Pontiac, or formally the Pontiac Motor Division of General Motors, was an American automobile brand owned, manufactured, and commercialized by General Motors. Introduced as a companion make for GM's more expensive line of Oakland automobiles, Pontiac overtook Oakland in popularity and supplanted its parent brand entirely by 1933.

Sold in the United States, Canada, and Mexico by GM, in the hierarchy of GM's five divisions, it was slotted above Chevrolet, but below Oldsmobile, Buick, and Cadillac. Starting with the 1959 models, marketing was focused on selling the lifestyle that the car's ownership promised rather than the car itself. By emphasizing its "Wide Track" design, it billed itself as the "performance division" of General Motors that marketed cars with the "we build excitement" tag line.

Facing financial problems and restructuring efforts, GM announced during the 2008 financial crash that it would discontinue the Pontiac brand by the end of 2010, as was the case with Oldsmobile in 2004. The last Pontiac-badged cars were built in December 2009, with one final vehicle assembled in January 2010. Franchise agreements for Pontiac dealers expired on October 31, 2010, leaving GM to focus on its four remaining North American brands: Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC.

History

1926–1942

The Oakland Motor Car Company was founded in 1907 in Pontiac, Michigan, by Edward Murphy, a manufacturer of horse-drawn carriages. The following year, another former buggy company executive, William C. Durant, founded General Motors in Flint, Michigan, as a holding company for the Buick Motor Company. GM soon bought other automakers, including Oldsmobile and Cadillac. In 1909, Oakland became part of GM. The first model made its debut as the Oakland Four from 1909 until it was replaced by the Oakland Six in 1916. In 1926 the Pontiac Series 6-27 was introduced as a junior brand to Oakland, which featured a six-cylinder engine. The Pontiac was more popular than the senior brand and became its own GM division when Oakland was canceled in 1931.

It was named after the famous Odawa chief, who had also given his name to the city of Pontiac, Michigan, where the car was produced. Within months of its introduction, Pontiac was outselling Oakland. Body styles offered included a sedan with both two and four doors, Landau Coupe, with the Sport Phaeton, Sport Landau Sedan, Sport Cabriolet, and Sport Roadster. As a result of Pontiac's rising sales, versus Oakland's declining sales, Pontiac became the only companion marque to survive its parent, with Oakland ceasing production in 1932.

Pontiacs were also manufactured from knock-down kits at GM's Japanese factory at Osaka Assembly in Osaka, Japan, from 1927 until 1941.

Pontiac produced cars offering ,  (3.25x3.75 in, 82.5x95mm) L-head straight-six cylinder engines in the Pontiac Series 6-27 of 1927; its stroke was the shortest of any American car in the industry at the time. The Series 6-27 sold 39,000 units within six months of its appearance at the 1926 New York Auto Salon, hitting 76,742 in 12 months. The next year, 1928, it became the top-selling six-cylinder car in the U.S., as well as ranking seventh in overall sales. When the Wall Street Crash of 1929 occurred in September, both Pontiac and Oakland sales dropped dramatically and because Oakland was the more expensive, GM leadership decided that Pontiac should remain.

1932 was the first year for the Pontiac Series 302 V8. The 1932 V8 had an oversquare bore and stroke of  x  displacing  with a compression ratio of 5.2:1. Horsepower was rated at  @3200 RPM using three main bearings, solid valve lifters and a Marvel one-barrel carburetor. Unusually, Pontiac switched to the straight-eight for 1933 until it was replaced in 1954.

As the economy began to recover, by 1933, Pontiac had moved up to producing the least expensive cars available with straight-eight engines. This was achieved by using many components from the six-cylinder Chevrolet Master, such as the body. The Pontiacs were differentiated by a large chrome strip on the top and center of the front hood that Pontiac called the "Silver Streak". Only eight-cylinder engines were offered in 1933 and 1934, displacing  rated at .

In 1935, Pontiac shared the "torpedo" body appearance with the LaSalle and the Cadillac Series 60, just prior to its being used by Chevrolet, earning some media attention for the marque. At the 1939 New York World's Fair, a 1939 Deluxe Six was displayed with body panels made entirely from plexiglass. An unusual feature of the "torpedo"-bodied exhibition car was that, with the push of a button, the front half of the body would open showing the engine and the car's front seat interior.

A major change occurred in 1937, when all Pontiac models except the new station wagon began using the all-steel B-body shared with Oldsmobile, LaSalle, and small Buicks. A new stronger X frame had a Hotchkiss drive using a two-part drive shaft. The eight-cylinder had a  wheelbase, while the six-cylinder had a  wheelbase. Both engines increased displacements with the six going to  producing  and the eight to  rated at .

From 1940 through 1942, the Pontiac Torpedo was the brand's only model built on three different bodies: the "A" body shared with Chevrolet, the "B" body shared with Oldsmobile and Buick, and the "C" body shared with the large Oldsmobile, Buick, and the small Cadillac. It shared some appearances with the Opel Kapitän. In 1941 the Pontiac Streamliner appeared with a straight-8 engine, and on February 2, 1942, the last civilian Pontiac automobile was manufactured in the United States, as all automobile factories converted to military production.

The prewar through the early 1950s Pontiacs were not powerful as they featured the heavy and long Pontiac straight-8 engine, which was less expensive to produce than the increasingly popular V8s. Their long crankshaft suffered from excessive flex, thus limiting them to a low compression ratio with a modest redline.

1946–1954

From 1946 until 1948, all Pontiac models were essentially 1942 models with minor changes. The Hydramatic automatic transmission was introduced in 1948 and helped Pontiac sales grow even though their cars, Torpedoes, and Streamliners, were becoming out of date.

The first all-new Pontiac models appeared in 1949. They incorporated styling cues such as lower body lines and rear fenders that were integrated into the rear-end styling of the car. The Chieftain line was introduced to replace the Torpedo. Built on the GM B-body platform, the Chieftain featured different styling from the Streamliner. In 1950, the Catalina pillarless hardtop coupe was introduced as a "halo" model, similar to the Chevrolet Bel Air of the same year.

In 1952, Pontiac discontinued the Streamliner and replaced it with additional models in the Chieftain line built on the GM A-body platform. This single model line continued until 1954 when the Star Chief was added. The Star Chief featured a  stretch to the A-body platform giving it a  wheelbase.

The 1953 models were the first to have one-piece windshields instead of the previous two-piece units. While the 1953 and 1954 models were heavily reworked versions of the 1949-52 Chieftain models, they were engineered for the V8 engine that was supposed to be introduced on the 1953 models, but the Buick division complained to GM's management that the introduction might take sales away because Buick was introducing the new nailhead V8 in 1953.

In 1954, Pontiac continued to build upon the design and engineering of their vehicles, which had seen significant updates in previous years. While the 1953 and 1954 models were reworked versions of the 1949-1952 Chieftain models, the year 1954 brought a unique marketing strategy to the forefront. Pontiac introduced an advertising campaign that featured striking prints depicting the impressive feats of Native American tribes. These prints showcased various aspects of tribal life, from awe-inspiring acts of construction to hunting and other means of survival. The campaign not only highlighted the rich heritage and craftsmanship of Native American cultures but also added an element of cultural resonance to the Pontiac brand, creating a unique and memorable connection with potential customers.

1955–1960

Completely new bodies and chassis were introduced for the 1955 model year and sales increased. A new  overhead-valve Strato Streak V8 engine was introduced. With the introduction of this V8, the six-cylinder engines were discontinued; a six-cylinder would not return to the full-size Pontiac line until the GM corporate downsizing of 1977.

In 1956, when Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen became general manager of Pontiac, alongside new heads of engineering, E. M. Estes and John DeLorean, Knudsen began reworking the brand's image. One of the first steps involved the removal of the "silver streaks" from the hood and deck lid which were a traditional styling feature beginning in 1933. These were eliminated from the 1957 models just weeks before they were introduced. The first Bonneville was also introduced. This was a version of the Star Chief convertible to showcase Pontiac's first fuel-injected engine. About 630 Bonnevilles were built in 1957. Pontiac marketing described it as "America's No. 1 Road Car".

The following year, the Bonneville became its own line, built on the  wheelbase of the A-body platform. A 1958 Tri power Bonneville was the pace car for that year's Indianapolis 500. The 1958 model year was final use of the "Indian" motif throughout the vehicle. The only exception would be the Indian head high-beam indicator light in the instrument cluster. All 1958 models featured ball joint front suspension replacing the previous kingpin design.

With the 1959 model year, Pontiac came out with its "Arrowhead" emblem, with the star design in the middle. The "Arrowhead" design ran all the way up the hood from between the split grille, and on Star Chief models, had eight chrome stars from the emblem design on the body sides as chrome trim. Knudsen directed that the Pontiacs received a completely reworked chassis, body, and interior styling. Quad headlamps, as well as a longer, lower body, were some of the styling changes.

The Chieftain line was renamed Catalina; the Star Chief was downgraded to replace the discontinued Super Chief series and for the first time did not have a two-door hardtop, only a two-door sedan along with a four-door hardtop and four-door sedan; in addition, there was no Star Chief wagon. The Bonneville was now the top of the line, coming in three body styles: a two-door hardtop, a four-door hardtop, and a four-door station wagon. The Star Chief's four-door "Vista" hardtop was also shared by the Bonneville. Catalina models included a two-door hardtop, two-door sedan, four-door sedan, and four-door hardtop as well as two station wagons, a six-passenger with two rows of seats, and a nine-passenger version with a rear-facing third row. Bonneville and Star Chief were built on a  wheelbase with the exception of the Bonneville wagon, and all Catalina models and the Bonneville wagon rode on a  wheelbase. Catalina was also  shorter than Bonneville and Star Chief and weighed  less than its long-wheelbase counterparts. All 1959 Pontiacs were equipped with a  V8 engine with horsepower ratings from  to a  "Tri-power" carbureted version. All automatics were four-speed Super-Hydra-Matics or, as the Hydramatic Division that designed and built them called them, "Controlled coupling HydraMatic". Oldsmobile used this same transmission and called it Jetaway Hydramatic; Cadillac also used it and called it 315 or P 315 Hydramatic. A three-speed, column-mounted stick shift was standard on all Pontiacs. This coincided with major body styling changes across all models that introduced increased glass area, twin V-shaped fins, and lower hood profiles. Motor Trend magazine selected the Pontiac line as the 1959 Car of the Year. The 1959s featured a  wider track. The increase to  was because Knudsen noticed the new, wider bodies looked awkward on the carried-over 1958 frames. The new "Wide-Track" Pontiacs improved styling, handled better, and contributed to Pontiac's resurgence in the marketplace.

