I am fascinated by vintage road test articles. It’s an interest my Dad passed onto me. He’s amassed a collection of vintage Pontiac articles that’s absolutely mind boggling. Most are magazines that he’d purchased new back then. Others are treasures he and/or I discovered while excitedly thumbing through old magazines at flea markets, swap meets, and used book stores searching for something we hadn’t seen before. I hope to share some of them with you from time to time.
While looking for some material in my collection, I came across one that I’d forgot about. Pontiac used to regularly print its “News From Pontiac” publication, which was comprised of a collection of reprinted magazine or newspaper articles about the division or its vehicles that occurred within the given period. One News From Pontiac issue that I came across contained an article from the December 26, 1971 printing of the Milwaukee Journal that was entirely new to me.
The Milwaukee Journal reviewed Pontiac’s new-for-1972 LeMans Sport equipped with the T41 option, that afforded buyers with GTO sheet metal from the cowl forward. The accompanying photo enhanced the sportiness of Pontiac’s soft-nose intermediate, which was complete with Rally II wheels, white-lettered G70-14 Uniroyal Tiger Paw tires, and D98 accent striping appear quite aggressive. The author’s comments were generally positive, particular toward its sporty appearance. It also revealed that the exterior was Sundance Orange and it was further equipped with 350 2-barrel and a host of convenience options including automatic transmission and air conditioning.
Have you seen this particular road test article before? Feel free to share your thoughts on it!