1956 Pontiac star chief 4 door hardtop
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- Today On what it’s like we are back at classic automotive to take a closer look at 1956 Pontiac Starchief four-door hardtop which is currently for sale at Classic Automall be sure to click the link below after the show for more pricing pictures and information pertaining to this very car
 www.classicaut...
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Heart straight on to you
Congratulations you got it right out of the gate it’s technically only straight on but that’s OK.. =)
Well done 👏👏👏👏😉
awesome !
I've seen Heart perform this song. They were great.
In July, 1956, my Aunt & Uncle, pregnant with their first child, took $2300 out of a stock fund they had inherited. They walked into a Pontiac dealership in Montclair, NJ, and asked what they could get with their cashier's check along with their 1938 Pontiac as a trade in? They ended up with a 1956 Pontiac Star Chief 4-door hardtop very similar to your featured car. It was loaded with Hydra-Matic, power steering, power brakes & radio. 316 4 bbl. V-8. It was a powerful & very durable car they had for 16 years. The speedometer has a red line (actually a disk under the facing) which rotates up & around as speed increases....a very attractive effect as you're driving along.
Awesome thank you so much for sharing that car with us =) it sounds like it was the awesome family hauler
The 1955 Star Chief was made famous by I Love Lucy Show; it was an episode "California Here We Come" and is ranked as #18 in the list of 50 most iconic cars on TV. The glovebox in the middle is so the driver can open it.
Sweet I saw that when researching this episode can’t wait to cover a 55 =)
Notice how Ricky bought the 1955 Pontiac right after Fred bought the 1923 Cadillac 'Time Bomb'.
I noticed in 55 and 56 a lot of car makers put the glove boxes in the middle. It must have been "a thing".
😍Great looking 56 Pontiac👍
I have to start with a thank you - nicely done! WYR: 1956 Olds, and the 1957 Pontiac. Semon Knudsen knew what he was doing when he took the Silver Streaks from the Pontiacs and bumped performance even more. The 55-56 were good looking cars, no doubt, but the 57 is a stunner in my opinion. Once again - thank you for all your work. ~ Chuck
You bet chuck =) glad you still dig this channel great choices
1956 Oldsmobile and a 1955 Pontiac but all postwar Pontiacs have great Styling 👍😉
Another great episode ☺️👏👏👏✌️
Glad you dig this episode =) great choices
1956 was the first year of newly designed controlled coupling , dual internal fluid couplings ,Jetaway Hydramatic. Because they eliminated a couple friction clutches by using sprag clutches instead, the hydramatic no longer had a neutral clutch and would no longer lock the transmission with the selector placed in "R" and the engine shut off, so they had to add a park mechanism.
Interestingly, you might say that these new jetaways were similar to today's dual clutch, dual input shaft manual transmissions. To change gear ratios, the internal fluid couplings would independently drain and fill. This gave a longer drawn out shift but was very smooth, the ultimate goal of an automatic transmission.
The final generation of the Hydramatic was the Roto-Hydramatic for 1961. It still had dual internal fluid couplings, and operated similarly for gear changing, but it now had just 3 forward speeds. With re-circulating and re-channeling the fluid in the fluid couplings, they acted as a torque converter, so the lower 1st gear was no longer needed. During the shift from 1st to 2nd, it was a long drawn-out shift, ending in a bang, as the fluid couplings drained and went into a locking mode. The shifty from 2nd to 3rd was shorter and also ended with a bang. It was a very uncomfortable-shifting automatic. Definitely not suited for Cadillac at all, but restricted to the lower-line Olds and Pontiacs.
Thank you so much for sharing all that information and insight =) really appreciate it
As a Pontiac guy, I love Pontiacs in general, but I could never warm up to this 1956 model. It's the kookie styling. I love the 1955 and 1957 Pontiacs, having owned one of each of those year Pontiacs, but 1956 not so hot. The Tri-Five Pontiacs 1955-57 were all designed by Pontiac's chief designer, Paul Gillan, supervised by Harley Earl. The 1955 was a real game-changer for Pontiac, since it was an all-new design from previous year models, and was the first year of the Strato-Streak Pontiac OHV V8 engine. Pontiac had offered a flathead straight 8 engine from 1933 to 1954, and its time was over by the early 1950s. Actually the 1956 model styling was Paul Gillan's alternate design for 1955, so he didn't have to work very hard to provide the 1956 models and went on to design the excellent 1957 Pontiac with its cool tail fins. The 1956 Pontiac has the same instrument panel and dash as the 1955 model, but the knobs are all black for 1955 and ivory white for 1956. The engines were increased in CID each year as well as HP: for 1955, the first Pontiac V8 is the 287, the 1956 is the 316, and the 1957 is the 347. The Hydramatic auto transmissions were great for driving pleasure.
