Beaumont Pontiac or Acadian?

pontiax · Poncho Master!

Beaumont Pontiac or Acadian?

62Beaumont · Addicted!

I also don't think the GMVVS documents are 100% reliable.
My car was documented in the early 90's as an Acadian, not a Pontiac, but the later documents have Pontiac added as a brand.

I'm on the side that the Acadians and Beaumonts were made by GM of Canada and sold at Pontiac dealers... but that's just me.

I don't think there's enough evidence to truly state what is correct or not but from all the manuals and advertising I've seen from the early 60's,
I believe Acadians (and Beaumonts later on) were a brand of their own.

These topics can get quite lively so, time to sit back and enjoy.

-- Edited by 62Beaumont on Monday 12th of August 2013 12:24:26 PM

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

68post wrote:
Yes, we need an emoticon that show's a can of worms being opened...

I think the quickest way to sum this up is the fact that Pontiac vins start with a 2, whereas Beaumonts and Canso vins start with a 7.

Actually Canadian Pontiacs all start with 7, this is why they are known as Series 7000 to differentiate them from US Pontiacs.

(It wasn't until 1972 I believe that Pontiac switched to 2 in Canada)

-- Edited by 73SC on Monday 12th of August 2013 04:45:07 PM

swamper · Addicted!

Hello,

I took my car to the first ever car show for myself and I had a discussion with a guy who states the Beaumont was its own name under the Acadian name? I always assumed the car was Pontiac Beaumont but he told me that there is a lot of false information about that and quite a few of us believe its a Pontiac?

So long story short I have been calling it a Pontiac Beaumont for the last 21 years ;)

Can anyone help me out with the history of the actual Beaumont?

I'm now assuming its an Acadian car under the GM umbrella at the time which was dissolved in 1969.... I like the history of this car if anyone can recall the actual details that would be great.

Thank you I plan to do a historical video of the car but not until I get my facts straight.

21 years and still learning new stuff....

Cheers

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

Do you have your documents from General Motors Vintage Vehicle Services ? That is the one and only official source of reliable information from the manufacturer of your car. Everyone on this forum swears by these documents as the absolutely best way to document your car and is so appreciative that this Canadian only service exists.

swamper · Addicted!

Sorry I do not have documents other then a replicated manual I got off ebay. So my thinking was that Pontiac was its own entity and Acadian was its own entity... Both ran a separate product lines under the umbrella of GM?

So eg: dodge/chrysler/jeep

or back then eg: pontiac/acadian/???

The gentleman I talked with at the car show seemed very informative and he said he even went for training at the GM headquarters in Winnipeg over 30 years ago.

Anyways not trying to start anything just quite curious... the car show was great!

ak 67sd · Poncho Master!

73SC wrote:
Do you have your documents from General Motors Vintage Vehicle Services ? That is the one and only official source of reliable information from the manufacturer of your car. Everyone on this forum swears by these documents as the absolutely best way to document your car and is so appreciative that this Canadian only service exists.

I disagree, these documents have been incorrect for some time now relative to "Beaumonts"... Great for listing the options and as documentation, but the document lists the manufacturer as Pontiac... Which is wrong, or at best speculative By the author of the letterhead. I used to say my car was a Pontiac Beaumont, but IMO based on all the 'evidence' we've seen every time this gets discussed is that it is clearly it's own line, a beaumont, sold at Pontiac dealers (For 1967) Anything that has been presented otherwise, has been non-gm advertising, opinion or revisionist history... In the grand scheme I don't think it really matters, affects value or otherwise...just breeds more misinformation (like the Canadian gto stuff, etc)

ak

68post · Poncho Master!

Yes, we need an emoticon that show's a can of worms being opened... wink

I think the quickest way to sum this up is the fact that Pontiac vins start with a 2, whereas Beaumonts and Canso vins start with a 7.

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

It's the old "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"

GM calls them Pontiacs on their documents.

The old dealer signs list Pontiac and Acadian separately.

The GM parts and owner's manuals from the 60's are for Acadians, Pontiacs and Beaumonts as 3 separate car lines.