The 1960 models had a complete reskinning with the exception of the body's canopies, which remained identical to the 1959s, but removed the tail fins and the distinctive split grille. The 1960 models' standard engine had a power gain of 3 hp due to a compression increase of .25. The Ventura was introduced, and a more luxurious hardtop coupe with the four-door hardtop built on the shorter  wheelbase platform, thus positioned between the Catalina and Star Chief models. The Ventura featured the luxury features of the Bonneville in the shorter, lighter Catalina body.

1961–1970

Most of Pontiac's models built during the 1960s and 1970s were either styled like or were siblings with other GM makes (except Cadillac). Pontiac retained its own front- and rear-end styling, interiors, and engines.

The 1961 models were restyled. The split grille returned, as well as all-new bodies and a new design of a perimeter-frame chassis for all its full-size models (something which would be adopted for all of GM's intermediate-sized cars in 1964, and all its full-sized cars in 1965). These new chassis allowed for reduced weight and smaller body sizes. The similarly styled Chevrolet still used the "X" frame from the early 1960s.

A new compact Tempest was introduced for the 1961 model year. It was one of the three Buick-Olds-Pontiac (BOP) models introduced that year, sharing the platform with the Buick Special, Skylark, and Oldsmobile F-85. A four-cylinder engine was also introduced in the Tempest model line.

All three BOP cars were unibody, dubbed the Y-body platform, combining the frame and body into a single construction, making them comparatively lighter and smaller. All three put into production new technology pushed by John DeLorean, on which GM had been working for several years prior, but the Tempest was by far the most radical. A flexible steel shaft rotating at the speed of the engine delivered power from the front-mounted engine through a "torque tube" to a rear-mounted transaxle. This provided close to a 50/50 front-rear weight distribution that improved handling as well as incorporated four-wheel independent suspension. The design almost eliminated the large floor "hump" common to front-engined, rear-drive cars.

Though the Tempest's transaxle was similar to the one in the Corvair, introduced the year before, it shared essentially no common parts. GM had planned to launch a Pontiac version of the Corvair (dubbed "Polaris"), but Bunkie Knudsen—whose niece had been seriously injured in a Corvair crash—successfully argued against the idea. The Polaris design apparently made it to full-scale clay before it was canceled. Instead, DeLorean's "rope-shaft" design was green-lighted.

The Tempest won the Motor Trend "Car of the Year" award in 1961. Toward the end of 1961, an upscale version of the Tempest called the LeMans was introduced.

The Tempest featured a  inline slant-four cylinder engine, derived from the right bank of Pontiac's 389 V8, enabling it to be run down the same production line and reducing costs. the engine received a crankshaft designed for four cylinders, but this did not completely solve its balance issues. The engine gained the nickname "Hay Baler" because of its tendency to kick violently, like the farm machine.

An optional Buick  V8, was not popular when it was available for 1961 and 1962 in the Tempest. For 1963, Pontiac replaced it with a new "326" that was actually  V8 with a bore of 3.78 and stroke of 3.75 (same stroke as the 389). It was based and shared parts with the 389, but an altered, reduced bore. The car's body and suspension were also changed to be lower, longer, and wider. The response was that more than half of the 1963 Tempests and LeMans (separate lines for that one year only) were ordered with the V8. The next year, the 326 became a true 326 with a new bore size of 3.72. The Tempest's popularity helped move Pontiac into third place among American car brands in 1962, a position Pontiac would hold through 1970.

In November 1961, Knudsen moved to Chevrolet. Pete Estes now became general manager of Pontiac and DeLorean was promoted to Pontiac chief engineer. Both continued Knudsen's work of making Pontiac a performance-car brand. Pontiac capitalized on the emerging trend toward sportier bucket-seat coupes in 1962 by introducing the Grand Prix, taking the place of the Ventura, which now became a trim option on the Catalina. Although GM officially ended factory support for all racing activities across all of its brands in January 1963, Pontiac continued making larger engines with more power available across all model lines.

For 1963, the Grand Prix received the same styling changes as other full-sized Pontiacs such as vertical headlights and new body lines with a squared-off roofline with a concave rear window, along with less chrome. The concave rear window was replicated on Tempest/LeMans four-door intermediates in 1964 and 1965.

For 1964, the Tempest and LeMans' transaxle design was dropped and the cars were redesigned under GM's new A-body platform - frame cars with a conventional front-engined, rear-wheel drive layout. The most important of these is the GTO. In spite of a GM unwritten edict against engines larger than  in intermediate cars, DeLorean (with support from Jim Wangers from Pontiac's ad agency), came up with the idea to offer the GTO as an option package that included a  engine rated at .

The entire Pontiac lineup was selected as Motor Trend's Car of the Year for 1965, the third time Pontiac received this recognition. The February 1965 issue of Motor Trend was almost entirely devoted to Pontiac's Car of the Year award and included feature stories on the division's marketing, styling, engineering, and performance efforts along with road tests of several models. The GTO was split from being an option on the Tempest LeMans series to becoming a separate GTO series.

The 1966 model year saw the introduction of a completely new overhead camshaft (OHC) 6-cylinder engine in the Tempest. The 1962 Jeep Tornado engine was the first post-World War II U.S.-designed mass-produced OHC engine while the Pontiac OHC I6 was available in popular-priced domestic cars. In an industry first, plastic grilles were used on several models.

The 1967 model year saw the introduction of the Pontiac Firebird pony car, a variant of the Chevrolet Camaro. Intermediate-sized cars (Tempest, LeMans, GTO) were mildly face-lifted, but all full-size cars and GTO lost their Tri-Power engine option, though they did get a larger  V8 that replaced the previous 389. Full-sized cars got a major facelift with rounder wasp-waisted body lines, a name change for the mid-line series from Star Chief to Executive as well as a one-year-only Grand Prix convertible.

1968 introduced the Endura 'rubber' front bumper on the GTO, the precursor to modern cars' integrated bumpers, and the first of a series of "Ram Air" engines, which featured the induction of cold air to the carburetor for more power. The Tri carburetor deletion came from the 14th floor of GM banning multiple carburetions and was headed by GM president Ed Cole. The Ram Air V option was not popular. Full-sized cars and intermediates reverted from vertical to horizontal headlights while the 2+2 was dropped from the lineup.

For 1969, Pontiac moved the Grand Prix from the full-sized lineup into a G-body model of its own based on the A-body intermediate four-door modified from  to  wheelbase chassis, but with different styling and long hood/short deck proportions to compete in the intermediate-sized personal luxury car segment. Pete Estes, who like Knudsen had moved to be general manager of Chevrolet in 1966, and DeLorean, general manager of the Pontiac division, needed a car to take the place of the sagging sales of the full-size Grand Prix, but the development cost of the car was too much of burden for Pontiac division alone, so Delorean went to his old boss at Chevrolet to gather support for the development cost of the new "G" body Grand Prix. Estes agreed to share in the cost and allow Pontiac to have a one-year exclusivity on this new car; the next year Chevy would follow with its version which was called Chevrolet Monte Carlo. The new Grand Prix was such a sales success in 1969 as dealers moved 112,000 units - more than four times the number of Grand Prixs sold in 1968. Full-sized Pontiacs were also restyled but retained the same basic under-body structure and chassis that debuted with the 1965 model — the roof-lines for the four-door pillared sedans and Safari wagons were the same as the 1965 models, while the two-door semi-fastback design gave way to a squared-off notch-back style and four-door hardtop sedans were also more squared off than 1967 and 1968 models. The GTOs and Firebirds received the Ram Air option, the GTO saw the addition of the "Judge" performance/appearance package, and the Firebird also got the "Trans Am" package. Although originally conceived as a  model to compete in the Trans Am racing series, in a cost-saving move the Pontiac Trans Am debuted with the standard  engines. This year also saw DeLorean leaving the post of general manager to accept a similar position at GM's Chevrolet division. His replacement was F. James McDonald.

Pontiacs built in the late 1960s conformed to new U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. These included energy-absorbing interior parts such as steering columns, steering wheels, knobs and handles, dual-circuit hydraulic brake systems, shoulder belts, side marker lights, and headrests.

The 1969 Firebirds received a heavy facelift but otherwise continued much the same as the original 1967 model. It was the final year for the overhead cam six-cylinder engine in Firebirds and intermediates, and the Firebird convertible (until 1991). Production of the 1969 Firebirds was extended into the first three months of the 1970 model year (all other 1970 Pontiacs debuted September 18, 1969) due to a decision to delay the introduction of an all-new 1970 Firebird (and Chevrolet Camaro) until February 26, 1970.

In addition in the late-1960s, GM directed their GM and Pontiac divisions to develop concept mini-cars called commuter cars for urban drivers. GM developed a gasoline-electric drive hybrid, the XP-833, and the Pontiac X-4, a rear-wheel drive mid-engine car that was powered by a radical X-shaped aircraft type air-cooled two-stroke radial engine where the standard crankshaft was replaced by a unit called a Scotch yoke. While the GM car was fully tested, the Pontiac concept was not. Neither was placed in production.

1970–1982
Increasing insurance and fuel costs for owners decreased demand for muscle cars, along with Federal emissions and safety regulations, put an end to the unrestricted, powerful engines of the 1960s. Safety, luxury, and economy would become the new watchwords of this decade. Engine performance began declining in 1971 when GM mandated that all engines be capable of using lower-octane unleaded gasoline, which led to drops in compression ratios, along with performance and fuel economy. This, coupled with trying to build cars as plush as GM's more luxurious Buicks and Oldsmobiles, contributed to the start of a slow decline of Pontiac in 1971.

In mid-1971 Pontiac introduced the compact, budget-priced Ventura II (based on the third generation Chevrolet Nova). This same year, Pontiac completely restyled its full-sized cars, moved the Bonneville, and replaced it with a higher luxury model named the Grand Ville, while Safari wagons featured a new tailgate that lowered into the body while the rear window raised into the roof. The 1971 through 1976 model full-size station wagons featured a 'Clamshell' design where the rear power-operated glass slid up into the roof as the tailgate (manually or with power assist), dropped below the load floor. The power tailgate, the first in station wagon history, ultimately supplanted the manual tailgate, which required marked effort to lift from storage.

The 1972 models saw the first wave of emissions reduction and safety equipment and updates. GTO was a now sub-series of the LeMans series. The Tempest was discontinued, after being renamed 'T-37' and 'GT-37' for 1971. The base 1972 mid-sized Pontiac was now called LeMans. James MacDonald left the post of general manager to be replaced by Martin J. Caserio in late 1972. Caserio was the first manager in over a decade to be more focused on marketing and sales than on performance.

