This first year Pontiac Star Chief features sleek styling and a peachy patina. In running and driving condition, this sedan still looks great, but is in need of some help. Claimed to be complete, and a worthwhile project, this peachy cruiser is offered for an opening bid of just $0.99, or a buy it now of $3,500. Check it out here on ebay out of Austin, Texas.
Under the hood is a lengthy 248.9 cubic inch inline 8 mated to an automatic transmission. As mentioned by the seller, this Pontiac runs and drives, and appears to be quite original. New battery cables have been fitted, and a fresh battery looks to be in place. The engine is lightly rusted, and the inner fenders and the rest of the engine bay is mostly rust free.
Have you ever seen a dash as cool as the one in this Pontiac? Well, there are certainly some notable dashes in automotive history, but this one is certainly on the list. Speaking of the interior, the dash, instrumentation, and steering wheel are in beautiful condition. The door panels are in place, although they suffer from some damage, wear, and water staining. The rear door panels are abysmal, so you would be looking at reconstructing new ones. My guess is that the seats are beat from the Texas sun, and the blankets are a necessity to drive this classic. Although the peach colored blanket seems a bit fitting for the interior. If you haven’t noticed, there is certainly rust to be dealt with in this classic. The floors are in rough condition being a few rough rides from a Flintstones stopping ability.
The exterior of this Pontiac paints a much different pictures from the interior shots presented in the sales ad. The floors need extensive work, and the interior edge of the rear door has some nasty rot along the weather stripping. Unfortunate for sure, the rust in this great looking classic is definitely a turn off for many. Although for the right person with the patience and skills, it would appear that the rust could be repaired without changing the vehicles outward appearance. Unfortunately, this Pontiac may be slated to be a parts car, even though it is a driver with great looks. It is always a shame to find a car that has this type of presence, but is on the verge of being too far gone. If you could, would you save this Pontiac Star Chief?
Be a shame to see it parted out, it’s a car with character.
This is a car for a tradesmen in auto body repair, welder, or mechanic skills. I have restored the floors, bird cages, rocker panels, and fenders on a 1951 dodge hard top, and I can tell you it is a giant task. I can tell you that it is not just the skills that are needed you’ll need the the garage, tools and equipment, this is some thing that take a long time to build up. If your that guy than I think it’s worth restoring if not than you would be better off looking for something in better shape. The way this car sits I would not pay anymore than $2000.00 for it and know this it will tie up your garage space for many years while you work way on it. So in away one would have to consider whether this is Cheeper to restore at home or in the hands of the pro’s. For me it is the enjoyment I get out of doing the work in my man cave, and that you can’t put a price on.
Me and my family have enjoyed one needing more than this one for over 20 years. All it needs is gas
These low numbers like $3500 are always tantalizing to me… until I look around Craigslist and realize I could have a REALLY solid car for 6 or 7K, especially a 4 door. There’s just no upside to putting thousands in parts and labor into something you could be driving now. Love that long trunk… feels more like its Cadillac cousin than it’s Chevy cousin.
Had one just like it in high school and college – only it was green. Rich kids had GTO’s – I had a G O A T!
My license plate would read “CUBA CAR” nuff said.
According to my research, the 248 straight 8 was last used in 1949. This should be a 268 with either 122 or 127 horsepower.