Finding a pre-war project car with its original character still intact isn’t something you stumble across every day. This 1931 Pontiac 401 Fine Six sedan, listed on craigslist in Colorado, offers just that. With an asking price of $6,500 or best offer, it’s described as a partial restoration and could appeal to enthusiasts who enjoy bringing early automobiles back to life while preserving their history. Thanks for the tip, Mike F.!
According to the seller, this is a two-door Pontiac 401 Fine Six sedan finished in its original colors. Under the hood is a rebuilt 200 cubic-inch L-head inline-six engine paired with a three-speed manual transmission. The listing doesn’t provide additional information about when the engine was rebuilt or how many miles have been driven since, but having that work already completed could be an important part of the car’s story for prospective buyers.
The seller describes the Pontiac as a good project car and notes that it has undergone a partial restoration. While some work has already been completed, they also point out that the interior still needs attention, leaving the next owner with an opportunity to continue the project at their own pace. The odometer currently reads 92,136 miles, although, as is often the case with vehicles of this vintage, the listing doesn’t indicate whether that figure represents actual mileage. The car is offered with a clean Colorado title, which is another positive for someone considering taking on a project from the early 1930s.
Pontiac’s Fine Six models were known for providing dependable six-cylinder performance during an era when many manufacturers were still offering four-cylinder cars. Today, these Depression-era Pontiacs don’t appear nearly as often as many later classics, making them an interesting choice for collectors who appreciate automobiles from the earliest years of mass production.
The seller keeps the description refreshingly straightforward, focusing on the basics rather than making grand claims. They simply describe it as a good project, note the rebuilt engine, acknowledge the interior work that remains, and offer it with a clean title. Cash payment is requested, and the asking price is listed as $6,500 or best offer.
Projects from this era aren’t for everyone, but for enthusiasts who enjoy early American automobiles, they offer a unique experience that’s very different from restoring postwar classics or muscle cars. There’s something satisfying about preserving a piece of automotive history that predates modern highways and interstate travel. Whether your goal is a faithful restoration or simply getting another pre-war Pontiac back on the road, this 1931 Fine Six appears to offer a solid starting point based on the seller’s description.
They change a little bit at a time. Pontiac kept its image through the years. Never flashy by always attractive.
There was a couple in our club who labored for years to make their ’29 Poncho the masterpiece that it was. Within a couple of years health problems forced them to sell it. Too bad because just when they get it where they want, they’re too sick to enjoy it…
It seems like a fair price. It looks like this could be a fun project. There are Madel A clubs. Are there clubs for Pontiacs of this era?
1) Pontiac-Oakland Club International (POCI) – Early Times Chapter: A specialty chapter of the POCI focused entirely on the preservation and restoration of early Pontiac vehicles built through 1954.
2) Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA): A broad national club with local regions that hosts forums and meets specifically for pre-war classics like the 1931 Fine Six.
Again, cue The Untouchables. These were the cars the bad guys always drove as getaway cars. I would have been the “wheel-man”, don’t ya’ know. There actually was some merit to that, as Pontiacs were considered fast cars then. Also again, many, including me, seem to think all these older cars look the same, and they do, except for the grill. Kids that were into cars then, could tell what kind of car just by the grill, says Jay Leno.
While technically advanced for the time, remember this was at the height of the Depression, and this still has mechanical brakes, and that brake pedal on the floor may be of some concern. I read this car cost $675 new, which was a lot of money for the unemployed, yet, GM managed to sell 84,708 of these cars new, so they definitely went to prosperous folks. What a great find, and a snowballs chance in Phoenix for any interest today.
Think there was one of these in
Bonnie and Clyde too but it got shot to pieces midway through the film. That to me was a real
shame, but they were just old used cars when Warner Brothers
shot the movie. There was a fellow from my hometown who
was connected to that film when
he allowed Warner Bros. to use
his 1930 Model A DeLuxe roadster as a driving prop at the
start of the movie. I can’t recall
his name, but he made the local
papers when it happened in late
’66 or early ’67. When he got the
car back, he took it to county fairs and other events where he’d
charge you $5 to pose beside it
or $10 to sit inside it. A lot of money for a 12 year old kid back
then. Dunno if the stars of the film signed it, but he sure made a
killing for a few years though. And when the “actual” 1934 Ford
death car came to town, I spent
$2 to see it. As you walked around the car, a grim sounding
announcer read a frightening script as Foggy Mountain Breakdown played in the background. “Parents” the announcer would say, “Here’s your chance to teach your children that crime doesn’t pay.”
And it wasn’t even the real car!
Nice sound Pontiac here though.
Wonder if it runs and drives. And
hopefully the wood in this car is in good shape and hasn’t become
an all you can eat buffet for local
termites over time. Looks as though the car was restored in the late 60s at some point. And
the interior? It should clean up
nicely with all those new car detailing gadgets and potions the
young folks have today. Watch some WD Detailing videos on YouTube and you’ll see what I mean. Nice car overall.
Ken, when you said, “they were just old used cars”, there’s not a greater statement that encompasses the entire “classic” market.
