The ‘Malaise Era’ in American automotive history, a period that ran roughly from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, is generally regarded as an industry low point, especially for performance cars. While the likes of Ford, Plymouth, Dodge, AMC and others had either transformed their pony cars and muscle cars into new animals or culled them entirely, one brand was almost singlehandedly keeping this sector of the industry alive – Pontiac.
While Pontiac has now joined the list of deceased American automotive brands (Mercury, Plymouth, Oldsmobile, etc.), there was a period when it was the Number 3 brand in the US behind Chevy and Ford, selling some the hottest vehicles on four wheels, including the Firebird Trans Am.
A NEW BOSS AND A NEW IMAGE
Pontiac’s reinvention from a dowdy “dad car” brand in the late 1950s to the performance member of the General Motors stable was kickstarted by Semon Knudsen and his assistants Elliot Estes and John DeLorean. While all three were pivotal to the brand’s transformation, DeLorean would get most of the credit and go on to bigger things, including the infamous car that bore his own name.
Starting as an assistant engineer in 1956 and taking on the Chief Engineer role in 1961, DeLorean had