In addition to the top of the line Star Chief models being offered as 2-door hardtop and convertible for 1955, in 1956 GM introduced their lines of 4-door hardtops as well, and the really cool Pontiac versions of the Tri-Five Chevy Bel Air Nomad sport wagons, called the Pontiac Star Chief Custom Safari 2-door sport wagons.
Sure , the Chevies of 55. 56 and 57 got mad love but the Pontiacs were way cooler IMO . Love those designs.
My mother bought a used 1956 Star Chief 2dr hardtop with factory dual exhaust and automatic transmission. It had the same paint scheme as the one in your video. To this day it is still my dream car even over a ‘67 GTO.
1 & 2: All three.
Trying to pick just one car during these Would You Rather segments is difficult, so why not take them all?
My Academy permitted students to drive - my Academy-mate, Joyce Bonneville, drove a 1956 Star Chief 4-door hardtop.
Travis drove a 1950 Packard Coupe, Larry had a 1957 Bel Air hardtop...when we had cars of character, color and power.
Great story thank you for sharing those memories
Wow…..what a fantastic find and video! I love this 56! Excellent two tone pattern. What styling and body work. This car over all of the other choices.
My father drove a '56 Pontiac Chieftain four-door sedan...green and white....for a time circa 1964, so this brings back memories. Same hubcaps. That shifter knob always reminded me of a barrel.
For WYR, I'm having a hard time with this with the first scenario but I'll go with the Oldsmobile. My grandmother drove a sedan version of that, with the same colors. She totalled it in the summer of 1962, but even though I was only four at the time that car still holds a place in my heart.
As far as the second scenario goes, I think I'll go with the '57. That was the first year of the foot-operated emergency brake.
LOL... "There's a lot to take in, and that's an understatement" A truer statement has never been made. I kinda like those "straps" on the hood and top of fins. That is a gawdawful color though... what's it called? Cooked shrimp? I wish GM and Ford could've hidden that center lower pillar between the doors like MOPAR did... to me, it kinda throws off the body lines. No matter what though, the 50's were a stylist's dream! 1) Chevy 2) '57... love the snout n fins!
Glad you dig =)
.....thanks for the vid......'55-56 Ponchos look chunky and misproportioned with a face like 10 miles of bad road....the '57 is light years more sleek and attractive.....the iconic '56 Chevy is my fave of the Tri-5's but I'd take the '56 Olds over all the rest hands down......
One of the best cars I ever had was a 1956 Pontiac Chieftain 860 Catalina Coupe.
I had a 56 2 door star chief, mine was copper and cream as well. There were options. Mine had a B&M hydro and the Strato streak V8, and said so on the side of the car. The seat was not power but it was 6 way.
Off topic with the 50s but at our 4th of July parade we had a 1906(?) Mason driving very well under is own power. The Duesenberg brothers helped design this and it was made in Des Moines, Iowa before officially beginning the Maytag car around 1912(?) If I remember correctly.
To my eye, the 55-57 Pontiac was the ugly stepchild of GM (with the 57 being a bit better when they ditched the suspenders). Way too busy! Didn't sell nearly as well as the other divisions either. Not until 59 did Pontiac really start to come into its own. Which was a shame, because you got a lot with the Star Chief. Top line Pontiacs, particularly the later Bonnevilles, were always better appointed than the Buick and Olds B bodies, especially 64 and later with the Broguham option. WYR - the Olds (even though the Bel Air is better looking), and then the 57 Pontiac.
55-57 Chevys got all the love and to my eye these 55 and 56 Pontiacs Dressed up look even better than Chevy, Plymouths, Dodge, Ford, Buick, and Olds.
What a great looking car the 1956 Pontiac Star Chief is. Nice amounts of chrome but not too much. #1 Oldsmobile and #2 Pontiac.
Love this videos, where im from we didn´t have many cars in the 50´s, they where a real luxury, principally american cars, and i gotta say, they are HUGE, once got close to a 1947 cadillac fleetwood and holly molly they changed what i thought was a big car. love them none the less
A very nice car in a great '50s color combination. Thank you for featuring it, Jay.
Thanks for digging this episode =)
I had a brand new Pontiac when I was in my teens I am now a retired truck driver at 87 years old it was a 4 door hardtop n it was fast
56 Pontiac Star Chief, my grandpa had a 54 and a 59 and I have been a Pontiac guy ever since. Just that little extra over a Chevy.
