The Curious Case Of The Crumpled Star Chief – Check Out This Oddly Damaged Old Pontiac


The Curious Case Of The Crumpled Star Chief – Check Out This Oddly Damaged Old Pontiac

(By Greg Rourke) – Why do I like living in northern Illinois? I have no answer for that. Snow, cold, road salt, prisons full of our former governors, rusty cars, tornadoes, hot humid summers, and more rusty cars. Our license plates should bear the motto: “The Buckle On The Rust Belt”.  We do, however, have the best hot dogs on planet Earth, despite Mr. Lohnes once describing them “It looks like someone spilled salad on a perfectly good hot dog.”  Whatever. I still love it here. (editor’s note: It seems like a fine place. Those dogs tho…)

What the hell happened here? Found in my Fox River town is this 1960 Pontiac Star Chief, one of 43,690 produced. The Star Chief was a step up from the base Catalina, and a step down from the top of the line Bonneville. Engine choice was a 389 or nothing. Very few were manual transmission equipped, this example isn’t one of them. As all GM full side cars had from 1958 through 1964, this baby had the X frame, so called because it was shaped like an X. Could this have caused it to be folded up like this? We don’t see any collision damage. My theory is the rust prone frame surrendered when the car was towed by a sling type wrecker. Before everyone had flatbeds or wheel lift wreckers, sling style wreckers were just backed up to the car, a couple hooks would grab the frame or axle, and the sling would provide a certain amount of cushion. It also put a lot of stress on the extreme end of the vehicle. Again, just my theory.
This one was last registered in 1987. Price guides but values on 1960 Star Chiefs at $10-16,000 in restored condition. This one will likely sell for whatever scrap is going for per ton.
1960 Pontiac1 1960 Pontiac2 1960 Pontiac3 1960 Pontiac4 1960 Pontiac5 1960 Pontiac6 1960 Pontiac7 1960 Pontiac8

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15 thoughts on “The Curious Case Of The Crumpled Star Chief – Check Out This Oddly Damaged Old Pontiac

  1. Andamo

    Spoilers were not allowed at the track he raced at so he bent the car to create the needed downforce.

  2. Big Sky Dreamer

    I used to have a neighbor way back that didn’t like my sons jacked up cars (or my loud ones) He’d say a mule kicked it in the ass. I think that’s the answer

  3. SSNOVA427

    I have some history with the X framers. Your correct on the wrecker/rust theory. Notice the rear bumper is not angled with the body. Frame collapsed just forward of the third rear mount.

  4. SSNOVA427

    Somebody needs to liberate the usable trim and hardware, and put those wheels back on the firebird thats on blocks out front of the trailer.

  5. Chevy Hatin' Mad Geordie

    The sordid truth must be revealed – for it is Sordo the Car Raper up to his evil tricks again! Sordo is a 500 pound roid raged freak with an IQ in single figures. As he is so big and hideous and subject to such frenzies of lust that he can dismember a woman in 10 seconds the only way he can get his jollies is by raping the old wrecks of cars I get him from junk yards!

  6. Matt Cramer

    Preliminary work on the banana-bending process for Herb Adams’s notorious Yellow Banana stock car. This time, they used too much force and would never have been able to sneak it past the tech inspectors.

  7. jerry z

    One day a Chrysler engineer drove by and said maybe we should add a rear wing to the Charger!

  8. bob

    1) the last car to make it across a draw bridge.
    2) dukes of hazzard test car
    3) fell off a rollback
    4) rear ended by a corvette
    5) fell off a lift

  9. t thompson

    I\’m guessing that it either rolled off of a trailer, or rolled down a hill and bent when it hit the bottom of the gulley.

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