The Royce Files

When you prowl around the Pontiac Chieftain barefoot, you may want to stay out of the trunk. Its liable to close suddenly and unexpectedly upon your body. Ouch! Sort of reminds me of the scene from Back to the Future where Marty was thrown in the trunk. Of course he was fully inside but you get the idea. It's a really large trunk. You could fit many people in there if you desired which I do not. That's not my kind of gig. Instead we fit chairs, a cooler, a spare tire, umbrellas, and a table in there. Up front there is space for some fair young ladies and a backseat for another cache of friends, relatives, or acquaintances. The 1951 Chieftain is rare according to my non-scientific study of car shows. Usually you will find maybe 1 or even 2 of this model. In fact pre-muscle Pontiacs are scarce on the car show scene too. I usually end up photographing the Pontiacs at the shows. At the behemoth Back to the Fifties, I think I may have maxed out at a dozen out of something like 1151...

I n its earlier days, Pontiac featured a Native American on its logo. It may have just been a representation of the famous chief himself, Pontiac although no authentic images of him are known to exist. In the center background you may be able to see a Pontiac Chieftain under a large tree. Pontiac ceased production of the car sometime in the late 1950s. In 1956 they also changed their trademark from the Indian head dress to something more akin to an arrowhead.