The paint on the 1950s car alway blast me, im glad you made this channel since in france we never see these type of car !
I’m glad your a part of this community =)
I’m an old soul I was born way too late we try to cover everything but the 30s and 50s are my decades those are the two decades I love the most don’t get me wrong they all offer something great but I love fins and fenders =)
I learned to drive on a 1956 Pontiac similar to this one. You didn’t mention that the hood ornament lights up when the lights are on.
The 56 Pontiac chromed exhaust port housings did have the tailpipe exit through them, but the exhaust would ruin the chroming, so many people had the exhaust pipes changed to a more standard arrangement to eliminate the problem.
They were trying so hard to differ from the Chevrolet, who got the cleaner lines and trim first, and the other three, something got lost. Grill might look off a Plymouth half a decade earlier. The rest of the car actually works.
The curb feelers were put on when women started to drive my dad told me. No offense, ladies , men just thought women were shorter and couldn't see the fender as well!
I'd rather have the 55 Star Chief oh I already do with a 65 GTO 389 with tri-power
The '56 Pontiac seemed to share its taillights with the '55 model, although '55 without the hood over taillights. Also notice how the taillight housings on '55 & '56 Pontiac wagons is the same as Chevrolet of same era. The traditional Pontiac chrome strips which ran beside the engine hood and trunk deck were discontinued after 1956. Earlier Pontiacs had the wide chrome in the center. When it comes to choosing favorites I would go with the 1957 Pontiac. But I would choose the '56 Olds & Chev over the '56 Pontiac.
Years ago I was tempted to get a 58 starchief for my first car but it had no interior and a big dent in the hood.
I like 4 Door Cars
My first and only antique car was a 1954 Pontiac Chieftain Deluxe. It had the flat 8 and was supposed to have the 4-speed hydramatic. It actually had a Powerglide as it was built in the aftermath of the Hydramatic plant fire. 0 - 60 in that car was measured with a calendar! I liked tooling around with it until the valves started breaking. Sold it about 20 years ago. I wish I went in and fixed the engine, ah hindsight!
Would I Rather: First the 1956 Chevy and Second the 1957 StarChief.
Awesome choices thank you so much for sharing your experience with your car.. i’m going to have to include that in some of the periodic maintenance that needs to be performed on some of these old girls that don’t have self adjusting valves. That’s what I originally set out to do with this channel was to give information that’s not easily found but I’m finding out that you can’t give all of the information because oil is going to depend on location/ outside temp And some of the oil weight that they had back in the day they no longer have.. The other crazy thing is you have to make sure that any oil you dump into your machine has zinc in it because if it doesn’t it will ruin things. Finding oil that’s nine synthetic is becoming really difficult ironically Dollar General sells conventional oil that’s nonsynthetic..
@@What.its.like.What I think happened is the prior owner used unleaded gas without a supplement, I worked with his son in law. I did use a supplement, but I believe it was too little too late.
I thought the 1956 chiefton had a 357 v8?
One of my fav years! Not only for the goody grin grille, but the taillights & paint schemes are so 'tubular'.
HEART Str8 On 4 U
I loved them Wilson sisters and the original band! They lost me with the ballad crap in the 80s, tho😮
Heart was such a good band could be argued one of the best girl bands ever.. Just like this car both are awesome I really like the dashboard in this car
*goofy not goody
If I were a collector and had the money, I would have one of those things.
I like the 56, but if I had to choose I would say the 55 looks better to me.
Desilu Productions acquired two '55 Star Chief convertibles to use in the Hollywood episodes of I Love Lucy.
I read that I can’t wait to find a 55 Pontiac to bring that part up =)
I remember it in the episode where Lucy gives the directions to "go under the overpass and over the underpass."
Very nice 50s design..I guess back in the days, pedestrian safety wasn't a thing yet..I can't imagine if some pedestrian got hit by this car..is there any way to survive..with the hood ornament in the middle and those dogmar like stuff on the side.. definitely no room..
People had way more common sense people didn’t drive like idiots didn’t tailgate and if they saw something bigger than them coming their way they’d move, not stare at it. And when something did happen they didn’t sue . Just a different world and I miss that world
@@What.its.like.I guess your right..those were better times
Minty 👍 👍
I have a 56 Star Chief, but it's a true four door, not the Catalina. Where would I find the numbers for that particular body produced?
www.conceptcarz.com/s17172/pontiac-star-chief.aspx
Your choices today are interesting, fun, and with more I know this sounds redundant, but Pontiac (using the same engine block) changed the displacement every year from 1955 to 1959. Starting at 267 cubes to 389 cubes. I have a friend with a 55 Pontiac 4 door but the 267 is gone but goes well using a Chevy 327 with a mild cam. I'd take the 56 Chevy, and the 57 Pontiac.
