The Pontiac 6 was a more affordable version of its predecessor Oakland Six that was introduced in 1926, sold through Oakland Dealerships. Pontiac was the first of General Motors companion make program where brands were introduced to fill in pricing gaps that had developed between Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Oakland and Chevrolet. The original marketing approach began when GM was incorporated in 1908 was to offer a range of vehicles in various body styles based on affordable to extravagant, and the customer base would gradually trade up every few years to the next hierarchy brand. Pontiac was introduced as an affordable Oakland, followed by LaSalle for Cadillac, Marquette for Buick and Viking for Oldsmobile. Pontiac’s introduction was a sales success while customers shied away from the more expensive Oakland, and once the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression followed, both Pontiac and Oakland were being considered for cancellation but the decision was made to keep Pontiac as the economy began to recover.
First Generation (1926-1932)
The 1926 Pontiac 6 was first introduced as the Series 6-27 using Fisher Body coachwork, and only offered a 2-door 2-passenger Coupe or 5-passenger Coach with a list price of US$825 ($13,637 in 2022 dollars.
The 1928 Pontiac 6 “New Series 6-28” was the new sales leader favorite of GM and saw various changes too.
The front fenders now had a higher crown which meant that the edge of the fender came further down the sides of the tires and covered more of the front of the tire with a beaded edge. All previous “Deluxe” models were renamed “Sport”, and the Indian head hood ornament no longer had a headdress, which now signified it was using the likeness of an Indian brave. Prices remained under US$1,000 for all coachwork choices.
Pontiac 6-28 (186). Made in 1928 in US
Weight: 1380 kg
Max speed: 50 km/h
Engine: 3.1 L
Power: 48 HP
