Online Help for Owners of Canadian GM Cars
By noderel:
1963 Acadian Beaumont Sport Deluxe Sport Coupe.
Prior to the signing of the 1965 Auto Pact, Canada placed heavy taxes on U.S.-built cars brought into that country. To avoid the taxes, automakers such as General Motors Products of Canada, Ltd., built cars north of the border that were like American models, but not identical to them.
1964 Acadian Canso four-door sedan
For instance, the Beaumont made from 1964 until 1969 was basically a Chevelle with a Pontiac look to it because it had a split grille. Similarly, the Acadian was a car based on the Chevy II that also had a Pontiac-like grille. These cars were not considered to be Pontiacs like the Parisienne, Laurentian and Strato Chief were. These were full-size cars that had Pontiac trim, even though they had Chevrolet frames, bodies and engines.
1964 Acadian Invader two-door Sedan
Sound confusing? It gets worse. For instance, the 1964 and 1965 Beaumonts were put in the Acadian series as top-of-the-heap models. Then, in 1966, the Beaumont was taken out of the Acadian series and sales catalog so it could be merchandised separately.
1965 Acadian Beaumont Convertible
After the Auto Pact went into full effect, mid-size Pontiac Tempests built in the United States could be brought into Canada tax free. Therefore, the mid-size Beaumont was dropped. Still later, the Acadian name was put on Canadian-market Chevettes But GM of Canada still liked its cars to have Pontiac grilles because Pontiacs were popular there. So, when the Pontiac T1000 version of the Chevette hit the U.S. market, it replaced the Chevette-based Acadian in Canada.
1963 Acadian Invader two-door sedan
Is your head spinning with all these facts? Well, consider we haven’t even discussed Canadian Chevrolets, Buicks, Oldsmobiles and American cars sold in Canada, such as Cadillacs and Corvettes. If you find or buy such a car, you might want to get all the information you can about it.
The Canadian Automotive Museum at 99 Simcoe St. South, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada is one possible source of help. The phone number there is 1-905-576-1222. Or you can visit the Website www.canadianautomotivemuseum.com.
If the car is a Canadian Pontiac, a Beaumont or an Acadian, you can try the Website //canadianponcho.activeboard.com. After going through a vetting process to become a member of this Internet group, you can use the site’s bulletin boards to find out almost anything about these types of cars.
Vintage Vehicle Services (www.vintagevehicleservices.com) can help you learn production information about any General Motors car built or sold in Canada. For a fee of around $55, you can send them the car’s VIN and they can look up the build sheet and tell you how many similar cars were made.