For 1973, Pontiac restyled its personal-luxury Grand Prix, mid-sized LeMans, and compact Ventura models and introduced the all-new Grand Am as part of the LeMans line. All other models including the big cars and Firebirds received only minor updates. Again, power dropped across all engines as more emissions requirements came into effect. The 1973 Firebird Trans Am's factory-applied hood decal, a John Schinella stylized interpretation of Native American bird designs, took up most of the available space on the hood. Also in 1973, the new Super Duty 455 engine ("Super Duty" harkening back to Pontiac's Racing Engines) was introduced. Although it was originally to be available in GTOs and Firebirds, only a few SD 455 engines made it into Firebird Trans Ams that year. One so equipped was tested by Car and Driver magazine, which proclaimed it the last of the fast cars. The SD 455 was available for one more year in the Trans Am.

As emissions regulations were increasing, two of the three iterations of the  engine were discontinued after 1974, with the final version of the 455 remaining available through 1976.

For 1975, Pontiac introduced the new sub-compact Astre, a version of the Chevrolet Vega. This was the brand's entry into the fuel economy segment of the market. Astre had been sold exclusively in Canada since 1973. It was offered through the 1977 model year. 1975 would also be the end of Pontiac convertibles for the next decade.

The 1976 models were the last of the traditional American large cars powered by mostly big-block V8 engines. After this year, all GM models would go through "downsizing" and shrink in length, width, weight, and available engine size. The 1976 Sunbird, based on the Chevrolet Vega and Monza's equivalent, joined the line. It was first offered as a Notchback, with a Hatchback body style added in 1977. The Vega Wagon body style was added in 1978, Sunbird Safari Wagon, replacing the Astre Safari Wagon. The Sunbird was offered in its rear-wheel-drive configuration through the 1980 model year. (Sunbird Safari wagon through 1979.)

In mid-year 1977, Pontiac introduced the Phoenix, an upscale version of the Ventura which replaced the Ventura entirely after the end of the 1977 model year. Pontiac also introduced its  "Iron Duke" 4-cylinder overhead valve engine. It was first used in the 1977 Astre, replacing Astre's aluminum-block  Vega engine. The 'Iron Duke' engine would later go into many GM and non-GM automobiles into the early 1990s. The 151 cubic inch I4 and the  V8 were the last two engines designed solely by Pontiac. Subsequent engine design would be accomplished by one central office with all designs being shared by each brand.

For the 1977 model year, the full-sized Pontiacs received the same "downsizing" as GM's other "B" body cars. The new Bonnevilles and Catalinas continued to be best-sellers, although their styling similarity to the Chevrolet Caprice. In 1981, the full-size Bonneville was discontinued, and the name was reassigned to the "A" body intermediate platform. That left the Catalina as the only big Pontiac, further reducing sales as buyers went for more plushness.

The remainder of the 1970s and the early 1980s saw the continued rise of luxury, safety, and economy as the key selling points in Pontiac products. Wire-spoked wheel covers returned for the first time since the 1930s. More station wagons than ever were being offered. Padded vinyl roofs were options on almost every model. Rear-wheel drive began its slow demise with the introduction of the first front-wheel drive Pontiac, the 1980 Phoenix (a version of the Chevrolet Citation).

The Firebird was successfully marketed by product placement in the 'Smokey and the Bandit' film and The Rockford Files TV show. The Firebird was available with Formula and Trans Am packages, plus a Pontiac first- a turbocharged V8, for the 1980 and 1981 model years.

1982–1988

Introduced in 1982, the wedge-shaped Firebird was the first major redesign of the pony car since 1970. Embedded marketing in the television series Knight Rider was successful. Pontiac introduced more performance-oriented models over the next decade. The Trans Am also set a production aerodynamic mark of .32 cd. A convertible body style was reintroduced after nine years. GM adapted the J-body cars and the all-new 1982 J2000 (later renamed Sunbird) had a convertible as part of its line.

The 1984 Fiero was a major departure from anything Pontiac had produced in the past. A two-seat, mid-engined coupe. The Fiero was partially responsible for Pontiac seeing its first increase in sales in four years. Pontiac also began to focus on technology. In 1984, a Special Touring Edition (STE) was added to the 6000 line as a competitor to European road cars such as the Mercedes 190. The STE sported digital instruments and other electronics as well as a more powerful V6 and retuned suspension. Later iterations would see some of the first introductions on Pontiacs of anti-lock brakes, steering wheel-mounted radio controls, and other features.

Pontiac imported the Canadian market Pontiac Parisienne, which featured the Bonneville's deluxe trim. This car, although a Pontiac in name, was no more than a slightly re-trimmed Caprice. The Parisienne sold in profitable numbers and this car continued in production until 1986 for the sedan, and 1989 for the Safari station wagon.

With the exception of the Parisienne Safari, the Firebird, and Fiero, beginning in 1988 all Pontiacs, with the exception of the Firebird, switched to front-wheel drive platforms. For the first time since 1970, Pontiac was the number three domestic car maker in America. The median age of Pontiac owners dropped from 46 in 1981 to 38 in 1988.

1989–1997

Pontiacs introduction included anti-lock brakes, GM's Quad-4 engine, airbags, and composite materials. Safari station wagon production ended in 1989, the last V8-powered full-sized, rear-wheel drive Pontiac until the 2009 G8. The 1990 model year saw the launch of Pontiac's first minivan and light truck, the Trans Sport. In addition, the Grand Prix line added its first-ever 4-door model, offered in LE and STE trims. At the end of the 1991 model year, the 6000 was discontinued in favor of the newly expanded Grand Prix lineup and the new Trans Sport minivan, which replaced the 6000 station wagon.

In 1992, a brand-new Bonneville was introduced. This full-size model featured aerodynamic styling, large expanses of curved glass, front-wheel drive, and the 3800 Series I V6 as standard equipment. A new sub-model, the SSEi, was introduced in 1992 carrying all standard equipment from the SSE model, plus the 205 hp supercharged 3800 V6. For 1993, the Bonneville added a new option package (H4U) called the Sport Luxury Edition (SLE), which was available on the SE model. This package included leather bucket seats, a specific grille, side trim, exhaust, dash trim, lace-styled alloy wheels, as well as a rear spoiler, sport handling suspension systems, and anti-lock brakes.

An all-new Firebird was introduced in 1993. It was powered by either a 3.4 L V6 with , or in Trans Am guise a  LT-1, a  V8, and could be backed by a T-56 six-speed manual. The Sunbird was replaced with the (still J-body) Sunfire in 1995. While a V6 engine was no longer available in the J-car, sedan, coupe, and convertible body styles did survive. For 1996 the Bonneville received updated front and rear fascias along with several other enhancements. The 3800 Series II V6 had become standard in 1995, featuring 205 hp. The updated supercharged 3800 Series II was now rated at  240 hp.

Division Sales Figures

1997–2004

The 1996 model year was the last year for the fifth-generation Grand Prix. The Grand Prix debuted in 1997 with the "Wider is Better" advertising campaign. The GTP trim level was added to the Grand Prix. It featured a supercharged 3.8 L V6 rated at  and  of torque. One design highlight of this generation Grand Prix is the sharing of the roof's sheet metal between both coupe and sedan models.

In 1998 the Firebird was updated. The TransAm received the LS-1 motor which produced . The WS6 option saw this number increase to  and the addition of Ram Air and stiffer springs. The 1999 model year saw the replacement of the Trans Sport with the larger Montana minivan.

In 2000, the Bonneville received the first major redesign since 1992 and was based on the G-Body, shared with the Oldsmobile Aurora and Buick LeSabre. In 2001 Pontiac introduced the Aztek into the emerging SUV market segment.

In 2002, both the Firebird/Trans Am and Camaro were discontinued as a result of declining sales and a saturated sports market. The coupe version of the Grand Prix was also discontinued. The 2003 Vibe arrived in spring 2002, a Toyota-based compact wagon built at the NUMMI joint-venture plant. Also, in 2003, it was announced that the Grand Prix would be in the last year of its generation, with an improved seventh generation on the way for 2004. It would also be Pontiac's final year in NASCAR. Pontiac's final victory in the NASCAR Cup Series would be achieved by Ricky Craven in one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history, with David Green scoring their last second-tier series win at the Mr. Goodcents 300 at Kansas Speedway. A few surplus Pontiacs continued running in the Busch Series through 2006, in the ARCA Racing Series through 2008, with factory support in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series from 2007 to 2009, and in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour as late as 2019, nine years after the marquee went defunct; Pontiac cars can still be found in local and regional stock car leagues.

2004 saw the reintroduction of the Pontiac GTO (based on the Australian-developed Holden Monaro). The GTO was also initially powered by the 350 HP LS-1 V8 in its first model year. It had an independent front and rear suspension and an upscale full leather interior. Sales did not reach the 18,000 units that GM predicted. The LS1 engine was retired in 2004. Pontiac added the drive-by-wire 400 HP LS2 V8 for the 2005 and 2006 model years at no additional cost. Additional upgrades also consisted of stainless steel dual exhaust outlets, larger Corvette-sourced PBR brakes with EBD, larger front vented rotors with vented rear rotors, and functional heat extractor hood scoops. The Bonneville introduced the GXP trim level to replace the SSEi. The Bonneville GXP featured a 4.6 Northstar V8, borrowed from Cadillac, and replaced the Supercharged 3800 Series II. The redesigned Grand Prix made its appearance and featured a GT and GTP trim level. The GTP's new 3.8 L supercharged V6 now made , up 20 from the previous generation. TAPshift was also introduced as well as a Competition Group package (Comp G).

2005–2010
With the discontinuation of Oldsmobile in 2004, Pontiac went through a complete product revamping through this period. The Grand Am was replaced with the mid-size G6 in 2005. The Grand Am was produced for the 2005 model year to fill the gap until the new G6 coupe and convertible became available for that model year. The Bonneville ended production in 2005 after nearly 50 years of production. Although it was not directly replaced, the RWD G8 introduced for the 2008 model year did fill some of the market voids. The Solstice concept shown in 2002 was approved for production as a roadster (2006-2009) and, for a few months, a total of 1,266 coupes (2009) were built in Wilmington, DE before the end of Pontiac. In contrast, over 64,000 Solstice Convertibles were manufactured on that same line. The controversial and slow-selling Aztek was finally phased out and replaced by the Torrent, which was identical to the Chevrolet Equinox.

