Pick of the Day: Stealthy 1958 Pontiac Chieftain

In 1958, General Motors designers put tail lamps within a chromed angle at the back of Chevrolets. They slathered chrome on the sides of Oldsmobiles, and whatever chrome was leftover they applied to the “flashes” of the rear quarter panels of Buicks.

Pontiac’s quarter panels were scooped, and those scoops often were painted in a different color than the rest of the body, but they were not bedecked with gaudy chrome. Instead, there were three or four small chrome starbursts, and in the case of the ’58 Pontiacs, less was best.

Which brings us to the Pick of the Day, a 1958 Pontiac Chieftain, the entry-level model in the lineup that model year. The car is being advertised on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, which notes that the car is “an absolutely awesome survivor… with great documentation from new.”

This 2-door post model also is painted black and rides on black wall tires, which enhances its appearance to the point of being stealthy.

“Ordered by Mary Alice Teergardin on April 11, 1958, from Haydocy Pontiac in Columbus, OH (still in business as Mark Walberg Chevrolet/Buick),” the dealer points out. 

“This Chieftain is equipped with the 370 V8 and factory Tri-Power.”

According to The Standard Catalog of American Cars, the Tri-Power V8 engine option cost $254 to $320 on Chieftains and helped Pontiac homologate the powerplant for NASCAR racing. The standard 370cid was rated at 270 horsepower but the Tri-Power unit could go to 330 horsepower. 

In this car, it’s linked to an automatic transmission, which in 1958 would have been the optional 4-speed Hydra-Matic unit.

“The car is largely a survivor and has several areas of original paint (front clip has been repainted along with some other areas), a completely original interior, and a completely original engine and trunk. 

“All of the lights and gauges work properly. The horn, radio, and heater all also work.”

And get this: The dealer assures the car has been driven only 29,000 miles since it rolled out of a GM assembly plant. 

“I do not believe the car has ever been apart,” the dealer reports. “Also, I don’t believe that the motor has ever been out of the car. The motor has the matching VIN number as the car on the front of the block. So it is a matching-numbers car. The chrome is very nice but it does show signs of aging (60+ years old). 

“The car presents spectacularly, it looks super mean as a sleeper in all black,” the dealer adds. “It runs and drives excellent.”

The low-mileage survivor is being offered for $54,900.  To view this vehicle on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.