mailpage

My Favorite Pontiac E-mails: Don,
I am hoping that you might be able to help us identify a car. We think it may be a 1948 4-door sedan, but can't find a picture of one to check that out! There is a picture of it attached -- can't see in the pic, but it says Silver 8 Streak on the side and hood ornament is an Indian head. If you don't know, can you tell us where on the car to look for identifying info?
Thanks for any help! Linda

Well I could see the air cleaner under the hood and the "8" in the hood emblem told me it had an 8 cyl. in it, but I cannot see the whole rear roof-line to determine if it is a 2719 Torpedo or a 2809 Streamliner. I sent back a bunch of info about the different models and how to identify them and I asked for more info. Here is the reply:     Wow! Thanks for all the info. We'll have to get back over to the car and take a closer look. I'll bet the engine plate is still there - it looks like every little knob and button is still there and yes, the engine is still in it. I found your address on the Classical Pontiac page '40s section.
    My 17 year old had a summer job clearing a 6 acre lot nearby and this car was overgrown with brush sitting there in the woods. A bulldozer has cleared a "road" right past it now, so it shouldn't be too hard to load up. The property owner told him he could have it! His plan is to sell it as is. That's why we're trying to figure out what it is - so we can advertise. We're in Washington state about an hour north of Olympia. Now that we know what to look for and where to look, I'm sure we'll be able to identify it. I'll pass the info on to you probably within the next couple of days.
Thanks again!   Linda

    Pretty neat! I am waiting to get this one registered. I probably drove within 20 miles of this one on my vacation. If I had known about it I might have it in my driveway now! (Not really...there is no more space for Pontiacs......NOT!!!) I at least would have loved to see it firsthand.

And then there came this one: Hello,
>
>By chance do you have any idea how I might go about renting a '47
>Pontiac for a 50th birthday party in Virginia Beach, VA?
>Thanks for your help.
Janet,
A 47 Pontiac would have turned fifty last year. Why do you want to have a
party for it this year?...............Just Joking!

    Let me know why you want that particular car. I could use a good Pontiac
story for my website.
    Being so far away out here in California I didn't know how I would be
able to help you, then I remembered the Pontiac Club puts out a member
roster each year. I will refer you to three owners of '47 and '48
Pontiacs. Will a 48 fit the bill also? I don't know if these owners are
willing to rent their cars but they probably will be the people who know of
other cars in the area. Not nearly all owners belong to the club, just a
small percentage. Also be warned that these cars may not be in running
condition yet. Most people join the clubs when they are restoring their cars
and are looking for parts.
     Also do me a favor and mention my Internet Registry to them or any
other 42-48 Pontiac owners you run across. I am assuming you found me from
my website. Did you see any car that looked familiar there? I hope they find
my site also. Here is the address   www.pcmagic.net/torpedo1 I am trying to
find as many owners as I can without running up my phone bill too much.

John McMann 47-2807 2-door Streamliner Sedan Coupe (Sometimes called a Fastback)
6752 Blantyre Rd.
Warrenton VA 20187 (703) 347-1131

Walter Dickerson 48-2507Deluxe Torpedo Sedan Coupe (Same model but on a 3 inch smaller frame)
Rt. 2 Box 248
Willis Va 24380 (540) 789-7231

Bob King 48 Station Wagon This one has a wooden body. I am restoring one just like it.
119 Formby
Williamsburg VA 23188 (757) 258-0810

I hope these guys are nearby and you find what you need. Pontiac people
are usually glad to help each other out. So mention how you heard about them
and Good luck! Let me know how it turns out.

Nice to meet you,
Torpedo Don

>Good Morning and thank you so very much for responding. My husband and
>his twin brother will both turn 50 on Oct. 11 and I am planning their
>birthday party in to be held at the home of his twin in Virginia Beach,
>VA. When they were born their family car was an all black '47 two door
>streamline Pontiac and they thought it would be a very special addition
>to their party to have one on display in the driveway. It would mean
>alot to them as well as their 86 year old Dad who will be there also.
>Thus begins my search for an owner who would be willing to rent his
>vintage vehicle for a reasonable fee. Thank you for your leads and I
>shall follow up on them.
>
>Janet Cashion
<jcashion@phb.com>

Janet,
    I don't know about the color but the 47 I told you about is the same
model you described. Good luck! It sounds like a great idea. Hope it works
out. Send some pictures if you could.
    My 47 is a black 2-door Torpedo. Pretty much the same as a Streamliner
but a little bit shorter. I wish it was put back together so I could drive
it. You can see a picture of it before I took the body off to replace the
bent frame it had from an accident. It has been repainted all Black but the
doors and other parts are still off the car.
    Hope the party goes well.Let me know if you do find a 47 Pontaic.

Don

Any body else have any ideas how to help out with this one? Maybe someone in Virginia will find this. Good Luck and Happy Birthday!

A Sad Note: I also got a sad letter about a 46 Woodie that has been parted out. The owner could not find a buyer and now he is selling parts. I asked him to send in a classified ad to put up and also I asked for the numbers of the car so we could at least record the plate info of another one that has gone away.

11-09-98
Dear Sir
I am interested in purchasing a 47 Pontiac torpedo that is unrestored but the problem is that I am having no luck finding one. If you could help my search I would greatly appreciate it. I am located in northern Pennsylvania where there are not many Pontiacs and I would love to change that with a 47 torpedo. Thank you
Sincerly
Charles R. Frey

Don, I saw this ad in the Atlanta (Georgia) Journal-Constitution, dated
9/25/98, and thought it might be of interest to your website visitors:

PONTIAC SEDAN 1948. Straight 8, needs restoration, must be towed, many
extras
inside, needs right front fender, $2000/obo. 770-517-6982 09/25/98

I have not seen the car, have not called about it, and do not know the
owner...
just passing the info along! It's the same area code as mine, so I could
possibly go to look at the car for someone who might be interested.