In 2005 the Sunfire was discontinued and replaced by the new Pontiac Pursuit (later named G5 for the American market). Initially, Pontiac did not plan on offering the G5 in the United States, however, dealer pressure to fill the gap left by the discontinuation of the Sunfire caused Pontiac to introduce only the coupe variation into the U.S. The 4-door sedan version was available in Canada as the Pursuit throughout the model run. The high-performance GXP trim was introduced in the Grand Prix line in 2005, adding GM's LS4 V8 engine that produced 303 horsepower and 323 lb. ft. of torque. This engine was built to give buyers a V8 sedan option until the all-new G8 arrived in 2008. In 2008, the Grand Prix ended production, and the launch of the Australian-built RWD G8 commenced. The G8 gained positive reception for its high performance and low costs. Many noted the G8 as the poor man's BMW M5, due to its similar performance at a much cheaper price. The G8 GXP was the most powerful production car Pontiac had ever built and is regarded as the best driver's car ever to wear the Pontiac badge. The Holden Ute was scheduled to be launched as the G8 ST before it was canceled in January 2009 due to GM's financial situation. It was later announced that the G8 may not see a second generation. Towards the end of the decade, many rumors began spreading that Pontiac would become completely reliant on RWD. Reports ranged from a compact sedan based on the Alpha platform to a new RWD G6 for the 2013 model year. Many reports suggested that the Trans Am/Firebird would return after GM confirmed the rebirth of the Camaro, however, no reports confirmed this.

On December 2, 2008, General Motors announced that it was considering eliminating numerous brands, including Pontiac, in order to appease Congress in hope of receiving a $25 billion loan. On February 17, 2009, GM proposed the sale or elimination of its Saturn division, the sale of Saab, and either the sale or elimination of Hummer, depending on whether a buyer could be found quickly. GM clarified that Pontiac would have begun to focus on "niche" models aimed at the "youthful and sporty" segment, but did not provide specifics. Pontiac was to trim its number of models to four, although there was talk of retaining only one model. By April 2009 several automotive websites and business publications were reporting that GM was doing a study suggesting it might eliminate the brand altogether, along with sister truck brand GMC. On April 23 a report was published stating the company would be dropping the Pontiac brand while preserving the GMC truck line, and the Chevrolet, Cadillac, and Buick brands. The decision to dissolve Pontiac was made primarily due to the increasing threat of a bankruptcy filing if the June 1 deadline could not be met. On April 27, 2009, GM announced that Pontiac would be dropped and that all of its remaining models would be phased out by the end of 2010. Though both production and franchise agreements ended in 2010, Pontiac remains a registered and active trademark of GM for licensing purposes.

General Motors would eliminate an additional 7,000 to 8,000 factory jobs in the United States and shed 2,600 dealers by 2010 under a revised business plan. GM Chief Executive Officer Fritz Henderson said the Pontiac brand would be closed by 2010, calling it an "extremely personal decision". In addition to speeding up decisions on Saturn, Saab, and Hummer, GM would be left with four brands—Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac.

In early May 2009, Jim Waldron, a Davison, Michigan, Pontiac dealer, announced that he was interested in purchasing the Pontiac brand and logos and had found financing to purchase them and some soon-to-be shuttered GM plants in order to build cars. However, GM had already decided to retire the brand as it has begun to sell off its remaining inventory and said that, unlike Saturn, Hummer, and Saab, Pontiac was not for sale.

The Pontiac brand was pulled after the 2009 model year in Mexico and the brand was renamed Matiz, selling only one vehicle, the Matiz G2 (Matiz's logo is similar to Pontiac's).

The last Pontiac, a white 2010 model year G6 4-door sedan, was built at the Orion Township Assembly Line in January 2010.

Pontiac was one of three brands General Motors eliminated in 2010; the other two being Hummer and Saturn.

Style trademarks and logo

A Native American headdress was used as a logo until 1956. This was updated to the Native American red arrowhead design for 1957 in all usage except the high-beam indicator lamp, which retained the original logo through 1970. The arrowhead logo is also known as the Dart.

Besides the logo, another identifying feature of Pontiacs was their "Silver Streaks"—one or more narrow strips of stainless steel which extended from the grille down the center of the hood. Eventually, they extended from the rear window to the rear bumper as well, and finally; along the tops of the fins. Although initially a single band, this stylistic trademark doubled to two for 1955 and 1956. The Streaks were discontinued the same year as the Indian Head emblems (1957).

One long-familiar styling element was the split-grille design which was introduced in 1959 to complement the make's new "wide track" stance. The 1960 models, however, reverted to the full-width grille styling. The split grille then returned for the 1961 model year and would remain as the marque's trademark. Other styling cues were the pointed "arrowhead" nose (in the 1960s and 1970s), and "grilled-over" (in the 1960s), or multiple horizontal-striped taillights. This later feature originated with the 1963 Grand Prix, and although the 1962 Grand Prix also had rear grillework, the taillight lenses were not behind it. Less longstanding but equally memorable is the "cladding" common on the doors and fenders of Pontiacs produced in the 1990s and 2000s. Rather than minimizing the side bumper, Pontiac designers put two troughs going along the length. Bumpers with this appearance were found on nearly all Pontiacs until the arrival of the G6. From 2004 onwards, new Pontiacs had cleaner, more premium styling, but retained the traditional split grille.

Name controversy
The name "Pontiac" had come from the Odawa leader who had fought against the British for Fort Detroit in the 18th century. As mentioned above, GM would incorporate Native American imagery into Pontiac and would use Native American names for its cars on the brand. However, there was never controversy during the brand's lifespan.

Although GM had already discontinued the Pontiac brand, the fact that GM had used the name gained some controversy in 2021 when the Cherokee Nation asked Jeep to rename its popular Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee vehicles. In its statement, the Cherokee Nation cited GM's use of Pontiac as well as the RV manufacturer Winnebago Industries as other examples of Native American names being used on vehicles.

Canadian/export models
Pontiacs were built in Canada by Canadians in GM Canada with Canadian raw materials beginning in 1926, with factories in Oshawa, Ontario, and Regina, Saskatchewan. The models they produced were largely the same as their American counterparts. Canadian cars had Canadian oak in the bodies, not peach wood like the U.S. cars. The first significantly different model was the "224", introduced in 1937 with a Canadian-built  version of the then-new Chevrolet straight-six. After 1940 the  Pontiac Flathead Six was used, but otherwise, the Canadian Pontiacs shared chassis and body parts with the Chevrolets as a measure to reduce the cost of production for the relatively small Canadian market.

After the Second World War, the Pontiac brand continued to be very popular, and the product line was further harmonized with the Canadian Chevrolet products. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the U.S. market embraced eight-cylinder engines and Pontiacs equipped with the straight-eight engine were popular, but in Canada, the straight-six continued to be the popular offering. Beginning in 1953 the model lineup consisted of the base "Pathfinder", mid-range "Pathfinder Deluxe", and top-of-the-line "Laurentian". The chassis was shared with the Chevrolet, and the interiors were a combination of Chevy and Pontiac parts.

By 1955, the U.S. and Canadian Pontiac lines had diverged almost completely, with the US models positioned as "mid-market" cars available exclusively with the new  Pontiac V8, while in Canada the brand was still positioned as an entry-level marque. The Canadian dealership lines were either Chevrolet-Oldsmobile-Cadillac or Pontiac-Buick-GMC; small towns usually had only one or the other, but not both, so it was imperative to keep Pontiac prices competitive with Plymouth and Ford (and Chevrolet). Producing two entirely separate engine series would have increased costs, so the  Chevrolet straight-six replaced the Pontiac Flathead Six, and the new  Chevrolet V8 replaced the old Pontiac straight-eight.

In 1958, the "Strato-Chief" replaced the "Pathfinder Deluxe", and in 1959 the line was reorganized with "Laurentian" in mid-range and the new "Parisienne" inserted at the top (similar to the U.S. market Bonneville). Even after the Canadian market was opened by the signing of the 1965 Autopact the Canadian full-sized Pontiac lineup—and the practice of building them on Chevrolet chassis with Chevrolet engines—continued mostly unchanged into the 1980s (although the Strato-Chief was dropped in 1970).

GM Canada also built right-hand drive versions of their Pontiacs for export to Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa as knock-down kits until the late 1960s. The interiors of these cars more closely resembled the equivalent Chevrolets than the Canadian market cars did, as the Chevys had already been designed for right-hand drive.

When the compact Chevrolet Corvair and Pontiac Tempest were introduced in 1960 the Corvair was built in Canada, but the Tempest was not. Importing the Tempest into Canada from the United States was not a viable option as the duties that would have had to have been paid would have substantially increased the price of what was supposed to be the least-expensive Pontiac. Tentative plans to build a Pontiac version of the Corvair were scrapped when the more conventional Chevy II was introduced in late-1961. GM Canada developed a new brand exclusively for the Canadian market for their rebadged Chevy IIs, the Acadian. Acadians were sold alongside the rest of the Pontiac lineup at Pontiac-Buick-GMC dealerships until 1971. When the mid-sized Chevrolet Chevelle was introduced in 1964 it was sold in Canada as the Acadian Beaumont ('Beaumont' was formerly the top-level trim of Chevy II-based Acadian), and in 1966 Beaumont became its own marque. The Beaumont-badged Chevelles were in production in Canada until 1969.

Even after the 1965 Autopact (and Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement that replaced it in 1988), the practice of building Pontiac-badged Chevrolets for sale at Canadian dealers continued until the brand was discontinued in 2010. Such cars include the Astre (based on the Vega), the Acadian (based on the Chevette), the Sunburst (based on the Spectrum), the Firefly (based on the Sprint), the Tempest (based on the Corsica), the Sunrunner (based on the Tracker), the Pursuit (based on the Cobalt; later badged as the "G5 Pursuit" and simply "G5"), and the Wave (based on the Aveo; later badged the "G3 Wave" and "G3").

Engines

Pontiac engineer Clayton Leach designed the stamped steel valvetrain rocker arm, a simplified and reliable alternative to a bearing-equipped rocker. This design was subsequently picked up by nearly every OHV engine manufacturer at one point or another.

Pontiac began work on a V8 configuration in 1946. This was initially intended to be an L-head engine, and 8 experimental units were built and extensively tested by the end of the 1940s. But testing comparisons to the OHV Oldsmobile V8 revealed the L-head could not compete performance-wise. So, in addition to building a new Pontiac Engineering building in 1949–1951, the decision to re-direct the V8 to an OHV design delayed its introduction until the 1953 model year, however, the Buick division was introducing its new engine (Nail valve V-8) in 1953 and asked the corporation to hold back or delay Pontiac's V8 introduction until the 1955 model year which it did.

