-horsepower Tempest 425 engine, the luxury laden Pontiac Star Chief Sports Sedan or Vista were also great choices in 1960.
Pontiac Star Chief Sports Sedan or Vista owners enjoyed the comfort of wide seats, a custom steering wheel, twin instrument panel ashtrays, and an exclusive instrument panel design. Other features included deluxe wheel discs, distinctive exterior trim, the “Pomeroy” pattern double weave nylon top cloth, Morrokide upholstery, the wall-to-wall “Tacoma” weave carpet with the four interior color combinations to match the 15 “Magic Mirror” body colors and the bright metal trim.
Pontiac Catalina Sports Coupe
Peak performance was found in the Pontiac Catalina with its 283-horsepower Tempest 425 V-8 engine or the fuel-efficient regular fuel Tempest 425E economy engine (available with any Hydra-Matic Pontiac). Pontiac consumers could choose from seven different body styles. The Catalina Sports Coupe was full-sized, fully-equipped, and had a 122-inch wheelbase.
Pontiac Catalina Sports Sedan
This comfortable sedan offered a multitude of standard equipment items, which included electric windshield wipers, a cigarette lighter, dual sun visors, push button door locks, automatic interior lighting, acrylic lacquer “Magic Mirror” finish, a foot-operated parking brake, and front stabilizer bars. Additional features included all-chrome hardware, 8.00-inch x 14-inch tubeless tires (except the Safari which had 8.50-inch x 14-inch tires), dual front and rear arm rests, one front and two rear ashtrays, crank-operated front vent panes, individually-controlled air vents, an instrument panel snack bar, a trimmed trunk, Safety Plate Glass windows, and foam front seat cushion padding.
Pontiac Catalina convertible
The rich Pontiac Catalina convertible gave buyers a choice of 15 body colors, 5 interior colors with long wearing, easy care Morrokide upholstery, and 6 top colors.
1960 Pontiac Tempest
Initially, the 1960 Pontiac Tempest was introduced as a four-door pillared Sedan or Station Wagon. The combination of the rear mount transaxle and the front-mounted engine gave this vehicle an almost ideal 50/50 weight distribution between the front and rear wheels. This also enabled a four-wheel independent suspension, which eliminated the floor hump forward of the front seat. The extra room was needed to accommodate the transmission in conventional vehicles.
The innovative Torque Tube Tunnel spanned most of the car length and was housed in a flexible steel propeller (rope) shaft, which connected the engine in front to the united differential and transmission in the rear. It was voted exceptionally roomy and the best quality in a utility car.
The 194.5-cubic-inch (3.2L) straight-four engine made this automobile economical and fuel-efficient. Consumers had a choice between three engine versions that included, the 8.6:1 low compression with a single barrel carburetor mill, 10.25:1 high compression with a single barrel, or a 10.25:1 with a high compression four-barrel carburetor.
The super duty engine
In 1960, Pontiac also jumped on the “super duty” bandwagon with its new 389-cubic-inch V-8 engine that featured a forged crank, forged connecting rods, special cylinder heads, a Tri-Power setup, and cast exhaust headers. This engine reached an estimated horsepower rating of 400. The cars equipped with the Super Duty engine were able to win in almost every type of racing, including NASCAR races and hill climbs. This option could be ordered from the factory by 1961.
No matter which model best suited the buyer, they were sure to feel confident that the best craftsmanship was involved in the production of this unique automobile line, and they were sure to experience the utmost pleasure from their 1960 Pontiac.
