The immediate post-war years were golden ones for American vehicle manufacturers. Pent-up demand meant they couldn’t produce cars fast enough to satisfy buyers who had been starved of new cars for almost four years. The latest offerings were typically lightly revised examples of their pre-war models, and many of those cars disappeared rapidly once companies began to release all new vehicles at the decade’s end. This 1947 Pontiac Streamliner 8 bucked that trend, having survived in an unmolested state for seventy-seven years. It presents exceptionally well and is ideal for an enthusiast seeking a turnkey classic. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Lothar… of the Hill People for spotting this gem.
Some classics are designed to blend into the background, while others can’t help but command attention. This Streamliner falls into the second category because it is a car with a genuine sense of presence. Its cause is aided by the seller’s claim that it is an unmolested survivor. They state that its Mariner Blue paint is original, and if that proves accurate, its condition is particularly noteworthy. It isn’t perfect, but it retains a warm glow that nicely reflects its surroundings. The panels are as straight as an arrow, and although there are no underside shots, there is no evidence of rust or other nasty issues. The trim is as impressive as the paint, and I can’t spot any developing cloudiness on the glass that is often seen with age.
I love lifting the hood of any classic to find a straight-eight occupying the engine bay, meaning that this Pontiac ticks one box for me. Its 249ci “Silver Streak” powerplant should send 103hp and 190 ft/lbs of torque to the road via a three-speed manual transmission. Rapid acceleration isn’t the name of the game with this classic, but cruising on the open road at 60mph should be effortless. The seller states that the Pontiac would benefit from a few mechanical tweaks to be a flawless performer, but they have clocked thousands of miles behind the wheel with the car in its current form with no problems. They don’t elaborate on those needs, but it appears that potential buyers can consider the Streamliner a turnkey proposition.
The seller is glowing in their praise of this Pontiac’s interior, and one glance at the supplied images justifies their attitude. The wheel has the typical array of minor cracks that develop with age, but a wrap would hide that shortcoming and offer protection from further deterioration. Otherwise, its presentation is exceptional. The cloth upholstered surfaces are free from wear and damage, and the paint is crisp and clean. The dash is almost a work of art, and the bright trim hasn’t developed any pitting or other issues. It would receive praise if the new owner told people it was part of an older restoration, but those individuals would be amazed to learn that it is actually original.
The seller listed this beautiful 1947 Pontiac Streamliner 8 here on Facebook Marketplace in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Their price of $18,500 seems appropriate for a vehicle that is so nicely preserved. It isn’t perfect, leaving the buyer to choose between preservation and a light cosmetic restoration. I would probably leave it untouched if it found its way into my garage. Do you feel the same?
That car is Amazing!
When I was growing up there were many cars with this look. Yes, that was a long time ago.
My Mom had a 2-door fastback when
my sister and I were very young. My
Grandpa paid $25 for it in 1960 buying it from a friend he worked with. Think it was dark blue with a silver gray roof and it must’ve been
something when new as it had all the bells and whistles like fog lights, a
driver’s side spotlight, chrome stone
Shields for the rear fenders, bumper
guards, chrome strips for the speed
line trim and the beltline too. Backup
lights, under seat heater, dual outside
mirrors, a radio, (that still worked)
those funky looking wind deflectors
near the windings, chrome hubcaps,
And curb feelers. And it had this same engine combo too. I still recall
Mom driving us to the daycare center
in it while Uncle Johnny Barton played
on the radio doing The Breakfast
Jamboree on WHOW out of Clinton
Illinois. But all good things came to an end when she traded the Pontiac in for a ’53 Nash 4-door sedan. It was a nice car, but it didn’t have the pizazz
of the Pontiac.
wow this brings back memories I also bought one in dec 1960 for $25 I was only 15 years old it was a 1948 model just a small difference in the grill it was black had a flat head St 8 but had a factory automatic transmission no park just n d s r
A real beauty and at a seemingly good price for what is here.
Oshkosh, B’gosh, another local car, from way back,it seems. Aside from the blue Wis. collector plate, just the buildings and houses in the background have a Wisconsiny look. It’s tough to follow a MiG 15 post with a ’47 Chief, but I’ll try. This was pretty close to my grandfathers Packard, straight 8, 3 speed. No mention of OD, and it seems not many Streamliners were equipped with one. I read the Streamliner was incredibly popular after the war. At just under $2grand, it was a grand cheaper than grandpas Packard, and quite frankly, just as nice a car. I can attest to the straight 8 smoothness, and so could 126,000 buyers, more than half of all Pontiacs sold. Wonderful cars,,,,EXCEPT( sound of screeching tires), the stick is gonna kill it. Time and time again we see cars that would be a hit in todays “why be normal” society, but the stick is going to kill it everytime.
Not to mention the lack of power conveniences like steering and disk brakes and, of course, air conditioning. We need to spend more time in the slow lane. This would be a good way to start.
Pontiac never offered Overdrive Transmissions prior to the 80’s.
Wow, although a Pontiac lover I never really looked into these but this one is fantastic. Love the color and condition and price..engine looks easy enough to work on and im sure id spend hundreds of hours messing around with this car. if I was retired and had my dream barn I might be going on a road trip with a trailer..glwta
My father bought a new 1948 Pontiac Sedan (not the fastback) to replace his 1940 wrecked Dodge. It was blue as I recall (although 1948 was my birth year) and he traded it in 1951 because…wait for it….the trunk leaked. Yes, that was his story and he stuck to it. What did he trade it for? A 1951 mauve 4 door Kaiser Traveler with the fold down rear seat and hatchback trunk. Oh well….
