Pontiac's Silver Streak Echoes

For nearly 20 model years Pontiacs were easily identifiable by their Silver Streaks -- the marketing name for a strip of chromed, raised, parallel ridges running along their hoods' centerlines and in some cases down the centerlines of their trunks.

They first appeared for 1935 and continued through 1956, absent the three models years cancelled due to World War 2.  This strong brand-identification feature was scrapped for 1959 by new Pontaic general manager Semon E. "Bunkie" Knudsen.  I wrote about changing Silver Streak designs here.

Yet those streaks lived on, in a way.  On a few occasions bands of not-always-chromed parallel ridges reappeared on Pontiacs.  Not on hood or trunk centerlines, but elsewhere on the cars.  Was this decorative product identifier's resurrection intentional?  I do not know.  Perhaps a reader with solid information can write a comment with the facts.  Absent that, I strongly suspect that there was indeed intent, given that many stylists and styling managers have a good sense of automotive history.

Unless noted, images below are of cars advertised for sale.

Gallery

1935 Pontiac DeLuxe Business coupe
The original Silver Streaks.

1941 Pontiac Streamliner Sedan Coupe
A few years later streaks became fewer, yet individually bolder.  Also note the parallel linear indentations on the fenders: these will reappear years later.

1950 Pontiac Chieftain
Their band would become wider or narrower to "freshen" the concept as model years changed.

1955 Pontiac Star Chief Catalina, Mecum Auctions photo
The final two years of Silver Streaks had two narrow hood bands with tiny ridges.

1957 Pontiac Star Chief Four-Door Catalina
For 1957 the hood streaks were gone.  Yet the center section of the grille featured a multitude of parallel ridges wrapped around a notional central grill bar in a very streak-like manner.

1963 Pontiac Bonneville Coupe
A few model years later streaks reappeared on the Pontiac Bonneville line.  Here is one set running along the car's side.

1963 Pontiac Bonneville Coupe
And there was another set running across the trunk lid from tail light assembly to tail light assembly.

1999 Pontiac Grand Am, factory image
Late 1990s Pontiac Grand Ams sported swaths of parallel ridges.  The most extreme example is shown here.  The 1941-1947 Pontiacs had sets of parallel grooves/ridges on their front and rear fenders, echoing the streaks on their hods and trunks.  For some reason I doubt that many buyers made the connection to Silver Streaks that were last seen on new cars 40-some years before.