Very nice older restoration. Beautiful color combination. Runs and drives very well, ready to tour. Never any rust or rot, very clean throughout. A great entry-level collector piece that isn’t your average used car.
The Pontiac DeLuxe was an all-new design in 1939, and the forward-swept C-pillar and rounded curves gave it a very contemporary appearance that’s quite handsome today. This particular DeLuxe sedan wears what Pontiac would have called Parma Wine—a terrible name for an appealing burgundy color that is exactly right for 1940. The cowl tag says this one was originally black, but when it was repainted about 15 years ago, they did an extremely thorough job and erased almost all traces of black paint, including the door jambs and in the trunk—that’s not cheap or easy to do. Fit and finish are extremely good, particularly for a car in this price class, and the shiny finish you see in the photos is exactly how it appears in person. There are some very minor signs of age, including a few chips down low on the nose and some polishing marks, plus some micro-blisters on the deck lid (likely due to prep before the paint), but nothing substantial and we can find no evidence of rust or rot anywhere on the car. Most of the chrome appears to have been restored and is in very good condition, including the ornate Chief Pontiac hood ornament that still shows great detail. This car looks a lot more expensive than it is.
The striped gray wool broadcloth interior looks very correct in the vintage Pontiac’s interior. Matching door panels and gray carpets are in excellent shape and the seats remain firm and comfortable, even for long hauls. The plastic wheel remains in excellent condition and it appears that the gauges have been rebuilt because they have bright, clear markings. There’s also a second set of controls for the add-on heater/defroster unit, which is sophisticated enough to include a water shut-off control to eliminate hot water circulating during summer months—it really helps improve comfort! The original AM radio remains in the dash, but it and the clock are not operational, which is pretty typical. On the plus side, there’s a massive back seat that’s comfortable for three passengers and a neatly trimmed trunk that includes a full-sized spare and jack assembly stashed in the tool tray.
Pontiac’s rugged 223 cubic inch inline-6 is one of those engines that punches way above its weight class. With 87 horsepower, it doesn’t seem like much on paper, but performance on the road is more than competent. There’s plenty of low-end torque to get you rolling and it cruises happily at 60 MPH without much noise at all. Nice! It’s also rugged, with good parts availability and simple systems that even a novice can understand and easily maintain. It starts quickly every time and settles into a very smooth idle that belies its reasonable price tag. The original heavy-duty oil bath air cleaner features correct decals and the block is painted a proper shade of corporate turquoise to standout in the black engine bay. Throttle response is crisp and by 1940, the choke was fully automatic so all you have to do is turn the key and go!
The 3-speed manual transmission has the right ratios to make the most of the engine’s torque and it shifts easily with light clutch action. Part of that is due to the 4.10 gears in back, which help make it feel punchy and agile around town. We don’t believe the body has ever been off the frame, but the floors are incredibly clean and there’s just no evidence that this car has ever been rusty or wrecked. A newer exhaust system was painted black to help it blend in and it has just the right 6-cylinder grumble. Pontiac was an early adopter of tube-style shocks, so that’s another area where the car is inexpensive to maintain, and ride quality is luxury car smooth. Factory steel wheels wear hubcaps and trim rings, as well as a set of flashy 6.50-16 Goodyear wide whites.
This is a really easy car to like. It has obviously led an easy life and someone spent good money in the not-too-distant past to restore the paint, chrome, and interior. Reliability is excellent and it drives as easily as a modern car, making it a fantastic choice for the first-time hobbyist. Forget all the people telling you that old cars can’t be used in the real world—one drive in this fantastic little Pontiac will prove that the General was getting it right even in 1940. Call today!
For more details and photos, please visit www.HarwoodMotors.com