In mid-1956, Pontiac introduced a higher-powered version of its V8. Among other things, this version of the engine was equipped with a high-performance racing camshaft and dual 4-barrel carburetors. This was the first in a series of NASCAR-ready pre- Super-Duty V8 engines and introduced the long line of multi-carburetor-equipped engines that saw Pontiac become a major player during the muscle car and pony car era of the 1960s. The enlarged 1956 Pontiac V8 found its way into light-duty GMC pickup trucks.

Pontiac's second-generation V8 engines shared numerous similarities, allowing many parts to interchange from its advent in 1959 to its discontinuation in 1979. Displacement ranged from . The similarity of the engines (except for the 301 & 265 versions) makes rebuilding these engines relatively easier. This feature also made it possible for Pontiac to develop the modern muscle car, by the relatively simple process of placing its second largest-displacement engine, the  into its mid-size car, the Le Mans, making the Pontiac LeMans GTO.

From their inception in the 1950s until the early 1970s, Pontiac engines were known for their performance. The  V8 was the largest and available in most Pontiacs except in the compact-size cars. At the height of the horsepower era, Pontiac engines reached ratings of  (SAE gross), though other engines achieved considerably higher outputs. Federal emissions laws eventually brought the horsepower era to a close and resulted in a steady decline for Pontiac's engines. One holdout to this industry-wide slide was the Super Duty 455 engine of 1973–1974. Available only in the Firebird Formula and Trans Am models, this was rated at  net initially but after having issues passing EPA emissions tests, the camshaft was changed to the old RA III cam, and with the change, came a  net rating. The engine was the pinnacle of Pontiac engine development and was a strong performer that included a few race-specific features, such as provisions for dry-sump oiling.

The only non-traditional Pontiac V8 engines were the  and the . Produced from 1977 through 1981, these engines had the distinction of being the last V8s produced by Pontiac; GM merged its various brands' engines into one collectively shared group in 1980, entitled General Motors Powertrain. The 301 had a  bore and  stroke, identical to the Chevrolet small-block engine and Ford Boss 302 engine.

Pontiac engines were not available in Canada, however, but were replaced with Chevrolet engines of similar size and power, resulting in such models as the Beaumont SD-396 with a Chevrolet big-block  V8.

Carburetors
Pontiac used Carter 1-barrel carburetors for many years but, by the time of the second generation, the V8 engines had switched mostly to 2-barrel offerings. These also were the basis for the Tri-Power setups on the engines.

The Tri-Power setup included one center carburetor with idle control and two end carburetors that did not contribute until the throttle was opened more than halfway. This was accomplished two ways, mechanically for the manual transmission models, and via a vacuum switch on the automatics. This went through various permutations as it was only a factory-installed option from 1957 through 1966.

Pontiac also had a square-bore 4-barrel at the time, but this was rated at lower horepower than the Tri-Power. This carburetor was later replaced by the Quadrajet, a spread bore. The term "Spread-bore" signifies the difference in sizes between the primaries and secondaries, using smaller primaries paired with larger secondaries for increased airflow at wider throttle with fuel delivery changes akin to the two-plus-four benefit of Tri-Power but with a single carburetor. The Quadrajet was not the only thing that gave the top GTO 400 engine and the 428 H-O engines the same horsepower as the 389 and 421. The new engine had redesigned cylinder heads with different valve angles and larger ports that allowed for larger diameter intake and exhaust valves.

By the end of the muscle car era, the Quadrajet setup had become common on Pontiac engines. The Quadrajet design continued until 1990 for Oldsmobile V8 applications, with added computer controls to meet emissions and fuel economy standards.

Models

 Pontiac 2+2 (1964–1970)
 Pontiac 1000 (1983–1987)
 Pontiac 2000 (1983)
 Pontiac 2000 Sunbird (1983–1984)
 Pontiac 6000 (1982–1991)
 Pontiac Acadian (1976–1987, rebadged Chevrolet Chevette/Pontiac T1000/1000, Canada)
 Pontiac Astre (1975–1977; 1973–1977 Canada)
 Pontiac Aztek (2001–2005)
 Pontiac Bonneville (1957–2005)
 Pontiac Catalina (1959–1981)
 Pontiac Chieftain (1949–1958)
 Pontiac Custom S (1969)
 Pontiac De-Lux (1937)
 Pontiac Executive (1967–1970)
 Pontiac Farago (1969)
 Pontiac Fiero (1984–1988)
 Pontiac Firebird (1967–2002)
 Pontiac Firefly (1985–2001, rebadged Chevrolet Sprint/Geo Metro/Suzuki Cultus, Canada)
 Pontiac G3 (2006–2009 (Mexico), 2009 (US), rebadged Chevrolet Aveo/Daewoo Gentra)
 Pontiac G4 (2005–2009, rebadged Chevrolet Cobalt, Mexico)
 Pontiac G5 (2007–2009, rebadged Chevrolet Cobalt)
 Pontiac G6 (2004–2010)
 Pontiac G8 (2008–2009, rebadged Holden VE Commodore, Australia)
 Pontiac GT-37 (1970-1971)
 Pontiac Grand Am (1973–1975, 1978–1980, 1985–2005)
 Pontiac Grand Prix (1962–2008)
 Pontiac Grand Safari (1971–1978)
 Pontiac Grand Ville (1971–1975)
 Pontiac Grande Parisienne (1966–1969, Canada)
 Pontiac GTO (1964–1974, 2004-2006 as rebadged Holden Monaro)
 Pontiac J2000 (1982)
 Pontiac Laurentian (1955–1981, Canada)
 Pontiac LeMans (1962–1981, 1988–1993)
 Pontiac Matiz (1998–2005, rebadged Chevrolet Matiz, Mexico)
 Pontiac Matiz G2 (2006–2010, rebadged Chevrolet Matiz, Mexico)
 Pontiac Montana (1999–2005)
 Pontiac Montana SV6 (2005–2006, continued in production for Canada and Mexico until 2009)
 Pontiac Parisienne (1983–1986; 1958–1986, Canada)
 Pontiac Pathfinder (1955–1958, Canada)
 Pontiac Phoenix (1977–1984)
 Pontiac Pursuit (later G5 Pursuit) (2005–2006, rebadged Chevrolet Cobalt, Canada)
 Pontiac Safari (1955–1989)
 Pontiac Silver Streak
 Pontiac Solstice (2006–2009)
 Pontiac Star Chief (1954–1966)
 Pontiac Star Chief Executive (1966)
 Pontiac Strato-Chief (1955–1970, Canada)
 Pontiac Streamliner (1942-1951)
 Pontiac Sunbird (1975–1980, 1985–1994)
 Pontiac Sunburst (1985–1989, rebadged Chevrolet Spectrum/Isuzu Gemini, Canada)
 Pontiac Sunfire (1995–2005)
 Pontiac Sunrunner (1994–1997, rebadged Geo Tracker/Suzuki Escudo, Canada)
 Pontiac Super Chief (1957–1958)
 Pontiac T1000 (1981–1982)
 Pontiac T-37 (1970-1971)
 Pontiac Tojan (1985 -1991)
 Pontiac Tempest (1961–1970; 1987–1991, rebadged Chevrolet Corsica, Canada)
 Pontiac Torpedo (1940-1948)
 Pontiac Torrent (2006–2009)
 Pontiac Trans Am (1969–2002)
 Pontiac Trans Sport (1990–1998)
 Pontiac Ventura (1960–1970 full-size, 1973–1977 compact)
 Pontiac Ventura II (1971–1972)
 Pontiac Vibe (2003–2010, rebadged Toyota Voltz)
 Pontiac Wave (later G3 Wave) (2004–2010, rebadged Chevrolet Aveo/Daewoo Gentra, Canada)

Evolution of models

See also

:Category:Pontiac vehicles
Pontiac V8 engine
Pontiac Straight-8 engine
Pontiac Straight-6 engine
List of GM engines
Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac (person)

Bibliography

References

External links

 Pontiac App on the App Store (All Diagnostic Trouble Codes & Car Dashboard Symbols)

 Forever Pontiac (forum)
 Pontiac Portal at The Crittenden Automotive Library
 Pontiac Power Page
 Pontiac Club
 1966 European export range from RitzSite

General Motors marques
Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Michigan
Pontiac, Michigan
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1926
Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 2010
1926 establishments in Michigan
2010 disestablishments in Michigan
Defunct manufacturing companies based in Michigan
Vintage vehicles
American brands
1920s cars
1930s cars
1940s cars
1950s cars
1960s cars
1970s cars
1980s cars
1990s cars
2000s cars
Defunct brands
Pre-war vehicles

Pontiac (automobile)


Sarcoscypha is a genus of  ascomycete fungus and a type genus of the family Sarcoscyphaceae. Species of Sarcoscypha are present in Europe, North America and tropical Asia. They are characterised by a cup-shaped apothecium which is often brightly coloured. They have had a range of popular uses, one of which was as a table decoration. Some members of the family such as S. coccinea and the - according to new knowledge - more common S. austriaca in western Europe and United States have bright scarlet apothecia which have given them familiar names such as the scarlet cup fungus and scarlet elf cap.

The name comes from the Greek skyphos meaning drinking bowl.

Anamorphic forms were given the genus name, Molliardiomyces, but with single name nomenclature in fungi, the latter name is considered a synonym and no longer used.

Description
Species in Sarcoscypha have cup-shaped fruiting bodies (apothecia) that are typically colored bright red or yellow, although a colorless variety of S. coccinea is known. Apothecia usually have a stipe, although some individuals may appear to be attached directly (i.e., sessile) to the growing surface. Asci are cylindrical in shape, thick-walled, and have an apical operculum—a cover or lid that is opened prior to spore discharge.

Anamorph form
Anamorphic or imperfect fungi are those that seem to lack a sexual stage in their life cycle, and typically reproduce by the process of mitosis in structures called conidia. In some cases, the sexual stage—or teleomorph stage—is later identified, and a teleomorph-anamorph relationship is established between the species. The International Code of Botanical Nomenclature formerly permitted recognition of two (or more) names for one and the same organisms, one based on the teleomorph, the other(s) restricted to the anamorph; this practice was stopped in 2011. The anamorphic state of S. coccinea is Molliardiomyces eucoccinea, first described by Marin Molliard in 1904. In 1972, John W. Paden again described the anamorph, but like Molliard, failed to give a complete description of the species. In 1984, Paden created a new genus Molliardiomyces to contain the anamorphic forms of several Sarcoscypha species, with Molliardiomyces eucoccinea as the type species. This form produces colorless conidiophores (specialized stalks that bear conidia) that are usually irregularly branched, measuring 30–110 by 3.2–4.7 µm. The conidia are ellipsoidal to egg-shaped, smooth, translucent (hyaline), and 4.8–16.0 by 2.3–5.8 µm; they tend to accumulate in "mucilaginous masses".

