Item Info

Media Type: Photographic Prints
Source: Automobile Reference Collection
Notes:

General Motors Motorama

1956 Pontiac Club de Mer

The Club de Mer, a low, two-passenger sports car with an anodized brushed aluminum body, is Pontiac’s experimental dream car of 1956. Equipped with 300-horsepower Pontiac Start-Streak V8 engine, the Club de Mer stands only 38.4 inches high to the top of the windshield and is 180.6 inches long. Built on a 104-inch wheelbase, the car is 69.7 inches wide and has a tread of 56 inches front and 54 inches rear. Road clearance is 5 inches.

The exterior body color is Cerulean blue, while the interior is fashioned in vermillion red leather. Most striking feature of the Club de Mer is the dorsal fin which flashed up from the rear deck surface. The fin not only adds fleetness to the car’s appearance but also functions as a stabilizing influence during operation. Twin bubble windshields designed to deflect wind upward, protect the passengers.

At the nose of the car is the air intake aperture for engine cooling. This chrome lined opening half engulfs the lower section of the front end. The highway and parking lights are brought together in dual arrangement, one placed directly over the other. The entire lamp unit is so designed that when not in use, it revolves and disappears into the body, leaving a completely smooth front surface. Excessive motor heat is removed through outlet pots located on the sides of the front fenders.

The Club de Mar’s synchromesh transmission is mounted behind the passenger compartment and connects with a special type rear suspension. This arrangement allows for greater leg room for driver and passenger.