Car: Pontiac Chieftain
Year: 1955
What makes it special: Produced by Pontiac for the 1949 through 1958 model years, the Chieftain, along with the Streamliner model was the first new car designs to come post World War II. Cars were updated versions prior to 1949.
What made it famous: All new for the 1955 model, Cheiftains received a new chassis, body and powerplant. The big news was the fact it was given Pontiac’s first V8, a 173 or 180 hp 287.2 depending on which version you ordered, it had a different compression ratio. The traditional 5-chrome strips down the hood and trunk were given an updated twin-stripe design.
Why I would want one: I like it because it’s not as common as what you would see in the mid-50’s category at car shows.
Fun fact: The Chieftain model was replaced the Catalina for the 1959 model year.