10 (more) masterful Pontiac ads from Fitzpatrick and Kaufman

[Bryan]

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. They don’t call ’em power couples for nothing. And when it comes to automotive art, Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman were the undisputed kings of 1960s advertising.

Read the full article on Hagerty.com:

https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/10-more-masterful-pontiac-ads-from-fitzpatrick-and-...

[Cromebumper]

That is a 1971 ad, note the wheels & high back buckets & script on shaker. I am lucky enough to have the 1970 T/A Fitz print framed on my wall.

[Cromebumper]

That is a 1971 Trans Am ad...note the wheels, high back buckets & the lettering on the shaker. I am lucky enough to have purchased the 1970 T/A print from Fitz several years back at a Pontiac Nationals event. Framed on my wall.

[PGA2]

That '61 Bonneville is in my opinion the best looking Pontiac ever.

Phil in TX

[MissBean]

I graduated from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. Some of my instructors there were active artists during this era and the stories they would tell, oh my! Their time was similar to that of the recent series "Madmen". While he wasn't either of these gentlemen, I learned how to properly draw a tire in perspective from one of the best illustrators of his time. It's actually one of the most complicated things a car illustrator had to learn. Of course, I'm referring to the days before computers did all the drawing!

[Rider79]

Really, really cool ads.

[TheWideTrackGuy]

These illustrations were real art pieces. They were done to make you want to buy... and it's worked! Let me clarify few things about the both '68's. This "Catalina" Hardtop Coupe was advertized in the sales brochure as a Ventura Hardtop Coupe, which is true! The Ventura was a separated model of the Pontiac range in 1960 (series 233) and 1961 (series 253). Then, it became a trim option in the Catalina series but it carried its own Ventura badges on the front fenders instead of the Catalina ones. The vinyl roof and the fender skirts were part of the Ventura Package in '68. The "Bonneville Executive Safari" has never existed! In 1968, beside the intermediate Tempest Safari, there were three full size models of station wagons: the Catalina (series 252), the Executive Safari (series 256) and the Bonneville (series 262). There wasn't any wood grain paneling applied, even as an option, on the Catalina's and on the Bonneville's.

[KickStart]

The glamour cars are long gone now. If Pontiac was still around, the cars would be cookie-cutter cars for GM, just like the rest of the brand. Even Ford and Chrysler have the same basic style as the rest of the world, for the most part. There are no cars made today that I can think of that have the style of 50’s & 60’s cars. 

[JohnFabian]

Truly Beautiful.

Thank You

[JohnFabian]

Truly Beautiful.

Thank You

[Real_Life]

In the late sixties, my uncle and I waited for the arrival of his brother-in-law and sister to meet us for a short vacation at the Torch Tip resort at the northern shore of Torch Lake in Michigan.  We waited in his '58 Pontiac for the tell tale vertical headlights of his brother-in-law's Pontiac.  They finally appeared on the Northern Michigan roads, and we guided the family to the resort, there was a campfire, and I saw the Milky Way in the northern  Michigan sky.  I've never been closer to Heaven.