I like to switch it up every now and then with the choices especially if you’re thinking about buying one of these cars what relates to it what came before it or after it. =) great choices
My Dad bought one of these new in 1956 V8.......2 door, jet black. Went out to the drag strip and the engine BLEW.....took it to dealer....service manager said you were drag racing it wasn't you.....he said yes and traded it off....
Crazy story what was it traded for
I would take the 1956 Chevrolet in the first group. The Oldsmobile looks like a sad bulldog. I would take the 1957 Pontiac in the second group.
Sweet choices =)
I always thought the olds to look like a fish
I was in my teens when I got my brand new Pontiac r door hardtop. I am 87. Now retired truck 🚒 driver n. Loving to see these. Car now thank you for the memo
Happy you dig this channel
Hi Jay!: Wow! A GM duo this week! You know how I like the 1956 cars! SO many COOL and interesting designs before they got too crazy with fins and stuff! The Pontiac was a LOOKER! You are killing me, though with the WYR#1!! A 1956 GM goodie trifecta!! Wow can I pick all three!? Second WYR is pretty easy! As much as I like the '56 Star Cheif, the 1957 was just TOO COOL! Minor fin action and a super grille!
Great choices =)
My wife and I really enjoy your videos, and are subscribed! I have a vehicle that's rare and you might like to profile a 1949 Kaiser-Frazier Vagabond or its companion the 1949 Kaiser Traveler. Both are interesting and a forerunner to today's crossovers. Keep up the good work.
That’s awesome thank you guys so much I’m glad you dig question where are you located I’m totally into doing either of those cars or both =) the goal is to cover them all
Jay, this is a beautiful car! I particularly like the 1955-56 Pontiac's although I like most all Pontiac's as they were what I grew up around and I have owned seven over the years. Grand Prix's I would say are my favorites. Thanks for this video!
Glad you dig this video I really love this Pontiac I really like the dashboard
1st choice Pontiac, 2nd choice 57 Pontiac (but I would really like to have a 57 Transcontinental wagon).
This appears to be a remarkable surviver with only patched up upholstery and touched up paint. It makes me think of butterscotch pudding and whipped cream.
Awesome I need the find a wagon
My grandma had a '56 black Pontiac sedan she purchased new and drove the rest of her life in Edmonton, Alberta. I used to drive her in it to church or the mall the year I lived with her while going to University in 1980. She was 83. Due to its height and flawless black finish, not to mention the amazing grill and front bumper situation, there was never a problem finding the Pontiac in a crowded parking lot. If my grandma had been capable of pride, this would have been a cause of it. I enjoyed driving it, it was 3-on-the-tree, the steering manual, yet surprisingly balanced and responsive. Though large, it was easier to see out of than the family's 1971 Oldsmobile due to the high seating position and clear greenhouse.
Awesome thank you so much for sharing your grandmas Pontiac with us it sounds like it was a stellar ride.
Tri 5 Chevy
My grandmother in New York gave my parents a 56 in 1959 , we took a train to New York from California , I was 3 , I don’t remember that car ,but there’s all kinds of pictures us by it , royal blue & white 4 door , what a pretty car !
Great memories =)
I love Pontiacs and have owned several including a tri-power 389ci my favorite was a 68 GP beautiful car nice job Jay
=) that GP probably hauled some ass those are underrated
My 64 Catalina is a 4-door HT. Looks really cool with all 4 windows rolled down, but I'd hate to get t-boned with the little cantilevered door support for the rear door!
Yeah definitely don’t want to get t boned
I like all the above cars. Hard to choose.
I would take the 1956 Starchief having already owned a 55 custom Catalina!
Sweet choices =)
Excellent video! Not a bad looking car, but I think I'll take the Olds for a cross-country road trip.
Totally agree glad you dig this episode
7:56...That "fake scoop looking thing on top of the headlight" is an eyebrow.😃
8:12...That "textured effect" was Pontiac's "suspenders." 1956 was the last year Pontiacs would wear those as the head of Pontiac Motor Division was eager to have Pontiac shed the "stodgy old man's car" image.
Thank you so much for sharing that information =)
I just bought a 56 pontiac 2 door hardtop pathfinder canadian model .... hasnt seen the road since 1969 ... this video gave me crazy inspiration .....you should do a video on the canadian models cause they were so much different
I’ll definitely have to do some Canadian models at one point I have never been to Canada which is crazy I’ve been to Mexico but I’ve never been to Canada I need to renew my passport.
