There were exceptions such as the redesigned 1947 Studebakers and 1948 Hudsons. And General Motors introduced a new C-body for Cadillacs and Oldsmobile 98s for the 1948 model year. On the other hand, 1946-1948 Chrysler Corporation cars were essentially unchanged over that period.
Pontiacs for model years 1946, 1947 and 1948 retained the same basic bodies, but trim details changed enough that it's fairly easy for "car spotter" hobbyists to identify a Pontic's model year once those changes are understood.
What puzzles me is why Pontiac management even bothered to approve such changes when they didn't seem to be really necessary. That said, Pontiac's market image in those days was of reliable cars priced between entry-level Chevrolets and technologically innovative Oldsmobiles and flashy Buick Specials. So perhaps a bit more "spark" was thought to be needed.
From this postwar starting point the grille and front fender trim will be changed.
The grille profile is about the same, but horizontal bars are fewer and larger. Vertical bars were eliminated. Models with chrome strips on the fenders lacked the plaque at the forward end on the front fenders.
Fender sides are smoothed and trim is reduced to a chrome spear on the front fender. Vertical grille bars return, but are placed differently.
Note the carryover tail lights from 1941-42.
Other models had fender chromed strips on the sculpting. Same tail lights as before. Note that there are five Silver Streaks on the hood and trunk lid -- a feature since at least 1940.
Silver Streaks are reduced to three fore and aft for 1948 only. Tail lights are now round, a feature carried over to the redesigned 1949 models.
3 comments:
I never understood why on the this and other fastback bodies they didn't make the trunk lids a few inches shorter at the top and the rear window a few inches taller at the bottom. You really can't see much out the back of any of them. The new real postwar version of these is the same in that way.
Chevrolet and most of the other GM divisions did similar *pro forma* model year changes from 1946-8. It showed the power and size of GM at the time that they had the design and tooling resources to spare for minor tweaks to their prewar holdovers as they scrambled to come up with completely new postwar models.
The 1946-48 Pontiac facelift reflects a fascinating blend of design evolution and automotive innovation. For those looking to sell their vintage vehicles, there's a growing market for classic cars, making it easier to turn an old car into cash.
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