The Pontiac name or symbol does not appear anywhere on a Pontiac or Acadian (until the Chevette version of the Acadian in the 70's)

67BBSD · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

swamper wrote:
Hello,
I took my car to the first ever car show for myself and I had a discussion with a guy who states the Beaumont was its own name under the Acadian name? I always assumed the car was Pontiac Beaumont but he told me that there is a lot of false information about that and quite a few of us believe its a Pontiac?
So long story short I have been calling it a Pontiac Beaumont for the last 21 years ;)
Can anyone help me out with the history of the actual Beaumont?
I'm now assuming its an Acadian car under the GM umbrella at the time which was dissolved in 1969.... I like the history of this car if anyone can recall the actual details that would be great.
Thank you I plan to do a historical video of the car but not until I get my facts straight.
21 years and still learning new stuff....
Cheers

Beaumont was its own marque sold through pontiac dealers in Canada, originally an Acadian model beaumont, became its Marque with its own 'A' body models eg: Custom or Sport Deluxe

Canadian Pontiac, because Canadian Pontiac dealers didn't have models to compete with Chevrolet models - all were built on a Chevrolet chassis

RDubya · Poncho Master!

Just to add to this, i have an original insurance card from when my Beaumont was first insured in 67 and it's referred to as a Beaumont Custom, no mention of Pontiac, so to me way back when it was new, it was it's own line of car sold at your Pontiac store.

427carl · A Poncho Legend!

67BBSD wrote:
21 years and still learning new stuff....
Cheers

Beaumont was its own marque sold through pontiac dealers in Canada, originally an Acadian model beaumont, became its Marque with its own 'A' body models eg: Custom or Sport Deluxe

Canadian Pontiac, because Canadian Pontiac dealers didn't have models to compete with Chevrolet models - all were built on a Chevrolet chassis

Ken is correct... at the first... the cars were separate makes.. Over the years they "morphed" in Pontiac with computers and such

They were all GM designed, and all used nova and chevelle underpinnings

Just enjoy it

swamper · Addicted!

More interesting Wikipedia documentation...... ;)

For 1964 and 1965, the Beaumont name was moved to a retrimmed version of the intermediate Chevrolet Chevelle, at which time the name Canso was applied to the top-line compact model, equivalent of the Nova.[2]

1966-69 Beaumonts continued to use the Chevrolet Chevelle body with minor styling revisions, including different taillights and a Pontiac-style split grille, but dropped the Acadian name as Beaumont became its own separate make. The interior used the instrument panel from the American Pontiac Tempest/LeMans/GTO series. Drivetrains were the same as the contemporary Chevelle, as were model offerings. The one exception to Chevelle/Beaumont availability was a base-model Beaumont convertible. Such a model was never available in the Chevelle line. All Acadians and Beaumonts used Chevrolet engines and drivelines. The Beaumont was dropped after 1969, after which Canadian dealers sold the Pontiac LeMans

-- Edited by swamper on Monday 12th of August 2013 10:05:10 PM

ARCADIAN · Poncho Master!

They're at the post!

swamper · Addicted!

I found this spanish website which is translated to English.

Yea once I start digging I can't stop.... I'm agreeing more and more with the just enjoy and leave the rest in the past :)

www.tuerca.cl/articulos/2004/agosto/acadian/

-- Edited by swamper on Monday 12th of August 2013 11:15:48 PM

MC · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Hmmm...

$(KGrHqEOKpgE6U8D0FWPBOv,Ej!8U!~~60_35.JPG vs

Striking similarities yet not quite the same...

My take: branded as separate models but the unspoken intent was that they were all from the same "family" (arrow emblem, split grille, etc.)

I agree with Carl, just enjoy it, whatever it is... biggrin

canadian l79 · Addicted!

I have a 65 Beaumont convertible with a 283 engine and the valve covers says Pontiac 283 Pontiac. I have also seen Beaumonts with a 327 engine it also says Pontiac 327 Tubro Fire. I know Acadians & Beaumonts were there own brand names but it seems like they all came Chevy engines labeled Pontiac except the L79 Beaumonts which say Acadian 327 350 HP. I have also seen where the 65 L79 High Performance Beaumonts were considered to be the Original Canadian GTO".
Just adding fuel to the fire.

Captain Beaumont · Poncho Master!