You did not mention the Pontiac typical striped bands on the hood and on the fins. There are a trade mark of the Pontiac cars over many years, starting in 1950.
Thank you for pointing that out =)
I’ll take the Chevy. 👍😀😊
Sweet
Hi Jay. What you referred to as door handle pads are Scratch Plates. That part of a car suffers from fingernail scratches in the paintwork. They might have been a factory option or might have been a dealer option. Cheers.
Thank you so much for sharing that name totally makes sense =)
Not an "8 check mark" It says: v8
WOW! Outstanding car. Found the exact same color combination Star Chief 4 door hardtop my late aunt had back in my childhood, rode in the back seat with my cousins in that one many a day. Even remembered it being sideswiped in the rear left quarter so bad the panel rolled back like a sardine can lid to the back door but that car was so tough the rest of the car was perfectly straight, and the body shop fixed it back like new. Modern cars wouldn't survived a wreck like that. You made my morning Jay. Thanks.
First and second scenario choice 1956 Pontiac Star Chief for both.
(even better the Safari 2 door wagon in the same colors.)
Modern cars are safer.
Modern cars are safer but there should be a happy medium new cars feel like like tike toys in a lot of ways
Awesome story thank you for sharing that story great memories =)
@@What.its.like. "appliances" Remind me when they used to have a carsharing service here in 2009-2012 where you could rent Smart cars.They felt like a toy driving them, but man they were fun to drive, got one up to 80 one time, and even had my 6 ft 2 supervisor in the passenger seat, felt like an airplane cockpit with both of us in there it was so tight. Didn't want to get hit by a large vehicle or pickup in one of those,, it probably would bounce all over the road like a beach ball.
If I remember correctly the chief had a plastic Indian head on the hood that lit up when lights were on.
That was before this car love that era of Pontiac
I would rather have either the 56 Pontiac or Olds. I do like 4 doors rather than 2 doors.
But four-door hardtop’s are cool.. =)
More doors more fun lol the two doors look great as well.
Beautiful Looking Car 🚗 Love the color of this Car I ❤ it Thanks
I totally agree I absolutely love the color of this car and it did not show up on screen like it looked in person which is generally the case
They knew how to build cars back then, now you just throw them away!
It’s really sad the world we live in now
Door handle protection pads were optional, not every one is going to have them.
Great to know, so that was like an option/accessory
1956 had a lot of room on the inside but it took a lot of room on the outside. Big , big car.
Totally agree
Tom McCahill did nit like the front of the 1956, he said it looked like it was born on its nose!
He was the Jeremy clarkson of the 50s and 60s good ole uncle tom
Very nice to see a 4 door so well maintained. Great color combination too. Very nice
4 door hardtop are cool =)
Oldie abd 57 Pony
1956 Oldsmobile, 1955 Pontiac
Sweet choices
Very nice 🥰
Straight On HEART ❤️
Yeah buddy I love how funky that song is =)
like the 55 Pontiac 56 olds 57 ?
Sweet =)
My grandfather had a 1957 Pontiac when I was a youngster. It was a beauty.
1956 Pontiac
1957 Pontiac
Sweet choices =)
Parents had one when I was a kid
What did you think of it car any cool memories of that car
Can a choose all of the cars ?
Of course
The comparison at the end is more or less each of these episodes is designed to be like if you’re looking at buying this car sometimes when you’re looking to buy this car you don’t think about the other models that were around it. The whole time doing this episode I was getting Oldsmobile vibes because I remember doing an Oldsmobile on the dashboard was very similar not the same but very close.. and I was like I already did one of these haha
1957 Pontiac
Sweet choice
One of the most beautiful Pontiac designs. I love every curve of it, and how its tastefully ornate. It looks very comfortable and imagine the ride would be smooth. I'd definitely pick this one, and the '57 in the second, which I really like also. I see someone got the tune, but Great Choice 😎 Heart is one of my all time favorites!a
Heart is an awesome band sweet choices
WYR 1? Olds WYR 2? 57
Sweet choices I would probably second you on the 57 it would be a tough choice though 57 Pontiac is probably my favorite 57 GM vehicle but I haven’t been in all of them yet
Thats a Great 👍 Hood Ornaments 😊
That's when they Did Styling ❤ 😊
Totally agree =)
My dad had this exact car. Same color combo and exact same interior. However, his car had air conditioning. He later traded it for a 1958 Cadillac series 62 coupe.
Awesome thank you so much for sharing your dads car with us
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