Now don’t get me wrong here. I have my “junk pile” of hot rods and Harleys. But wow sellers today have people so covered in 🐂💩 its insane. And the morons on the buying side of the market obviously never drove a classic. Which aren’t classic anymore, they are beyond antique. They might sound and feel fast because they have zero handling compared to modern. The ONLY thing classics have is the look. The ride, handling, comfort ECT is absolute garbage. Even the performance is a joke compared to a modern 4 cylinder. Any modern 4-cylinder, except super economy box, will crush any “muscle car” at a quarter of the price while getting 30 mpg.
And I cringe when I look at a classic and they say…. The body panels and lines are absolutely perfect. That just means you’re buying many buckets of Bondo. The machining and assembly wasn’t that accurate from the factory back then. I’m happy I made my score before the shut up and take my daddy’s credit card sent the market into insanity.
When one reviews many of the “new” cars and trucks, it’s astounding the massive defects, poor design, break downs, poor quality. Take a look at Facebook discussing the new Jeeps, Kia, Ford trucks, and on and on. In my opinion the new crop is a joke, and I wouldn’t want one. Some of the older cars actually do have a better ride than new cars. My 54 Kaiser rides better than my 1990 Caprice. The smooth 6 cylinder purrs, but my unbalanced Caprice V-6 vibrates like a cement mixer when idling. The electric fuel pump in the Caprice went out, it was a brand new Delphi module, only lasted 1 year and 5 thousand miles. The pump in my Kaiser is still going after 20 years. Maybe today’s technology is advanced, but realize that newer vehicles are built to a price, the new design is primarily to manufacture the product cheaper, not necessarily better.
Nice looking car…..as you know my pre-war car preferences. The price is good too!
I actually owned one of these when I was about 15 years old and ignorant about the workings of motors and such. Never did get that thing running and traded it for something else that didn’t run because it didn’t have a motor in it but it was a cool 50 Ford coupe.
And here I thought “double headers” were confined to baseball…
(study the pix and think on it… it’ll come…)
pontiac called it the split head
Try 9,213.6 miles. The last digit to the right being red indicates that it’s tenths of miles.
That would make a great hotrod
Odometer sure looks like 9, 213. Not 92,000.
The odometer has been misread.
Looked at it again on the actual listing. There’s a significant shade over the far left figure, makes it look dark and vacant.
I saw this one in person in Melbourne Australia. The Driver family started their bus transportation with one. Now they are the Grey Line franchise in southern Australia.
Cars such as this take me back to my childhood when they still were common on the roads and there seemed to be more Model As around, than newer cars (by “newer”, I mean, 1940s). I don’t know HOW many rumble seats I rode in as a boy. But some time in the early 1950s, that sense of motoring was just, somehow, GONE. And anything older than that 1934 Ford down the street, you just didn’t see anymore.
Beautiful machine. With a modern drivetrain, suspension, steering, and brakes this would be a great family car. Better interior appointments ~ seats & stereo ~ would complete the picture.
I do not agree, Joe. If I had the requisite skill, the time, and the wherewithall, I would copy that original interior, tufted coach-like seats and all, and restore everything else also, exactly as it was in 1931, then tour with it just that way. A number of these had pull-down shades on the rear side windows, and maybe this one did, too. There was something about the car interiors of this era. If you want a modern powerplant, stereo, air-conditioning, power steering and all of that, then get a car new enough to have been originally equipped that way. You don’t need power steering on a car such as this, because the large steering-wheel and the turn-ratio of the steering-box are, if anything, better than power steering! You’ll never have trouble in manoevering a car of this era as originally equipped: they turn as easily as butter: if you are 97-years-old, you won’t any difficulty in getting this car to do what you want it to do, without straining. And the clutch won’t require “muscle”, either: this isn’t a Corvette! With what they had in 1931, they needed the steering, shift, and brakes to work easily under the control of a 94-year-old woman. Nothing “sporty” HERE, I assure you! But loads of fun for cruising the lazy back roads or getting fanatically appreciative gawking stares and thumbs-ups at the grocery store parking lot!
You would load up the family in this car and take off on a 3,000 mile road trip vacation, on the interstate, with no modern upgrades?? No thanx.
It’s a wonderful family car just the way it is.
Duaney, I agree. Do what is needed to fix it up and make the interior clean and presentable in as close as possible to its original form, then drive and enjoy it! (within its limitations, of course: don’t try running it on the Interstate!). But around town or over to the County Fair; WHY NOT?
I drove a similar car to this as my first car, a 1932 Chevy. It went anywhere I wanted to go, this in the early 70’s. Even went on the interstate, but top speed was around 50. Most people can go anywhere on the secondary roads at those speeds. In my local car club we have original and high performance cars, but there’s no advantage with the high performance when we go to the park, Dairy Queen, clubs meets, all the original cars make it there with no problem. The hot rods have lost the charm, the feel, the particular sounds of the original engines, their soul.
Here’s my 32 Chevy…
I agree, Duaney!
This is a very nice car for the price, a future collectible and will be a great addition to any collector or to someone new to the hobby, price is very reasonable. There could hopefully be minimal work and expense to get this car roadworthy but at almost 100 years old what a piece of history and rarity..
One of the main reasons you don’t see as many GM cars from this era is the use of wood in the body structure. It wasn’t until 1937 that GM went to all steel bodies. Dry rot was the enemy. You need cabinet maker skills, not just carpentry for the restoration. Never the less an awesome looking car.
I saw some great looking 30’s Pontiacs and Chevrolets last week at Hot August Nights in Reno.