Here’s a true postwar survivor with plenty of charm and originality. This 1947 Pontiac 8 Convertible was recently pulled from a decade-long garage hibernation after the original owner passed away. It’s not currently running, but the seller is working on it, and the price will go up once it’s driving. For now, you can find it here on craigslist out of Fremont, California for $20,000 or best offer.
Powered by a straight-eight engine and backed by a column-shifted manual transmission, this convertible is said to be very complete with nothing missing, including several desirable accessories. It’s being sold as-is, but the seller notes they plan to go through the fuel and brake systems if it doesn’t sell soon, so time may be of the essence if you’re hoping to get it at its current price.
The body looks solid overall, especially considering its age. There’s some rust noted in the trunk corner on the driver’s side, but the floors, rockers, and most of the sheet metal appear to be in good shape. The car was stored indoors, which helps explain the well-preserved chrome and intact convertible top. The top reportedly has no rips, just general wear.
Inside, the interior is described as excellent, with seats that “look like they were redone yesterday.” It retains an original rubber floor mat and rare factory accessories, including a spotlight, reverse light, banjo steering wheel, dash clock, under-dash ashtray, and even fender skirts. The dash and trim appear complete, and the overall presentation suggests this Pontiac has been cared for, not cobbled together.
Pontiac’s straight-eight engines were known for their smooth torque delivery, and while this one hasn’t run in some time, it’s encouraging that the car rolls freely and the tires still hold air. The seller sounds motivated but firm, they’re open to offers, but “low balls will be ignored.”
You don’t often see postwar convertibles in mostly complete, garage-kept condition like this. Whether you’re into full restorations, preserving original patina, or simply want a classic cruiser with big chrome and lots of presence, this one is worth a look.
Would you get it running and enjoy as-is, or take it all the way with a full frame-off restoration?
They’re only original once. Get it running and putt around the byways in it.
To Rumpledoorskin: I agree. Get it mechanically into top condition, address the rust problems if you can, and drive it occasionally just the way that it is. Have the clock cleaned and serviced (not replaced inside with a quartz unit), restore the radio to operate as it did when new, clean everything inside and out, leave it 6 volts, and don’t add seat belts. Then EXPERIENCE 1947 motoring in summertime style!
Very cool car. Keep original and drive it.
Looks like the heater core has been bypassed.
The core may be repairable. Those old cores were more solid than today’s thin throwaways.
Not a banjo steering wheel – but still very good looking
Nice looking car but how can you try to sell a convertible and not show any pics of it with the top down?
Most likely because once it’s down – it won’t go back up without two or three people doing it – due to some problem with the steel convertible roof mechanism. That would definitely be something to look very closely at before buying, but any good welder/metal mechanic should be able to easily fix what may be wrong with it.
A cousin by marriage in our family had one of these. Not sure if it was the same year but my Dad said it was fast . I didn’t know they were flat head V-8’s. I could swear I’ve seen one with overhead valves…When did they switch?
This car has a straight 8 – not a V8. Pontiac didn’t have V8 until the mid-50’s. Their straight 8 was a superior engine for superior torque and durability, but they finally bowed to the uninformed demand for V8’s as did all GM products.
55 was 1st OHV V8 BTW that’s not a flathead V8 lol
I saw on a restoration show that the straight 8 exhaust manifolds are getting harder to find. Something to think about and research.
Excellent 40’s Pontiac. — If the buyer takes care of any and all problems with the drive train, they’ll have a great cruiser as it otherwise is now. – My parents bought a ’49 Pontiac Deluxe Silver Streak new in all black and had it for over 10 years. It was a great cruiser and very durable. I was just a kid, but I loved that big beautiful car.
My main complaint about all cars of this era: ‘Could they possibly get the tail lights any smaller?’ What was with that?! Following them, you couldn’t see when they were braking very well – especially in the daytime. — I guess no one in design understood that tail lights are safety features, and so the bigger and brighter they are, the safer it is for everyone on the road.
That ridiculous design problem went on well into the 50’s until finally in the late 50’s, tail lights became something you could actually see before you were almost in the trunk of the car in front of you. But some companies still didn’t get the memo for several more years. Design flaws like that go on for so long just totally baffle me.
You will get hit driving that in Fremont guaranteed.
Awesome example
The Craigslist link does not work. Anybody else have this problem?
It was a little slow getting it to open but works OK. Maybe try a different browser?
When you take a close look at the listing, you can tell it is actually a very nice car and probably well worth the asking price! Depending on what you plan to do with it and I agree with most of the comments, you don’t need to do that much! Just clean it up and enjoy it.
My grandparents bought my Mom a ’46, or ’47 Pontiac fastback after she and her first husband split up. I was very young back then but I still remember that fastback. Dark blue with a silver roof that flowed down to the bumper. And to a small boy of six, that thing was huge!!! Not sure which engine it had, but it was a 3 on the tree and had most all the bells and whistles Pontiac offered that year except for the fender skirts and a sun visor. The inside was cavernous with those sofa style mohair seats, garnish moldings, and that enormous steering wheel. It proved be a very reliable car for a single mom back then and always got us to church on Sunday. But one thing still confuses me after 64 years. I seem to recall that our car had those chrome speed lines on the front and rear fenders while other Pontiacs I’ve seen from this era had them pressed into the fenders and painted. Anyone out there know for sure?
The Streamliner models had the chrome lines on the fenders while the Torpedo models had the speedlines on the fenders molded in and painted.