certificate

Certificate of Registration issued on February 7th, 2000 to Steve Slater for pride of ownership of this 1948 HoldenFour Door Sedan Deluxe

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I'm not sure about the model designation (did they have a Deluxe Model?) as I have no info about the Australian made Pontiacs. (Except what Steve has written) The body style looks similar to the 2519 which would make it a Torpedo but I am not sure of the wheelbase or what they shared with the U.S. models. One thing for sure, the driver is on the wrong side and the back doors open backwards!

Signup form Data:

Condition: Original
Owned Since: 1995
Engine: Original Six
Transmission: Manual
Paint Condition: Repainted to Original
Plate Error: This car has a six cyl so there could be no "plate error". I wonder if they even had this problem in Australia!?!

Steve Slater nross@net-tech.com.au
Phone=0351441818
139 Pearson Street
Sale, Victoria 3850
Australia
Birthdate: 11-27-40
Member of: Gippsland Historical Car Club

Steve tells us about his Pontiac:          Dear Don,
    My name is Steve Slater and I am the owner of a 1948 Pontiac Silver Streak. Other details as above. I am married to Shirley and we live about 130 Miles from Melbourne the capital of Victoria. We have two daughters.
    My Pontiac is mechanically original with 77,000 miles on the clock. The paint has been redone (at great expense). The new tyres are Firestone Whitewalls as original. The taillight lenses and hood ornament wings have been reproduced as the originals were badly faded. Seats and hood lining are original and in excellent condition. Door trims and and carpets have been replaced to original design and colour (red). Woodgraining on dash and doorsills is original, and she still runs a 6 volt system. The only modern addition is a set of signal lights for safety in todays traffic conditions. The Pontiac is quite an eyecatcher and is admired wherever it goes, and has won several trophies at our Club shows, and makes an ideal wedding car.
    Car has original registration from 14th October 48. I have been unable to trace the history of the car as Aus. has strict privacy laws and although the ownership details are known by the moter registration branch, they will not divulge the info except to say the original reg. date, and that it was first registered to a company in Melbourne. I have tried previous owners but have had no replies.

I was contacted from Australia and New Zealand not long after I started the registry. One person was looking at buying a 46 I believe and the other had a 46 Pontiac but I have never heard back from either one of them. Steve used a friends Email to get in touch with me back in 11-99 and unfortunately I am just now getting around to finishing up this page. It seems I stuck his info into a folder and overlooked it. Sorry about that. Well now we have our first Australian made Pontiac and it is a real beauty! And this will be the last of the ones sent in during 1999.
I hope someone can send more info on these cars and if I get enough I will make a page for them. Thanks-Don

Here's a second message from Steve with more details:     Engine number 6206756, Serial Number 4162745, Body number 413, Model 48-254, Build date Oct.48, Tare 1550 Kg., Registration number ML093. 6 cylinder SV 3 speed manual.
    You are right about the ID plate on our Aussi Pontiacs; they are not so detailed as the US plates. We have sent you a photo by email of the ID plate and car photos - you choose, you will notice the front end of the Aus car is the same, but the rear end is different. If you would like more details or photos, let me know. The bodies of our Pontiacs were built by the Holden Body Company that later became General Motors Holden, the makers of our own Australian car. 1948 was the first production year of the Holden car and that was the last year they built local bodies on US cars such as Pontiac, Olds, Buick, Chev, etc. From 1949 all US cars were fully imported with Fischer bodies and right hand drive as all our cars are.
     My first contact with you was a result of surfing the net with my son in law in Melbourne, as I am not yet on the net, I am sending this info from a friend's house in Sale.
     As far as I can ascertain there were about 200, 1948 Pontiacs imported and around 20 are still mobile in Aus. It would be nice to get them all on your website, but try mine first. How hard are parts to source in the USA? If you need any more info. Don’t hesitate to send an Email.

Thanks for the additional info and congratulations on being our "first" Pontiac owner from "down under". Sounds like your car is a rare one indeed! I can now officially add another country (and Continent!) to our growing list.

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