Beaumont and Acadian were separate from Pontiac back in the day, but the docs were not kept in the system. That's why they are under the Pontiac name. When I first got insurance on my Beau it was classed as GM truck

427carl · A Poncho Legend!

canadian l79 wrote:
I have also seen where the 65 L79 High Performance Beaumonts were considered to be the Original Canadian GTO".

Don't think they were a Canadian GTO at all ever....

swamper · Addicted!

Well I'm confused I guess will just enjoy it as someone stated... I did find this in wikipedia if it helps any.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acadian_(automobile)

Acadian was a make of automobile produced by General Motors of Canada from 1962 to 1971. The Acadian was introduced so that Canadian Pontiac-Buick dealers would have a compact model to sell, since the Pontiac Tempest was unavailable in Canada. Plans originally called for the Acadian to be based on the Chevrolet Corvair, which was produced at GM's Oshawa plant; however, the concept was moved to the Chevy II platform to be introduced for 1962. The brand was also offered in Chile, with models built in Arica.
Initially, Acadians were retrimmed Chevy IIs, offered as a base model, mid-priced Invader and top-line Beaumont. The car used Pontiac styling cues such as a split grille but was marketed as a separate make, never as a Pontiac. Despite being a Canadian only make, the Acadian was never manufactured in Canada, with all production taking place in the United States.[1]

swamper · Addicted!

Very interesting it almost sounds like it was basically just GM ->Beaumont

Eg: Dodge/Jeep/Chrysler Dealer

Back then would have been.

Eg: Pontiac/Acadian/Beaumont Dealer

Interesting read that is for sure.

Many collectors consider the Beaumont SD396 even more desirable than the Chevelle SS396, since it is far more rare. Many Acadians and Beaumonts succumbed to rough Canadian winters, suffering from rust and mechanical wear and tear, leaving very few original specimens left, in addition to the fact that production was much lower than equivalent Chevy models.

During the late 1960s, the Beaumont was also available in Puerto Rico. There was actually a Beaumont Cafeteria that was co-located with the local Beaumont dealer in San Juan.

The Acadian continued using the Chevy II/Nova body through mid-1971, after which it was replaced by the Pontiac Ventura II. GM would not market another Canadian-exclusive brand until the launch of Passport starting in the 1989 model year.

From 1976 to 1987, the Pontiac Acadian was a version of the Chevrolet Chevette sold by Canadian Pontiac-Buick dealers, initially identical to the Chevette except for badging but picking up the distinctly "Pontiac" design cues of the U.S. market Pontiac T1000 after that model's 1981 introduction.

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

You know that Wikipedia is a colloquial on line dictionary. That means anybody can post and edit articles. My 24 year old son is doing this all the time. Just saying if anything was ever the candidate for you can't believe what you read, Wikipedia is it.

swamper · Addicted!

Yea I know but its interesting what they stated about the Beaumont dealership in Puerto Rico??

When I was at the carshow the guy i talked also said that the Beaumont was its own name or own branding... pretty cool though either way its very unique!

Lefty · Uber Guru

funny my sheets says my 63 was manufactured in Oshawa

swamper wrote:
Well I'm confused I guess will just enjoy it as someone stated... I did find this in wikipedia if it helps any.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acadian_(automobile)

Acadian was a make of automobile produced by General Motors of Canada from 1962 to 1971. The Acadian was introduced so that Canadian Pontiac-Buick dealers would have a compact model to sell, since the Pontiac Tempest was unavailable in Canada. Plans originally called for the Acadian to be based on the Chevrolet Corvair, which was produced at GM's Oshawa plant; however, the concept was moved to the Chevy II platform to be introduced for 1962. The brand was also offered in Chile, with models built in Arica.
Initially, Acadians were retrimmed Chevy IIs, offered as a base model, mid-priced Invader and top-line Beaumont. The car used Pontiac styling cues such as a split grille but was marketed as a separate make, never as a Pontiac. Despite being a Canadian only make, the Acadian was never manufactured in Canada, with all production taking place in the United States.[1]

jfkheat · Guru

I'm pretty sure there was never a Beaumont dealership in Puerto Rico. The 69 Butternut Yellow/white top/red interior car went there as a new car. I believe it is the only documented Beaumont with factory AC.
James