Habitat
Members of the Sarcoscyphaceae grow as saprotrophs on dead wood, and especially in the case of Sarcoscypha, on mostly damp branches or twigs of hard-wood species often in association with damp loving mosses. There is a strong association with damp places and north facing slopes. Typical locations include woods in damp stream valleys. Fruiting in most species tends to be in late winter or early spring with fruiting bodies produced on the dead wood within which the mycelium grows, although in some cases the apothecium appears to arise from amongst moss or from the leaf-litter. Because of their brilliant colour, many species are very easy to see in damp woodlands before spring growth has started.

In areas with a continental climate, fruiting bodies may be developed underneath snow and are only revealed at the thaw.

Phylogeny

The phylogenetic relationships in the genus Sarcoscypha were analyzed by Francis Harrington in the late 1990s. The cladistic analysis combined comparison of sequences from the internal transcribed spacer in the non-functional RNA in addition to fifteen traditional morphological characters, such as spore features, fruit body shape, and degree of hair curliness. Based on this analysis, one major clade includes the species S. austriaca, S. macaronesica, S. knixoniana and S. humberiana, while another has S. korfiana, S. occidentalis, S. mesocyatha, S. dudleyi, S. emarginata, and S. hosoyae. S. jarvensis is sister to all these species.

Species
According to the 10th edition of the Dictionary of the Fungi (2008), there are about 28 species in the genus. An incomplete list follows:

S. austriaca
S. coccinea
S. dudleyi
S. emarginata
S. excelsa
S. hosoyae
S. humberiana
S. javensis
S. jurana
S. knixoniana
S. korfiana
S. lilliputiana
S. macaronesica
S. mesocyatha
S. occidentalis
S. serrata
S. shennongjiana
S. vassiljevae

The species Nanoscypha striatispora, formerly included in this list as S. striatispora, was transferred to the genus Nanoscypha to support a monophyly for Sarcoscypha.

References

External links

European and North American species of Sarcoscypha by H. O. Baral
Mushroom Expert
Ascospores Comparison of three similar Sarcoscypha species

Sarcoscyphaceae
Pezizales genera
Taxa named by Elias Magnus Fries

ca:Sarcoscypha coccinea
pms:Sarcoscypha coccinea

Sarcoscypha


In Greek mythology, the Nereids ( Nereides) are sea nymphs, the fifty daughters of Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea, and the Okeanid Doris.

Among them are:
Thetis - Wife of Peleus and mother of Achilles, she was often considered the leader of the Nereids.
Amphitrite - Wife of Poseidon and queen of the sea.
Galatea
Thoosa - mother of the Cyclops Polyphemus.
Dione (mythology)

Nymphs
Gods and goddesses of water

Nereid


Andy & Lucas are a Spanish flamenco band formed by Andrés Morales and Lucas González. They introduced their first CD in 2003.

Biography
Andrés was born on April 4, 1982 and Lucas González on September 28, 1982. They lived in Cádiz (La Laguna) and they went to the same school. On May 26, 2003 they edited their first album which had 13 songs. The single "Son de amores" became the summer song in Spain. They sold more than 500,000 copies around the world.

Their second album was called Desde mi barrio and it was edited on 2004. Their third album was Ganas de vivir. It had 12 songs. Andy wrote seven of the songs, and Lucas wrote five.

Spanish musical groups
People from Cádiz

Andy & Lucas


Ramat Denya (Hebrew: רמת דניה) (lit. "Denya Heights") is a neighborhood in southwest Jerusalem. It was established in 1970 between Kiryat Hayovel and Bayit Vegan, 780 meters above sea level. Denya was the name of the development company that built the first apartment buildings.

Streets
The streets in Ramat Denya are named for: Abel Pann (1887–1963), an artist and teacher at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design; Aryeh (Louis) Kobovy (1896–1966) a Labor Zionist leader in Belgium and Israeli consul to Poland and Czechoslovakia; Zeitlin in memory of two brothers, Hillel (1872–1943), a philosopher and researcher of Hasidism who was killed by the Nazis, and Aharon (1898–1973), a writer and poet; Edward Gelber (1904–1971), a Canadian Zionist leader who emigrated to Israel in 1954 and his wife Hanna a notable physician and a WIZO leader in Israel; Yosef Haim Shrim (1851–1949), rabbi of the Syrian Jewish community; Zvi Leibowitz (1897–1980), a Jerusalem municipal planner who oversaw the transport of supplies to Jerusalem during the siege of 1948.

Notable residents
Shlomo Hillel
Yotam Ottolenghi - chef and TV presenter

References

Neighbourhoods of Jerusalem

Ramat Denya


Ludwig Gotthard Kosegarten (1 February 1758 – 26 October 1818), also known as Ludwig Theobul or Ludwig Theoboul, was a German poet and Lutheran preacher.

Kosegarten was born in Grevesmühlen, in the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. After studying theology at the University of Greifswald, he served as the pastor of Altenkirchen on the island of Rügen, then part of Swedish Pomerania.

After his ordination in 1792 he was given the rectorate in the parish church of Altenkirchen on Rügen. In this capacity he gave the famous shore sermons on the cliffs near Vitt. He went there to the herring fishermen, who during the time of herring fishing could not go to the church in Altenkirchen due to their work. These sermons were a great success, which is why the Vitt Chapel was erected in 1806. During his stay on Rügen he wrote many reports about the island, that made both Rügen and Kosegarten famous.

Kosegarten's books were burned at the Wartburg festival on 18 October 1817.  He influenced the work of Philipp Otto Runge, Caspar David Friedrich, and the music of Franz Schubert.

References
Lewis Holmes. Kosegarten: The Turbulent Life & Times of a Northern German Poet. Peter Lang, Jan 1, 2004

1758 births
1818 deaths
People from Grevesmühlen
People from the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
18th-century German Lutheran clergy
German poets
Writers from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
University of Greifswald alumni
German male poets
19th-century German Lutheran clergy

Ludwig Gotthard Kosegarten


Logan Laurice Browning (born June 9, 1989) is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Samantha White in the 2017 Netflix satirical-drama series Dear White People. She is also known for playing Sasha in the 2007 film Bratz: The Movie, Brianna Ortiz in Meet the Browns, Jelena Howard on the VH1 series Hit the Floor, and Zora in the PlayStation Network series Powers.

Early life
Browning was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She is biracial, her mother is white and her father is African American. Her adoptive parents are African American. Growing up, she did a lot of activities, from dancing for a local ballet company to cheerleading in junior high. She attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Career

In 2003, She studied acting from a young age by taking classes at Barbizon Modeling and Acting School in Atlanta. She made her acting debut in the teen series Summerland as the character Carrie, and played Vanessa in the Nickelodeon series Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide in 2005–06. She also appeared as the main love interest in Dijon Talton's video for the song "Wild Out".

In 2007, Browning starred as one of the main characters, Sasha, in the live-action theatrical feature Bratz: The Movie, based on the popular fashion doll line.

Browning joined the cast of Meet the Browns during the second season, replacing Brianne Gould as the character Brianna Ortiz. She makes a brief appearance in Prima J's "Rockstar" music video, as well as B5's music video "U Got Me". Browning had a recurring role on the Disney XD series Pair of Kings.

She appeared in two episodes of The Secret Circle, a TV series based on the novels of the same name by L.J. Smith. In April 2012, Browning was cast as Jelena Howard in VH1's Hit the Floor. Before "Hit the Floor", Browning was not a professional dancer. She was cast for her acting ability and trained for 8 months before the series filming.

Browning starred alongside her Hit the Floor co-star, Katherine Bailess, in the YouTube comedic series Shit Southern Women Say. In July 2016, it was announced that Browning would star in the role of Samantha White in the Netflix satirical-drama series Dear White People. In 2017, Browning was cast in the role of Lizzie on Netflix horror film The Perfection. The film was released on May 24, 2019.

Filmography

References

External links

  Logan Browning as Jelena Howard on VH1's Hit the Floor (TV series)

1989 births
21st-century American actresses
American television actresses
African-American actresses
American child actresses
American film actresses
African-American female dancers
American female dancers
Living people
Actresses from Atlanta
American adoptees
Vanderbilt University alumni

Logan Browning


David Boyle (1 May 1842  – 14 February 1911) was a Canadian blacksmith, teacher, archaeologist, musicologist, and historian.

Born in Greenock, Scotland, Boyle arrived in Upper Canada, where most of John Boyle's family had already located, from Scotland in 1856 and apprenticed to a blacksmith. He would become a teacher in rural Ontario in 1865, a school principal in Elora 1871-1881, and later a bookseller in Toronto. Boyle followed what were then "radical child-centered theories" of Johann Pestalozzi.

In 1884, Boyle became curator of the Canadian Institute Museum, a post he held until 1896, and was curator of the Ontario Provincial Museum 1886-1911. He cultivated a core of loyal collectors across southern and central Ontario who assisted him in archaeological digs and in collecting artifacts for the museums. These men included Andrew Frederick Hunter, George E. Laidlaw, J. Hugh Hammond, John Long, Dr Thomas W. Beeman, William Wintemberg and Frederick William Waugh. He was also the Secretary of the Ontario Historical Society after 1898, and became highly influential in the local historical societies that grew up in Ontario in the late nineteenth century. In 1898, Boyle also began to conduct ethnographic fieldwork at the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve near Brantford, after having met John Ojijatekha Brant-Sero through the Canadian Institute. He later met Dr. Peter E. Jones of the nearby Mississauga of the New Credit reserve who also assisted him in his fieldwork. An Ontario Historical Plaque was erected by the province to commemorate David Boyle's role in Ontario's heritage.
His work served as the basis for archaeology as a serious scientific discipline in the province. Between 1887 and 1911, he published Annual Archaeological Reports for Ontario, Canada's first journal primarily dedicated to archaeology.

In 1908 he was the third recipient of the Cornplanter Medal.

Boyle was also a history buff and preservationist, as well as the author of a book of nonsense poetry for children.

He died in 1911 in Toronto after a serious stroke. His papers are housed at the provincial Archives of Ontario, the University of Toronto Archives, and at the Royal Ontario Museum archives.

Notes

Sources
Killan, Gerald. "Boyle, David" in The Canadian Encyclopedia, Volume 1, p. 264. Edmonton: Hurtig Publishers, 1988.
Killan, Gerald. David Boyle:  From Artisan to Archaeologist. Toronto: UTP, 1983.
Killan, Gerald. Preserving Ontario's Heritage: a History of the Ontario Historical Society. Ottawa: Love, 1976.
Hamilton, Michelle A. Collections and Objections:  Aboriginal Material Culture in Southern Ontario, 1791-1914. Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2010.

