# Chevy engines IE: 396's in GTO ???



## art_p (Oct 24, 2013)

I am making this inquiry for my buddy who is not too computer savvy... 

What we want to know is were Chevy 396 Engines installed in Canadian GTOs.. He had a 65 GTO back in the day but is running a 1988 GTA Firebird right now.. He went to a Pontiac show in Saratoga NY a couple of years ago and there was an older (Year unk) GTO there that had supposedly been constructed in Canada (Perhaps Toronto).. The car had what looked like a 396 Chevy engine in it... Was is stock that way or an enine swap... The owner said it was born with that engine.. Thanks in advance..


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## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

I know Canadian Pontiacs were different from the U.S.A versions but not sure there were any GTO's built with Chevy engines. That said the Canadian version of the GM A body to my knowledge was called a Beaumont and they made an SS version and that had a BB Cheby in it. If I recollect correctly they looked more like the Chevelle with a different grill and tail lights and had a Pontiac like interior.

Other models were the Acadian (Chevy II) and Parisiene (More like a Bonneville) and there might be others.


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## 05GTO (Oct 6, 2004)

The Tempest line was not produced in the Oshawa plant until 1970 at which time less than 2,000 GTO's were manufactured. Supposenly all GTO's were exported to the N.E. US and were built with the Pontiac 400 or 455.

Here is a registry of the Pontiac a-bodies built in Oshawa post 1970;

CP post 1970 canadian pontiac registry - Canadian Poncho


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## silversport (Mar 23, 2007)

GM Canada did have a car back in the day (1966 or '67) that appeared to be part Chevelle and part Tempest/Lemans with a 396 Chevrolet engine...It was called Beaumont (sp) but it appeared more Chevelle but for some parts and a split grill...Musclecar Magazine did a story on it some years back...

http://classicrecollections.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/dsc_5860_72v.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaumont_(automobile)

Bill


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

I agree. Have never seen or heard of a Canuck GTO.....Just a Beaumont, which was a Chevy Malibu with a strange, Pontiac type split grille. And a Chevy engine. Strange looking duck...saw one two years ago at a car show. I have seen Canadian Parisienne's, which are Bonnevilles with different trim, and they came with BBC engines. Pretty much all Canadian Pontiac cars in the '60's had Chevrolet powerplants, from the straight 6 to the big block. A definite bummer.


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## rexs73gto (Nov 25, 2012)

The GTO was not built in Canada , the only way you could get a GTO in Canada is if it was bought in the USA & brought in at a later time. The beaumount was the only car close to the GTO which came with a chevy engine in it. It could have come with a small or big block at that time. The chevy engine plant was /is in Canada so most all the Pontiacs that were built in or sold in Canada were chevy powered as the Pontiac engine was a big up charge to get in any Pontiac back then & even up until 77.


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

rexs73gto said:


> The GTO was not built in Canada , the only way you could get a GTO in Canada is if it was bought in the USA & brought in at a later time. The beaumount was the only car close to the GTO which came with a chevy engine in it. It could have come with a small or big block at that time. The chevy engine plant was /is in Canada so most all the Pontiacs that were built in or sold in Canada were chevy powered as the Pontiac engine was a big up charge to get in any Pontiac back then & even up until 77.


The GTO was indeed manufactured at the Oshawa, Canada factory. I owned a 1970 Judge made in Canada. It had the Ram Air III & 4-speed. According to the Canadian Pontiac Registry there were 1866 GTO's made in 1970. 288 Judges were exported to the US. Appears that the Lemans was also made in 1971, '72. 73' as well as the GTO for 1973.


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