1957 Pontiac Laurentian 4–door Sedan

„You see the new personality of the 1957 Pontiac Laurentian with the first thrilling look at the graceful, longer, lower silhouette. From bumper to road-hugging bumper there is a new dash — a new sensational feeling of vitality and color that makes Laurentian the car with the most sweeping change of all.“

„Laurentian“ is a badge that only sounds familiar to Canadian motorists, and makes our pictured Pontiac an international affair: an American car that was built in Canada to be sold in Cuba. Before 1959, the wealthy island was the biggest export market for the American manufacturers. But many cars that were sold here actually arrived from Canada.

Canada was a tough market for the protagonists from Detroit since the early days of the automobile. The Canadian government applied tariffs up to 35% on imported cars and parts, which forced the car makers to set up their own factories within the territory of the northern neighbor. Chrysler and Ford produced in Windsor, just across the Detroit river, while Henry Durant had established its Canadian business together with the Laughlin Motor Company of Oshawa near Toronto, and since 1915 all Canadian Chevrolet models were produced there.

Economic pressure spawns creativity, and soon the manufacturers began offering their pricier mid-level lines based on national budget models: Canadian Dodges and DeSotos were merely Plymouths with distinctive front ends, while Pontiacs became Chevrolets in disguise. The advantage of that practice were lower production costs, which made the Canadian cars great for price-sensitive export markets. New entry-level cars sold in Cuba generally came from Canada, hence today you can find DeSoto, Dodge or Pontiac badges that didn’t exist in the U.S., driving alongside their „original“ peers from Detroit.

Back to the „Laurentian“: aside from the sheet metal, this Pontiac is essentially a Chevrolet, as engine, drivetrain, chassis and most body parts are 100% Chevy. While they certainly looked like Pontiacs, these Canadian cars were 5 inches (12,7cm) shorter than their Detroit-built counterparts. And you could still order a 6-cylinder engine (from Chevrolet, of course), that was missing from the American Pontiac catalogue since 1955.