Acadian was a make of automobile produced by General Motors of Canada from 1962 to 1971. It was created so that Canadian Pontiac-Buick dealers had a compact to sell, because the Pontiac Tempest was not available in Canada.
Pontiac Acadian at a glance
| Maker | General Motors of Canada |
|---|---|
| Production | 1962–1971 and 1976–1987 |
| Basis | Chevrolet Chevy II / Nova, later Chevrolet Chevette |
| Sold by | Canadian Pontiac-Buick dealers |
| Early range | Invader, Canso, Beaumont |
| Canso added | 1963, between Beaumont and Invader |
| Engines | four-, six-cylinder and Chevrolet V8s |
| Top engine | 327 cu in L79 V8 of 350 bhp in 1966 |
| Replaced by | Pontiac Ventura II, mid-1971 |
| Build place | Oshawa, Ontario; also Arica, Chile |
History of the Pontiac Acadian
The Acadian existed because of the Auto Pact. The Canadian agreement of the 1960s limited sales of certain American-built cars, so General Motors of Canada offered makes built mainly for the home market, such as the Acadian and the Beaumont. The original plan was to base the Acadian on the Chevrolet Corvair, built at Oshawa, but the project moved to the Chevy II platform for 1962. The brand was also sold in Chile, with cars assembled in Arica.
Acadians were retrimmed Chevy IIs with Pontiac styling cues such as a split grille, but they were marketed as a separate make and never as a Pontiac. The range began with a base model, the mid-priced Invader and the top-line Beaumont, and a new mid-range Canso was added for 1963, priced between the Beaumont and the Invader and sold as a two- or four-door sedan. Four-cylinder, six-cylinder and V8 engines were available, with three- and four-speed manuals or the two-speed Powerglide automatic; no big-block Mark IV Acadians were built.
Beaumont becomes a make
For 1964 and 1965 the Beaumont name moved to a retrimmed Chevrolet Chevelle, while the Canso became the top-line compact. From 1966 Beaumont was a separate make without the Acadian name. The Acadian carried on with the Chevy II and then Nova body until mid-1971, when it was replaced by the Pontiac Ventura II. GM would not sell another Canadian-only brand until Passport in 1988.
In the late 1960s an Acadian Canso Sport Deluxe was offered as the equivalent of the Chevy II Super Sport, with Strato bucket seats, a console and floor shift. Its top option was Chevrolet’s 350 bhp 327 cu in L79 V8, available in 1966 only, with a three- or four-speed manual gearbox. A 1966 example measured 15.25 ft long, 5.94 ft wide and 4.48 ft high, on a 13.5 imperial gallon tank.
The Pontiac Acadian of 1976–1987
From 1976 to 1987 the Pontiac Acadian was a version of the Chevrolet Chevette sold by Canadian Pontiac-Buick dealers. At first it was identical to the Chevette apart from the badging, but after the 1981 introduction of the American Pontiac T1000 it picked up that car’s distinctly Pontiac design cues.
Design and features
- Canadian only: built for the domestic market under the Auto Pact, never sold as a Pontiac in the United States.
- Pontiac look on Chevrolet bones: a split grille and trim over Chevy II running gear.
- Three levels: Invader, Canso and Beaumont, with the Canso Sport Deluxe as the performance model.
- Long life: the badge ran from 1962 to 1971, then returned on a Chevette from 1976 to 1987.
Pontiac Acadian versions
- Invader: the base series of the 1960s.
- Canso (1963–1971): mid-range, later top-line compact.
- Canso Sport Deluxe: bucket seats and up to the 327 cu in L79 V8.
- Beaumont (to 1965): the top Acadian, separate make from 1966.
- Pontiac Acadian (1976–1987): a Canadian Chevette with Pontiac trim.
The Acadian was the Canadian answer to the Ventura and shared its body with the T1000 in its second life. More models are in the Pontiac collection.
Video: Calendar Cars #2: ’66 Pontiac Acadian – Shaw TV Nanaimo
Video by Shaw TV Nanaimo on YouTube.
Sources
- Acadian (automobile), English Wikipedia: history, models, engines, Canadian rules
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