JANUARY 2025: 1964 ACADIAN BEAUMONT SPORT DELUXE FILLED IN FOR A LONG-GONE ’67 CHEVELLE SS 396 

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The Acadian Beaumont is a mystery car in the United States because they only sold them north of the border.

There’s a large dose of Chevy under the sheet metal of these Canadian Pontiacs so they could easily replace a Chevelle from a car guy’s past.

Bruce Church once owned a 1967 Chevelle SS 396 and–while the car was in his past, the memories never left. That’s why he went in search of another one back in 1998. Bruce asked a buddy to look for one and he got a call—Bruce said the friend told him, “I found your Chevelle–I said if it’s a Chevelle, I’ll take it”.

Bruce’s friend had found a 1964 Beaumont Super Deluxe two-door hardtop. Bruce said, “They only made 960 Sport Coupes in 1964”, so this car was considerably rarer than a ’64 Chevelle.  That’s why the 1000-dollar selling price was such a bargain. 

The other outstanding thing about Bruce’s Beaumont was its history–this car only had about 22,000 miles on it after a crash in 1974. It had been off the road ever since, so that—plus its location in a dry climate in western Canada made this Beaumont a true survivor even if it was a bush car.

Bruce tore the car down and began a restoration. This is a Beaumont—not a Chevelle so the process was considerably more difficult because parts like trim pieces are far more difficult to source. Bruce found a supplier who had accumulated Beaumont parts from all over Canada, so he had access to everything he needed.

He also found a replacement for the original 327 in the form of a donor block from a 1969 Camaro. Bruce retained the factory M-20 4-speed as part of the factory package that included heavy-duty suspension because this Super Deluxe was built to run on the street.

The Beaumont was originally a two-tone with Pebble Beach Beige as the main color, but Bruce went to a solid color via the closest version he could find of the lacquer factory shade. He said, “The two-tone just didn’t look good”, but Bruce retained the factory C-pillar trim that came with a two-tone option.

Bruce built this car to be a driver, and he found out he had a 4:11 rear end after a 60-mile road trip to a car show where he burned up a full tank of gas. He replaced it with a more highway-friendly 3:73 gear.  

He has a co-driver with the Chevelle because Bruce’s grandson Brandon is a very enthusiastic partner in the ‘64 Beaumont SD. Brandon said his buddies are huge fans of the 61-year-old car because most of them have never seen one, so he’s happy to take them for a run. 

By: Jerry Sutherland

Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post,  Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.

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