I’ve got a 1940 Plymouth 2 door sedan with an inline 6, 3 speed on the column. I also own a 1980 Datsun 280ZX and several BMW motorcycles and other classic bikes. But on any Sunday, my choice is the Plymouth to tool around in. Such a great feeling to be in something so mechanical. And the 3 speed column shift almost guarantees that no one will steal it. And yeah, I’m 73 years old but who cares? I’ll drive till I drop.
It’s hard to find one, especially one so well preserved. And it’s still a fastback.
What I like most about this body is the side view with the front fenders extending into the doors and the roofline.
It’s so beautiful. It’s my number.
To Azzura: 73? — you’re still a kid! (smile) 73 is LONG into my rear-view mirror — and I’ll drive till I drop. There is a near-twin of this car, in nearly the same condition, around here, only it’s a ’46 (squared tail-lights, and slightly more ’42-ish grill — but otherwise, the same. The owner is 98-years-old, and you see the car only very occasionally. His wife, who is 93, uses a walker, and needs his help to get into and out of the car. But he has too much self-respect to sign-up for a handicapped tag to get especially convenient parking. They have lots of grandchildren, great-greandchildren, and great, great grandchildren; sadly, their children have all died (they blame cigarette-smoking for this). These postwar cars are GREAT to drive! They run smoothly and quietly, and you generally have a huge air-vent you can open in front of the windshield that is almost as good as air-conditioning. The steering-wheels are huge, and with the geared-down ratio, you don’t need or miss power steering. Power brakes aren’t needed, either. I wish I could have this car! There was something about Pontiac in that era. I would drive it just as it is, once I had addressed its mechanical issues. I would restore the original A.M. radio (these were sooo much better than modern ones). And I would restore also the original clock to tick, run and keep time exactly as it did in 1947. And let the 6-volt electrical system alone! I would drive a postwar car in a heartbeat! I drove a 1946 Ford for 27 years, and I still miss it! And you sit-UP in one of these, not on the end of your spine. MUCH better visibility, than on the first postwar styles (in most cases, 1949 models). Those longer and higher hoods, with respect to lowered seats and windshields, conspired against someone like me, short from the waist to the shoulders! How I would love to have this Pontiac!
To Azzura: 73? — you’re still a kid! (smile) 73 is LONG into my rear-view mirror — and I’ll drive till I drop. There is a near-twin of this car, in nearly the same condition, around here, only it’s a ’46 (squared tail-lights, and slightly more ’42-ish grill — but otherwise, the same. These postwar cars are GREAT to drive! They run smoothly and quietly, and you generally have a huge air-vent you can open in front of the windshield that is almost as good as air-conditioning. The steering-wheels are huge, and with the geared-down ratio, you don’t need or miss power steering. Power brakes aren’t needed, either. I wish I could have this car! There was something about Pontiac in that era. I would drive it just as it is, once I had addressed its mechanical issues. I would restore the original A.M. radio (these were sooo much better than modern ones). And I would restore also the original clock to tick, run and keep time exactly as it did in 1947. And let the 6-volt electrical system alone! I would drive a postwar car in a heartbeat! I drove a 1946 Ford for 27 years, and I still miss it! And you sit-UP in one of these, not on the end of your spine. MUCH better visibility, than on the first postwar styles (in most cases, 1949 models). Those longer and higher hoods, with respect to lowered seats and windshields, conspired against someone like me, short from the waist to the shoulders! How I would love to have this Pontiac!
Harrison I too am well past 73 years old in fact when this 1947 was new I was 2 years old with that Said you got my memory going I had forgotten about that large pop up vent in front of the windshield thanks for the memory
To al: You’re welcome. You also are younger than I. I know about that vent from DRIVING these cars. They hadn’t worked-out a practical way to have air-conditioning in cars, then (except for Packard) — but folks were at least as intelligent, inventive, and clever as they are now. Maybe they did not have the technology yet that we enjoy, but they knew how to approximate the benefits on far simpler terms! Maybe 70 years ago, I got a unit with two white canisters you stuck into the freezer to freeze solid. Then, when a sultry afternoon had you wilted, you turned on the dehumidifier to cut the mugginess, then you got those frozen canisters out, put them into the unit, turned on its self-contained fan, and had instant cooling/chilling of the area immediately around you! We humans found ways of accomplishing these things, before the technology gave us the methods we take for granted now. I still have that unit, and it still works! (doesn’t use a fraction of the electricity that a window air-conditioner requires). But I learned an awful lesson about staying cool on a hot day in a 1940s car. If you had vents that opened with a small window-crank, you could turn that went far enough to blow the wind right ON you — it was GREAT!!!… UNTIL, one day, a yellow jacket was hit by the vent-window, and the mortally-wounded insect was instantly blown to my neck and stung me about a dozen times! TRUST me when I tell you this: I never tried THAT stunt again!
What a rare and wonderful find! My first 3 cars still wore their factory finish, and they were just beautiful. Sometime, I think around the end of the 1950s, GM used the moniker of “magic mirror” for the finish on their cars. How appropriate the name, as this beauty shows. I have a video of a factory assembling a 1951 Pontiac, and of course, the cars were sprayed by humans and buffed out by humans. To find a car like this, is such a great reminder of how things once were. I just recently bought a 1950 streamliner, but if I could buy this one also, I would. I would put a fresh coat of wax on it and enjoy it just as it is.