It is weird to think about but through the 1950s Pontiac had a big image problem. The brand was stodgy and old. It appealed to the wrong demographic, and sales were on a death slide until Bunkie Knudsen was brought into the bring the whole situation back to life. With an attitude toward youth and performance, by the time the early 1960s rolled around guys like Knudsen, Wangers and others had coined phrases like “Wide Track” and had ram rodder performance packages like the 389 and 421 “Trophy V8” engines into production and the future was rooted in performance for decades. The car you see below suffers none of the issues that typical 1950s Pontiacs did. It is one of the most stunning “real world” customs we have seen and the fact that it has a real, live Pontiac engine under the hood sends it over the top in our book.
We’re in love with this car from every angle. The roof chop is amazing and it creates this very beautiful roofline that arcs gently from the top of the windshield right into the bustle like trunk area of the car. Up front the frenched headlights, the Corvette grill and the ultra simple chrome bumper all work to highlight the undulations and curves that have been massaged by the builder. The chrome “suspender” running up the hood is a great touch and an homage to the original car.
When you image search a photo of a stock 1950 Chieftain and then look at this car you’ll get a sense of how much work was poured into it. The original machine is the definition of bulbous and aged looking. Chrome in the wrong places, it seems like a holdover from the 1940s. This looks like something that was almost coach built.
I tend to hate the interiors in cars like these. They often just smack of excess and gluttony to a degree. Here? Here they crushed it. The seats are good and bolstered, the Chevy super sport steering wheel is great, and we’d love to settle inside this thing and take a road trip.
Lastly and beastly? 455ci of genuine Pontiac power under the hood. The engine was rebuilt and while it is not some crazy built we bet that it puts down more than enough power to melt tires and keep people smiling when you mash the pedal.
Scroll down to see the photos and then hit the eBay link at the bottom of the page –
Click here to see the eBay ad for this beautiful 1950 Pontiac Chieftain Custom
I don’t always like customs but this one….good lord…this is perfection in my eyes….
love the car, hate the trar stance.
I have never seen a Pontiac custom – now I see near perfection.
I love the way the Indian’s head mascot has been kept as that represents the soul of the car, and I even think the ride height is bang on as this old lady would look so wrong dragging her sweet ass in the weeds!
Now that is a stunning car.. Ride height is perfect