External links

Notes on Primitive Man in Ontario
Archival papers held at University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services

Canadian archaeologists
Scientists from Toronto
Writers from Toronto
Canadian blacksmiths
Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario
1842 births
1911 deaths
Scottish poets
19th-century Canadian poets
Canadian male poets
Canadian educators
Canadian musicologists
People from Greenock
19th-century British male writers
19th-century British writers
Immigrants to the Province of Canada

David Boyle (archaeologist)


Günther Landgraf (14 September 1928 in Kryry – 12 January 2006 in Dresden) was a German physicist and, from 1990 till 1994, President of Technische Universität Dresden.

Günther Landgraf was born in Kryry, in Bohemia (now Czech Republic). He came to Dresden in 1938 and studied physics. Landgraf graduated in fatigue strength science at the Technische Hochschule Dresden in 1952 and received his Ph.D. in 1961 and Habilitation at the renamed Technische Universität Dresden in 1969.

1970 he was appointed to Professor for  theory of plasticity at the Dresden University of Technology. Landgraf was the first free elected President of the Dresden University of Technology in 1990. He received the status of a full university.

Landgraf did not cease work after his retirement in 1996 and came daily for several hours in the office. He wrote far appraisals and specialized books. In addition he was since 1991 scientific director of the created institute "European Institute for postgraduate Studies at the University of Technology at Dresden" (EIPOS). Up until his illness, Günther Landgraf also took care of over 70 graduate students.

He is buried in the Trinity Cemetery in Dresden.

Honors
 1997 honorary senator of the Technische Universität Dresden
 1994 Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany ("Bundesverdienstkreuz")
 1990 honorary doctor of the Chemnitz University of Technology
 1978 National Prize of the German Democratic Republic

References

External links
Obituaries TU Dresden

1928 births
2006 deaths
20th-century German physicists
Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
TU Dresden alumni
People from Louny District
Sudeten German people

Günther Landgraf


Dracula is a television adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Dracula, produced by Granada Television for WGBH Boston and BBC Wales in 2006. It was written by Stewart Harcourt and directed by Bill Eagles.

Plot
In 1899, Arthur Holmwood is diagnosed with syphilis soon after becoming engaged to Lucy Westenra. Knowing that the disease would kill both him and his fiancée, he contacts an occult group called the Brotherhood, which is being led by a man named Singleton. Singleton claims that they know someone who can cure him of the disease, but for a price.

Lucy's best friend is Mina Murray, who is engaged to Jonathan Harker, a solicitor. Arthur hires his firm to sell several properties to a Count Dracula in Transylvania. Soon after his departure, his employer is murdered, and all documents about the transaction go missing. Singleton calmly confesses the deed, telling Arthur the "young man" will never return from Transylvania.

In Transylvania, Jonathan meets Count Dracula, a nine hundred-year-old vampire. Dracula murders Harker, assumes a youthful appearance after drinking his blood, and is soon en route to England aboard the Demeter. The Demeter eventually reaches Whitby but struggles to dock during a storm. The beached ship is revealed to be empty the next morning, save for the deceased captain and some empty crates.

Mina senses that something has happened to Jonathan, and Lucy invites her to stay with Lucy and Arthur in Whitby. Mina's worries are confirmed when she discovers that Jonathan was supposed to have been aboard the ship.

Arthur is becoming cold and distant, and Lucy expresses anxiety over their marriage not yet being consummated. Later on, she encounters Count Dracula, who consoles her. He introduces himself to Lucy, who invites him for dinner. Arthur, enraged to find Dracula in his home, finds himself powerless as Lucy suddenly falls victim to the vampire. Arthur's old friend, Dr. Seward, is suspicious when Arthur refuses to take Lucy to the hospital. He then forces Seward at gunpoint to give her a blood transfusion from his own arm. However, Lucy dies the next morning, and Seward is convinced that Arthur is responsible for her sudden death.

He investigates and finds the Chelsea home of the Brotherhood, where Singleton and others have been murdered. In the basement, surrounded by crosses made of twigs, he finds Professor Abraham Van Helsing, living like an animal, who insists they must free him at once. Van Helsing explains that he was employed as a folklorist by the Brotherhood to investigate vampires. He eventually found Dracula and was released with a message to the Brotherhood: he would come to them if invited, but only if provided with property. Frightened by Van Helsing's ordeal with Dracula, they sent Jonathan instead and imprisoned Van Helsing. Seward attempts to explain this to Mina, but she is skeptical. Seward confronts a grief-stricken and remorseful Arthur, who explains that his syphilis prevented him from consummating his marriage. He arranged for Dracula to come to England, hoping that he would cure him of the disease.

The three go after a now undead Lucy while Dracula pursues Mina, who soon realises Seward was telling the truth when Dracula attempts to bite her. However, Arthur is forced to destroy his wife when she attempts to bite him and Seward. Dracula senses this, allowing Mina to escape. Seward, Arthur, and Van Helsing meet her at her home, where they agree to go after Dracula, just before dawn, where he will be at his weakest. They arrive at Dracula's crypt, where Dracula appears and attacks Mina. Arthur sacrifices himself to Dracula to buy Mina an escape. Van Helsing distracts Dracula with a cross, giving Seward the chance to stake him from behind.

Mina has moved on and starts a new life with Seward sometime later. After Mina and Seward bid farewell to Van Helsing, who is leaving for Holland, a decrepit Dracula appears and watches the couple as they walk down the street, apparently having survived Seward's attack.

Cast
 Marc Warren as Count Dracula
 Dan Stevens as Lord Holmwood
 Stephanie Leonidas as Mina Murray
 Tom Burke as Dr. John Seward
 Sophia Myles as Lady Holmwood/Lucy Westenra
 David Suchet as Abraham Van Helsing
 Rafe Spall as Jonathan Harker
 Donald Sumpter as Mr. Singleton

Reception
Critical reaction to the film was mixed. MaryAnn Johanson of FlickFilosopher.com called the film "fresh and erudite" and "a valuable new angle on an old story." The SF, Horror and Fantasy Film Review wrote that "the film does finally gain some sizzle when it comes to the scenes of Marc Warren's Dracula seducing Sophia Myles's Lucy but added that "Warren occasionally creates a dark magnetism, but mostly looks too cute and boyish to fill a role as big as Dracula." Felix Vasquez Jr. of Cinema Crazed said, "Your best bet for your fanged fix would be to sit down and watch Bram Stoker's Dracula, instead, and for the hell of it, Horror of Dracula, and Universal's Dracula, because they're worthy variations. This isn't. ... It's not awful, but it's still rather anemic."

Release
Prior to release trailers were released featuring David Bowie's song Warszawa. It was first aired on 28 December 2006 in the United Kingdom. It premiered in the USA on PBS as part of the WGBH series Masterpiece on 11 February 2007. It premiered in Ireland on 27 December 2021 on Virgin Media Three.

Background
One member of the cast, Sophia Myles, had previously portrayed a vampire in Underworld. Marc Warren had previously worked with David Suchet in the film Five Little Pigs for Poirot, while Donald Sumpter had appeared in The A.B.C. Murders.

See also
Bram Stoker's Dracula's Curse - Another Dracula film released in 2006, produced by The Asylum
Vampire film

References

External links
Official BBC microsite
Official BBC Press Release
Information from a Sophia Myles fansite
Article on the Adaptation
Listing for the DVD
BBC Promotion
Second BBC Promotion

Dracula films
Films set in 1899
Films based on horror novels
British television films
2006 television films
2006 films
British horror television films
Films directed by Bill Eagles
2000s English-language films
Films set in London
Films set in Transylvania
Films set in Whitby
2000s British films

Dracula (2006 film)


Arthur Frederick Hailey, AE (5 April 1920 – 24 November 2004) was a British-Canadian novelist whose plot-driven storylines were set against the backdrops of various industries. His books, which include such best sellers as Hotel (1965), Airport (1968), Wheels (1971), The Moneychangers (1975), and Overload (1979), have sold 170 million copies in 38 languages.

Early life
Arthur Frederick Hailey was born on 5 April 1920, in Luton, Bedfordshire, England, the only child of George Wellington Hailey, a factory worker, and Elsie Wright Hailey. An avid reader, Hailey began to write poems, plays and stories at a young age. He once said, "My mother left me off chores so I could write." Elsie encouraged her son to learn typing and shorthand so that he might become a clerk instead of a factory worker.

At fourteen, Hailey failed to win a scholarship which would have enabled him to continue his schooling. From 1934 to 1939 he was an office boy and clerk in London. He joined the Royal Air Force in 1939, and served as a pilot during World War II, eventually rising to the rank of flight lieutenant. In 1947, unhappy with the post-war Labour government, he immigrated to Canada, becoming a dual citizen. Settling in Toronto, he held a variety of jobs in such fields as real estate, sales, and advertising. He was editor of a trade magazine called Bus and Truck Transport. During these years, he continued to write.

Career
Hailey's professional writing career began in 1955 with a script called Flight into Danger, which was purchased by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and telecast on 3 April 1956. This story of a plane flight in jeopardy after its crew is incapacitated was "the smash hit of the season," won enormous acclaim, and was broadcast internationally. It was adapted as a novel by "John Castle" (a pseudonym for Ronald Payne and John Garrod), with Hailey credited as co-author; it was published by Britain's Souvenir Press in 1958 under its original title, but renamed Runway Zero-Eight (Doubleday) for its 1959 American publication. The story was filmed in 1957 as Zero Hour! (Paramount), and for television in 1971 as Terror in the Sky.

With the success of Flight into Danger, Hailey was in demand as a television writer, and wrote for such shows as Studio One, Kraft Television Theatre, Playhouse 90, and Suspense. In 1959, he adapted his teleplay No Deadly Medicine (for which he won an Emmy nomination) into his first novel The Final Diagnosis. Published by Doubleday, it is the story of the chief pathologist at a Burlington, Pennsylvania, hospital. The book received good reviews, and was a selection of the Literary Guild of America.
Hailey's second novel, In High Places (Doubleday) was published in 1962. Dealing with international politics the book was again selected by the Literary Guild, and was a best seller in Canada.

Hailey's commercial breakthrough came in 1965 with publication of Hotel (Doubleday), which followed five days in the lives of employees and residents of New Orleans' luxurious St. Gregory Hotel. The book spent 48 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list, peaking at No. 3, and became the eighth highest-selling novel of the year. It established the template for Hailey's future works: ordinary people involved in extraordinary situations in a business or industry which is described in meticulous detail.

