Inexpensive 1956 Pontiac 870 Four-Door Sedan

This 1956 Pontiac 870 Four-Door Sedan was made in – wait for it – Pontiac, Michigan, believe it or not! I know, right? There were eight GM plants making cars in 1956, but the letter P in the VIN makes it a Pontiac, MI car. This good-running four-door sedan can be found here on Facebook Marketplace in Hurley, South Dakota, and they’re asking $5,700. Here is the original listing, and thanks to NW Iowa Kevin for the tip!

It’s hard to tell the 870 series from the 860 series, other than the telltale trim running across the bottom of the windows on the side, as seen above. The 860 didn’t have that, and the 870 also has full wheel covers as opposed to dog dish-type hubcaps. A few of you may remember that our family (you know, the “rich” family who bought their two spoiled kids a Schwinn Varsity) had an old ’56 Pontiac very similar to this in the mid-1960s, but in place of the Terragon Green seen here, ours was Raven Black. The light portion was the same, as you can see in this pic of our car at my dad’s dad’s house in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, probably around 1967. I’m the one towards the house.

Needless to say, I have a thing for the ’56 Pontiac in a four-door sedan, four-door hardtop, two-door whatever, or any other configuration. You can see the chrome taillight “hoods” or visors, whereas the 860 models didn’t have that chrome piece. That’s another quick sign as to what model it is. We don’t get to see inside the trunk compartment, which is a shame for a dealer who is consigning a vehicle for someone else. I’d bet that they would send any interested parties any additional photos they might ask for, but that’s just a guess.

Our car also had a Hydra-Matic transmission, but a 3-speed manual with column shift was also available. The seat fabric could use a good cleaning, although after 70 years, I’m guessing it’s a little “tender,” so I’d go easy on it. The back seat looks great, other than the windlace trim around the doors, but that often needs replacing after so many decades. Pontiac made 22,082 examples of this model in 1956.

The engine is Pontiac’s 317-cu.in. V8 with 205 horsepower and 294 lb-ft of torque when new. Passing through the automatic to the rear wheels, the seller says this car has been taken care of over the years, it’s in good condition, and it runs well. Our car had optional power steering, and that made it a really nice-driving car. At 3,800 pounds, they aren’t modern SUV-like, but they’re still heavy. I hope this one doesn’t end up like ours after my dad cut it apart (that’s me at the wheel) and turned it into some oddball creation. Here he is looking like Charlie Steampunk, complete with welding goggles, and a Hamm’s beer bottle on the hood, the only piece of sheet metal left. Are any of you into 1950s cars like this Pontiac?