Wimmer's GM Connection

[cawimmer430]

My mothers father worked for GM in the Philippines in the 1950s up to his retirement in the mid 1970s. The company he worked for was called Frigidaire and it was apparently a subsidy company of GM. I'm not sure what his position was, but he was able to enjoy company cars from GM during that time. My mother was born in 1955 and there are some old family photos of her with her mother in front of a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air, which was the company car of her father.

Apparently the man was very resourceful because he kept that car until the late 1960s when he finally replaced it with a 1967 Pontiac Parisienne. The car was white and looked like this:








I have a picture somewhere of my mom sitting on the trunk as a teenager. Man, that car was huge because it makes my mom look like an ant on it! My mother and father married in December of 1974 and the Parisienne was their wedding car. There are a few picture which I need to find of them arriving at a church in that gorgeous Pontiac.

Sadly, the car was dumped shortly after because gasoline prices were on the rise. My parents don't recall the engine under the hood. They think it was a 6-cylinder.

The Pontiac was replaced with another company car from a GM brand: a HOLDEN (my old folks don't remember which model). Apparently Holden sold some LHD cars for the Philippines in those days. My parents say the Holden was a POS. On some days it started and on some days it didn't. It also suffered from premature rust (despite the warm climate in the Philippines) and was generally very unreliable.


They got rid of it in the late 1970s and went Japanese - a 1979 Datsun Skyline Coupe 2.8 Automatic. It was golden brown and my dad loved it. He's got some cool pictures of it somewhere. It looked like this below but had the mirrors on the doors.

[2o6]

A Parisienne? In the Philippines? Wow.



Reminds me of my Grandma and Grandpa. After my mom's brothers and sisters left home, my grandfather bought her a Coupe De Ville with a matching coat. My Dad's mother also apparently had a Coupe Deville (with a coat to match the interior).

[cawimmer430]

A Parisienne? In the Philippines? Wow.

American cars were 80% of all the cars on the road there according to my dad. The Filipinos still hated the Japanese (because of World War II).

Japanese cars only became popular in the Philippines after the oil crisis when fuel economy became a big deal.

Reminds me of my Grandma and Grandpa. After my mom's brothers and sisters left home, my grandfather bought her a Coupe De Ville with a matching coat. My Dad's mother also apparently had a Coupe Deville (with a coat to match the interior).

Coupe Deville sounds so sexy, doesn't it? 

Was it this gorgeous thing?

[2o6]

Those are the crappy Cadillacs.


I'm pretty sure it was like this:

[cawimmer430]

Those are the crappy Cadillacs.

That's the Cadillac I think off (with 4-doors) when I think "1980s + Cadillac". Love the design.

Were they that bad? I always thought those were some of the "best" cars GM made in the '80s.

I'm pretty sure it was like this:

[93JC]

FYI GM exported Pontiacs for about 25 years after World War II. Not in great numbers, but some. Most were Canadian models (Parisienne, Laurentian, Strato-Chief) because Canada had more favourable trade agreements (especially Commonwealth countries) and the Canadian Pontiacs were usually less well equipped than US ones (6 cyl. engines, for example), which was more popular.

[cawimmer430]

FYI GM exported Pontiacs for about 25 years after World War II. Not in great numbers, but some. Most were Canadian models (Parisienne, Laurentian, Strato-Chief) because Canada had more favourable trade agreements (especially Commonwealth countries) and the Canadian Pontiacs were usually less well equipped than US ones (6 cyl. engines, for example), which was more popular.

I believe my parents Parisienne was called "Bonneville" in the US. They firmly believe it had a 6-cylinder engine but I could never find any information about a 6-cylinder 1967 Parisienne/Bonneville. And I am pretty sure their Pontiac was a Canadian version to. It had a km/h speedometer, baby!