Following the success of Hotel, Hailey moved to California. In 1968 he achieved international fame with his fourth novel, Airport (Doubleday), the story of one eventful night at a midwestern international airport. The novel was No. 1 in the New York Times for 30 weeks, and became the top-selling novel of the year. The film adaptation, released in 1970, was the second-highest-grossing film of the year (second only to Love Story) and received ten Academy Award nominations, including best picture. The success of the film, together with that of 1972's The Poseidon Adventure, led to the proliferation of "disaster films" during the 1970s, which included three additional films in what became the Airport franchise.

After the financial success of Airport, on the advice of his tax attorney, Hailey moved as a tax exile to the Bahamas settling in Lyford Cay on New Providence Island. He had intended to stay for just two years, but liked it so much that he remained there for the rest of his life. In 1971, he published Wheels (Doubleday), set in the automobile industry; like Airport, it was a no. 1 New York Times best seller, and the highest-selling novel of its year. Hailey followed it with two additional no. 1 sellers: The Moneychangers (Doubleday, 1975), about the banking industry; and Overload (Doubleday, 1979), about the energy crisis.

In 1979, following publication of Overload, Hailey announced his retirement. After undergoing quadruple heart bypass surgery, however, he felt rejuvenated, and returned to work. His novel Strong Medicine (Doubleday), about the pharmaceutical industry, was published in 1984 and was another major best seller; it became the thirteenth highest-selling novel of the year. His commercial success had declined somewhat by 1990 with publication of The Evening News (Doubleday), and with his final novel, Detective (Crown), which appeared in 1997. Hailey continued to write, but—except for the slim The Lyford Legacy: A Brief History of Lyford Cay from 1788 (Lyford Cay Foundation, 2000),—Hailey now wrote only as a hobby.

Arthur Hailey's papers are housed at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto, and at the Harry C. Moore Library of the College of The Bahamas.

Writing method and critical reception

Hailey would usually spend three years on each book. First, he would dedicate a year to research, then six months reviewing his notes, and finally 18 months writing. His research was painstaking: he read 27 books about the hotel industry for Hotel, he spent months at a Detroit car plant for Wheels, and he spent time—at the age of 67—with rebel guerillas in the jungles of Peru for The Evening News. Hailey had no discernible literary pretensions; he said, "I'm a storyteller and anything else is incidental."

Hailey was not a critical favourite. In the New York Times, Martin Levin called him "a plodding sort of writer." Martha Gellhorn, reviewing The Evening News for The Daily Telegraph wrote, "This is not a book you cannot put down; it is a book you can hardly hold up. It will sell in millions and be translated into 34 languages. Possibly it is more readable in Icelandic or Urdu." And Time magazine, reviewing Wheels together with Harold Robbins's The Betsy, said, "Yes, junk fans, it is a mano a mano for novelists who are all thumbs. Two of the greatest schlockmeisters in the history of solid waste have just published novels about the auto industry."

But Hailey's ability to tell a story was recognised by some critics. In the New York Times, John Reed conceded, in a review of Wheels, that "Mr. Hailey is nothing if not a competent craftsman." Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, in his New York Times review of The Moneychangers wrote, "What I had in mind was diversion, and, to tell the shameful truth, I found it." Reviewing Detective, Publishers Weekly wrote, "Old pro Hailey... remains adept at hooking readers with his propulsive brand of storytelling."

Personal life
Hailey was married twice. In 1944 he married Joan Fishwick (1918–2004), with whom he had three children before divorcing in 1950. In 1951 he married Sheila Dunlop (1927–2017), with whom he also had three children. In 1978 Sheila Hailey published I Married a Best Seller: My Life with Arthur Hailey (Doubleday), which was not always complimentary, but the couple remained together for 53 years.

Arthur Hailey died at age 84 in his sleep on 24 November 2004, at his home in Lyford Cay in the Bahamas, of what doctors believed to be a stroke.

Novels
 Flight into Danger (1958), with John Castle
 The Final Diagnosis (1959)
 In High Places (1962)
 Hotel (1965)
 Airport (1968)
 Wheels (1971)
 The Moneychangers (1975)
 Overload (1979)
 Strong Medicine (1984)
 The Evening News (1990)
 Detective (1997)

Selected screen adaptations
 Zero Hour! (Paramount Pictures, 1957) Based on Flight into Danger
Directed by Hall Bartlett; written by Hailey, Bartlett, John ChampionStarring Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, Sterling Hayden
 The Young Doctors (United Artists, 1961) Based on The Final Diagnosis
Directed by Phil Karlson; written by Joseph HayesStarring Fredric March, Ben Gazzara, Dick Clark
 Hotel (Warner Bros., 1967)
Directed by Richard Quine; written by Wendell MayesStarring Rod Taylor, Catherine Spaak, Karl Malden
 Airport (Universal Studios, 1970)
Directed and written by George SeatonStarring Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jean SebergNominated for ten Academy Awards, including best picture; won Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Helen Hayes)
 Arthur Hailey's The Moneychangers (NBC TV Miniseries, 1976)
Directed by Boris Sagal; written by Dean Riesner, Stanford WhitmoreStarring Kirk Douglas, Christopher Plummer, Timothy Bottoms, and Joan CollinsNominated for five Emmys, including Outstanding Miniseries or Movie; won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy or Drama Special (Christopher Plummer)
 Wheels (NBC TV Miniseries, 1978)
Directed by Jerry London; written by Robert Hamilton, Millard Lampell, Nancy Lynn Schwartz, Hank SearlsStarring Rock Hudson, Lee Remick, Blair BrownNominated for two Emmys, including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama or Comedy Special (Lee Remick)
 Arthur Hailey's Hotel (ABC TV Series, 1983–1988)
Starring James Brolin, Connie Sellecca, Anne Baxter
 Strong Medicine (Syndicated TV Miniseries, 1987)
Directed by Guy Green; written by Rita LakinStarring Pamela Sue Martin, Patrick Duffy, Dick Van Dyke
 Detective (Hallmark TV Miniseries, 2005)
Directed by David S. Cass Sr.; written by Philip RosenbergStarring Tom Berenger, Annabeth Gish, Rick Gomez

References

External links
Arthur Hailey's entry in The Canadian Encyclopedia Archived at the Wayback Machine
 An article that includes the relation of Flight into Danger, Zero Hour!, and Runway Zero Eight
 Obituary at The Daily Telegraph
 How Arthur Hailey made Tom Hanks a reader from the New York Times

1920 births
2004 deaths
Canadian male novelists
People from Luton
Immigrants to the Bahamas
British emigrants
Immigrants to Canada
English male novelists
20th-century English novelists
20th-century Canadian novelists
Royal Air Force officers
Royal Air Force pilots of World War II
20th-century Canadian male writers
20th-century English male writers

Arthur Hailey


The Browning Version is a British drama movie from 1994. The movie is about a teacher, Andrew, having a failed life. People hate him and do not respect him. His wife, Laura, is not faithful. Andrew is forced to retire, and may not even receive a pension. Greta Scacchi plays Laura. Albert Finney plays Andrew. The runtime is almost 97 minutes.

This was released 8 June 1994.

British drama movies
1994 movies

The Browning Version


Jean de Sponde (Joanes Ezponda; 1557 in Basque – 18 March 1595) was a Baroque French poet.

Biography
Born at Mauléon, in what is now Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Jean de Sponde was raised in an austere Protestant family in the Basque region of France (some critics believe his family had Spanish roots) with close relations with the royal court of Navarre.  A bright student at the College of Lascar (1569), he received funds for his education from Jeanne d'Albret, the mother of Henry de Navarre (the future Henry IV of France), and went on to learn ancient Greek and Protestant theology.

Despite his religious upbringing, in his early writings Jean de Sponde turned toward worldly literature: he produced an edition of Homer accompanied by an extensive Latin commentary which was printed in Basel in 1583, and wrote love poems (The Amours, published posthumously in 1597 with Poésies posthumes).

In 1580, with the help of a travel grant provided by Henry of Navarre, he moved to Basel to study under Théodore de Bèze.  Sometime later, the king of Navarre gave him a position as maître des requêtes.

In 1582, Jean de Sponde became profoundly moved after reading the Psalms, and from this point on his writings took on a religious orientation, leaving the author to consider his early love poems as fadaises (worthless things).  It is from this period that he wrote what are considered his most important works: Méditations sur les psaumes ("Meditations on the Psalms") and Essai de quelques poèmes chrétiens ("Essay of Several Christian Poems", 1588).  In this last collection, Jean de Sponde explored the passage of time, the shortness of life and the presence of death in man's life.

He left Basel and returned to Navarre as royal counsellor and maître des requêtes in 1583, and married.  Upon a trip to Paris in 1589, Sponde was imprisoned by the Catholic League for his religion.  Upon his liberation, he became lieutenant-general of the appellate court (sénéchaussée) in La Rochelle, but left the city in 1593 and returned to Tours.  After a second imprisonment for his beliefs, he converted to Catholicism in Tours in 1593, following the example of Henry IV.  This conversion however earned him the hatred of the Protestants (his friend d'Aubigné became his personal enemy) and distanced him from the king (who sought to maintain his alliances with the huguenots).  Sponde then moved to Bordeaux and spent the last years of his life writing against Calvinist theology.

He died in Bordeaux in poverty in 1595.

Poetry
Jean de Sponde's youthful Amours comprise 26 sonnets in the manner of other love sonnet sequences of the period (as made fashionable by the members of La Pléiade).  His posthumous collection also includes various other long lyric poems (stances), chansons and elegies.

Jean de Sponde's later poetry is impregnated with the major themes of the so-called French "baroque" poetry of the period and with the moral concerns of the huguenots.  His poetry is often placed alongside the works of Agrippa d'Aubigné and Guillaume de Salluste Du Bartas as the major poetic works of the French Renaissance Protestants.

His Essai de quelques poèmes chrétiens comprise 12 sonnets and three long lyric poems (two on the last supper and one on death).  Sponde's writing paints the massiveness of the world, man's tortured destiny, and his lack of clarity.  The author is obsessed with inconstancy, masks, appearances, and death, and this presence of death in the midst of man's life inspires man to seek eternity and to reach out to God.

References
 Albert-Marie Schmidt, ed. Poètes du XVIe siècle. Bibliothèque de la Pléiade.  Paris: Gallimard, 1953.

External links

 Selection of poems (in French)

1557 births
1595 deaths
16th-century French poets
16th-century male writers
Baroque writers
Catholic poets
French Catholic poets
Converts to Roman Catholicism from Calvinism
French Roman Catholics
French male poets
Sonneteers
Translators of Homer

Jean de Sponde