John Richardson
Woodstock, Georgia, USA
ponchoguy@juno.com <<------ please send replies here, thanx

John,
Thanks for notifying me of the ad. If you need to kill some time we could add the ID plate numbers to the database if you got them or told the present owner to give them to you. I could put up a classified ad if I got his information.
How did you like the site? Have you ever had a 42-48? Be sure to send me any 42-48's that you know of.

Don,
    I did go take a quick peek at the '48 (which is still advertised in the Atlanta paper, as well as its online version at atlantaclassifieds.com) this weekend.
    The front right fender is missing, but everything else appears to be there. Some parts, like the right front door, are removed and either in or under the car. It's a 4-door Torpedo Deluxe. It still has the original black paint, most of the glass,
(passenger side window is cracked), original straight 8 motor and transmission, lots of manuals and service doc, nice dash, and the owner says the radio still works. All the tires are flat, since it's been sitting for years in a garage. No obvious rust-through that I could see in my 5-minute tour. It's a HUGE car!
I figured it was a Torpedo Deluxe only because it had "Silver Streak" emblems and polished steel or chromed mud guards. I didn't get any numbers off of the firewall.
    For $2000, it's a nice project for someone with a lot of time on their
hands. It's really better than a parts car, although I guess someone with a nice '48 might think otherwise.

I'll be putting an ad in the POCI "Smoke Signals" newsletter for the owners next week.

Anyone want to take a field trip to Colombia? I'm ready! Dear Mr. Hinsberger,

    Let me tell you my story. My name is William Tobos. I do not know much about cars but few days ago, I saw a 1947 Pontiac V8 Torpedo Convertible. The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Bright red and a black top. I just felt in love with it. As soon as I got back home I started searching for information on this car and got to Rich at Classical Pontiac and wrote an e-mail to him. He gave me your home page address and here I am. I would just like to ask you some questions since here in Colombia there is no much information on these type of cars.
    1- The owner of the car that I saw asked me if I was interested on buying it and to give him an offer. As I said Mr. Hinsberger, I do not know about cars and certainly nothing about a’47 Torpedo! This car has 57.000 original miles and seems to me in excellent original shape, has old license plate and is own buy a car club member. How much could a car like this go for. Aproximately. I would hate to get ripped off if I make an offer.
    2- I saw cars on your home page. A ’48 Torpedo own by Mr. Charles Bolten, a ’48 own by Mr. Carl Lipschutz and a Torpedo own by Mr. Ted Cram. What a beautiful cars. How much a car like those could go for?
    3- What is the difference between a Streamliner and a Torpedo?
    4- Were there any Streamliners convertible ever made?
    5- I definetely like to get a convertible. From the collector's point of view, what is the year made I should look for? Are there any special years or something I should look for?
    6- Is there any material available on Torpedos? Perhaps a magazine I could subscribe to?
    7- Is the Torpedo V8 '47 more special than the V6 '47 since there were less made?
Mr. Hinsberger, I don't really know how long would it take me to find and learn about these cars but I gotta have one some day. Thank you for your kind attention. Hope to here from you soon. and sorry to bother you with my questions.

Best Regards,
WILLIAM

William,
     I hope you have a Pontiac soon to join the registry with. If you do not get the car could you do me a favor and ask the
present owner to send the numbers off of the ID plate so I can add the car to the registry. These 2 pages will answer any questions about finding the plates and learning what the code numbers mean. http://www.pcmagic.net/torpedo1/Findplates.htm
http://www.pcmagic.net/torpedo1/decode.htm
    This page will take you to the sign up page.
http://www.mai-proffitt.com/pontiac/signupCGI.htm
    Let me try to answer your question in reverse:
7. The 8 cylinder cars are valued at about 10% more. Probably not because they a rarer but just because the bigger engines were more desirable. (Pontiac did not use V-8's until 1955. Both engines are "inline flatheads" and are usually referred to as a "straight 6" or "straight 8".
6. You will probably find all available information at my site. Almost everything I have ever seen over the last 10 years is there. You might want to join the POCI or ETC clubs. (There is info on these clubs on my linkspage.)
5. 42 and 46 are the most rare. 48's are the most popular. So take your pick. Whatever you like.
4. No. All convertibles were Torpedos.
3. Torpedos had a 119 inch wheelbase and the Streamliners had a 122 inch wheelbase and they were 10 inches longer overall. To learn more about the different series go here:
http://www.pcmagic.net/torpedo1/modelinfo.htm
2. After the wood bodied Station Wagons the convertibles bring in the highest prices. Just guessing I would say a real nice Convertible might go for $15,000 to $20,000. You might be able to find good one for $6000 or more, but most of them are already restored so it is hard to find any lower priced ones. I am not too sure about the prices though. You just have to
shop around but they don't pop-up everyday!
1. This is the tough question. That is why I saved it for last! If the owner did not give you a price be careful! He might just be fishing around for a big price. If he really wants to sell it bad enough, he will tell you his price.
    It is really impossible for me to put a price on a car without seeing it first. It sounds as thought it is a nice one. Low miles and good condition but watch for rust as it was hard on the convertibles if the weather got inside the floorpans. I will keep my eyes open if I hear of any convertibles that get sold. The last one I heard about was a red 48 that sold for $12,000 back in 1993. It was pretty nice but not perfect. The owner really did not want to sell it but he was going through a divorce and he had no choice.
    I hope that helps you some. And please do what you can to get the cars numbers to me so I can add it to the registry.
Keep in touch.

Thanks for your interest,
Don Hinsberger

Back Home