[93JC]

The Parisienne and Bonneville looked similar on the outside but the Parisienne was basically a Chevy Impala underneath, and as such used Chevrolet drivetrains instead of the Pontiac V8. Parisiennes of that time were commonly equipped with the "Astro-6" engine, a Chevrolet 250 cu. in. (4.1 L) making about 150 hp. Other optional engines included the Chevrolet V8s in 283, 327, 350, 396, 427 and 454 cu. in. sizes.

[cawimmer430]

The Parisienne and Bonneville looked similar on the outside but the Parisienne was basically a Chevy Impala underneath, and as such used Chevrolet drivetrains instead of the Pontiac V8. Parisiennes of that time were commonly equipped with the "Astro-6" engine, a Chevrolet 250 cu. in. (4.1 L) making about 150 hp. Other optional engines included the Chevrolet V8s in 283, 327, 350, 396, 427 and 454 cu. in. sizes.

Good info.

I'm guessing the 6-cylinder Parisienne was still pretty poor on gas? My parents said the thing had a voracious appetite for fuel.

[93JC]

It's all relative. A six-cylinder Pontiac or Chevrolet of the time could probably get 10 L/100 km on the highway. The engine was very modestly powered. Where its fuel economy suffered was its transmission; most Parisiennes of that time came with the 2-speed Chevrolet 'Powerglide' transmission.

[Vinsanity]

American cars were 80% of all the cars on the road there according to my dad. The Filipinos still hated the Japanese (because of World War II).

Japanese cars only became popular in the Philippines after the oil crisis when fuel economy became a big deal.

Not sure about hated. My grandpa on my mom's side went on numerous business trips to Japan back when my family still lived in the Philippines, and partnered up with some Japanese businessmen for some ventures here in L.A. in the late 1960's. My connections to the company I work for now trace back to when a family friend worked for its predecessor's Japanese parent company since the 1970's.

But it's true that most of the cars in the Philippines before the oil crisis were American. My grandparents mostly drove GM's too. My mom's dad loved his Electra 225 almost as much as his M-B 280SE cabrio. His first car in America was a ~1976 Seville. My dad was brought home in a 1947 Cadillac that his dad kept for years after.

Coupe Deville sounds so sexy, doesn't it? 

Was it this gorgeous thing?

Part of me wants to do a 2-tone paint job exactly like that on my car someday

[cawimmer430]

It's all relative. A six-cylinder Pontiac or Chevrolet of the time could probably get 10 L/100 km on the highway. The engine was very modestly powered. Where its fuel economy suffered was its transmission; most Parisiennes of that time came with the 2-speed Chevrolet 'Powerglide' transmission.

A 2-speed transmission? I'm just wondering what the gear ratios on it must have been for those two gears to cover all speeds etc.

The cars it was offered in must have been very loud at higher speeds because I can imagine the RPMs being quite high due to the lack of overdrive gears.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powerglide

[cawimmer430]

Not sure about hated. My grandpa on my mom's side went on numerous business trips to Japan back when my family still lived in the Philippines, and partnered up with some Japanese businessmen for some ventures here in L.A. in the late 1960's. My connections to the company I work for now trace back to when a family friend worked for its predecessor's Japanese parent company since the 1970's.

Are you of Filipino descent?

But it's true that most of the cars in the Philippines before the oil crisis were American. My grandparents mostly drove GM's too. My mom's dad loved his Electra 225 almost as much as his M-B 280SE cabrio. His first car in America was a ~1976 Seville. My dad was brought home in a 1947 Cadillac that his dad kept for years after.

Nice garage. 

I saw a Buick Electra 225 sedan at my last classic car show. It was from the early or mid 1970s. Loved it. 

[Vinsanity]

Are you of Filipino descent?

Indeed I am. I'm guessing you are also? Were you born in Germany?

[cawimmer430]

Indeed I am. I'm guessing you are also? Were you born in Germany?

I was born in Cebu City.

My dad is German and my mother is half German and half Filipina. And from my mothers side I've even got a little Spanish, Chinese, Malay and even American blood in me.