A 1969 Pontiac Parisienne convertible was a drop top that flew under the Poncho banner in the Canadian car market.
Convertibles were not a big-ticket item in the land of ice and snow, so a Canadian-only ‘69 Poncho drop top is a rare sight in today’s world.
A 58-year-old convertible from the Sensational Sixties would typically be owned by a car guy in his golden years, but MyStarCollectorCar encountered a 1969 Pontiac convertible owned by a 20-something car guy.
Jim Sutherland
Marshall Nattrass has owned his 1969 Pontiac Parisienne convertible for ten years and, even better, he is a hands-on car guy who tackled its resurrection from the dead.
Marshall was looking for a vintage Camaro when he found a Dodge Dart in his teenaged price range and bought it. The Dodge Dart was in rough shape and required major repairs, including a rotted-out torsion bar replacement, so Marshall decided to get rid of it.
Consequently, the Dart was traded for the ‘69 Pontiac convertible in a deal Marshall believed satisfied both parties because each of them felt they “scammed the other”, in Marshall’s words.
The good news for Marshall was that he became the owner of a car that fit within his budget and skill set when he got the Pontiac. It has been an ongoing process over the past five years, and the convertible’s return to the road is due to Marshall’s ownership.
Marshall recalled a head gasket repair on the Pontiac that he undertook with his brother during a snowstorm in the winter months, and it’s a story not common in his generation, an age group where car guys are a very scarce commodity.
He also replaced the convertible’s factory carburetor with a 4-barrel setup because Marshall wanted to liven up the Pontiac’s 350 small block engine from its sister GM company, Chevrolet. He mentioned the engine may have an RV cam in it and felt it would benefit from the 4-barrel upgrade.
Marshall described his efforts as a “quick throw-together” and will continue to improve his Poncho convertible in the future, presumably after another season of road adventures in it.
The 1969 Pontiac Parisienne convertible left the factory with power steering and power brakes, two features that Marshall can enjoy whenever he gets behind the wheel. He described the driving experience as “very comfortable” and added the Pontiac convertible “runs down the road very nice”, in his opinion.
Marshall noted his Poncho has high factory gears so it can handle highway speeds very easily because of the friendly ratio. For the record, Marshall even understands MPH, despite the fact his country (Canada) mandated kilometers per hour in 1977, long before he was born.
The net result is a big vintage convertible with a very unlikely owner. Marshall may not fit the mold for a typical owner of a 1969 Pontiac Parisienne convertible, but he is the right owner at the right time for his vintage ride.
Congratulations are in order because Marshall learned how to enjoy the real world of the car hobby and how to use a wrench along the way.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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