The Silver Streak was not a model but a styling feature: chrome strips running down the centre of the bonnet and boot that identified Pontiac cars. It appeared in 1935, became a twin-stripe design on the 1955 cars and was dropped in 1958.
Pontiac Silver Streak at a glance
| Maker | Pontiac, General Motors |
|---|---|
| Type | styling feature, not a separate model |
| First used | 1933, as the name of the straight-eight engine |
| On the body | chrome strip from 1935 |
| Placement | grille centre and engine cover, later bonnet and boot |
| 1955 form | two wide Silver Streaks along the bonnet |
| 1956 form | updated twin-stripe design |
| Last used | 1958 |
| Used on | Pontiac 6, Chieftain, Star Chief, Streamliner |
Based on two sources: the Pontiac 6 and Star Chief articles, which describe the Silver Streak as a styling feature rather than a model. The record’s original picture is kept.
History of the Pontiac Silver Streak
From engine name to body decoration
The Silver Streak name was first used for Pontiac’s straight-eight engine of 1933. In 1935, on the Series 605 Eight, a “Silver Streak” chrome trim piece was installed in the centre of the grille and extended to the centre top of the engine cover. It became a Pontiac styling feature that lasted into the 1950s and appeared across the range, on the Pontiac 6, the Chieftain, the Star Chief and the Streamliner.
The 1950s cars
On the 1955 Pontiacs the feature took the form of two wide Silver Streaks running the length of the bonnet, a treatment repeated on the boot. For 1956 the traditional five chrome strips running down the bonnet and boot were replaced by an updated twin-stripe design, and on the Star Chief the high-performance Custom Bonneville of 1957 marked a departure from the look. The 1957 cars moved to the new Star Flight design, with missile-shaped side trim behind the front door and all the gauges in an oval on the dashboard.
The end of the stripes
1958 was the last year the Silver Streak feature was offered, ending a decoration first used in 1933. The 1958 Star Chief had an all-new, longer and lower body with a honeycomb grille and twin headlamps, and after that Pontiac’s styling moved on to the split grille and wide-track themes that defined the brand in the 1960s.
Design and features
- Chrome strips: the decoration that made a Pontiac recognisable from the front.
- 1935 debut on the body: grille centre to engine cover.
- Twin stripes in 1955: two wide strips along the bonnet.
- Range-wide use: fitted to Pontiac 6, Chieftain, Star Chief and Streamliner.
- Dropped in 1958: replaced by the Star Flight and split-grille styling.
Pontiac Silver Streak versions
- Single strip (1935–54): the original chrome line.
- Twin wide stripes (1955): two broad bands along the bonnet.
- Updated twin stripe (1956–57): the revised five-strip design.
The stripes appeared on the Chieftain and Star Chief; the six-cylinder line behind the feature is covered in the Pontiac Six article. More Pontiacs are in the Pontiac collection.
Sources
- Pontiac 6, English Wikipedia: 1935 Silver Streak trim
- Pontiac Star Chief, English Wikipedia: 1955–58 stripes, last year
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