A VenDrégRace: 1968 Pontiac Acadian Beaumont

by Matt — Are you looking for a car with a certain je-ne-know-what-the-hell that’ll spill that hot plate of poutine all over your lap? Well take a trip up to Quebec with a sack full of loonies and grab this bit of Acadian history. You, too, can be an the next All-Québécois badass, rolling serious fumée off them back pneus-es in this 1968 Pontiac Acadian Beaumont [ed CFlo: technically I think this is just a “Beaumont Coupe” – although they were sold at Pontiac dealers and had similar emblems, and Acadian was another earlier Canada-only brand] offered for $8,900 CAD ($6,901 USD) via Kijiji in Ville de Québec, QC.

The Canadian market opens up an entire universe of new cars to the beater palate. You want an Asuna, Lada Samara, or Hyundai Stellar? Go North, young man, and start cruising Kijiji and the NHTSA importation website simultaneously. The Acadian [and subsequent Beaumont] brand was a GM offshoot, similar to Ford’s arguably less successful Meteor brand. The two most notable models, the Chevy II-based Canso and the Chevelle-based Beaumont had Pontiac-like design cues while retaining mostly Chevrolet running gear. Now, they’re the artic alternative to the ubiquitous GM iron at your local Cookout, Steak-and-Shake, or what have you.

The motor looks as fresh as squeaky white cheese curds, however, any claim of over 300hp in a muscle car needs to be accompanied by receipts, dyno sheets, or time slips. The transmission is unfortunately an automatic but at least it’s a Turbo 400, which will mean years of trouble-free neutral drops in the Canadian Tire parking lot.

That’s a door bar configuration that I haven’t really seen before and I think I know why. The seating situation could use some improvement unless you’re truly looking to drag this car. A bench or pair of buckets may be in order, as what fun is doing burnouts and stuffing your face with hot fries and gravy all by your onesie?

See a better Auto monté pour le drag? tips@dailyturismo.com.

Matt, a self-proclaimed bottom-feeder of the classic car market, spends half of his time buying cars, half of his time retrieving them, and the remaining third on keeping them on the road.