Pontiac Tempest brochure from 1964 has been unearthed and its contents are truly baffling

A 1964 Pontiac Tempest brochure has been unearthed, and its contents are truly baffling.

From random photographs to strange lighting choices, there’s a lot to unpack here.

It’s often said that all publicity is good publicity, so we have to imagine this brochure helped move some Tempests out of the dealership.

But 60 years on, we can’t help but wonder what the thought process was behind some of these choices.

EXPLORE SBX CARS – Supercar auctions starting soon powered by Supercar Blondie 

This Pontiac Tempest brochure has…some interesting things inside it

First things first, let’s take a wider look at the 1964 Pontiac Tempest.

The 1964 model was a midsize car, which was a design change from the previous iterations.

Standard engines included a new 215 cubic-inch straight-six, while V8s were also available.

It’s a sharp-looking car, there’s no doubt about it – everything about is classic Americana.

And perhaps that’s what influenced some of the creative decisions in this brochure.

The brochure, highlighted, over on The Autopian, is filled with photographs.

There’s nothing unusual about that, but the coloring choices are well…they’re choices.

These shots show the cars off in their various shades, with matching backgrounds.

We get the thought behind it, but we can’t help but think it makes them blend in a little too much?

But that’s nothing compared to these interior shots, which look as if they were taken inside a photography darkroom.

Imagine what would have happened if a car had been inside the lift in The Shining, and you’d get what we’re talking about.

But bizarrely, there’s a cat sitting on the front seat too.

Perhaps they wanted to play up how this was a family car, and that included all members of the family, furry or otherwise.

Things really get weird with this shot of a kid looking longingly at jars of candy.

Given that the tagline reads ‘You’ve got some pleasant choosing ahead of you’, we think that’s what this picture is conveying.

Saying that, having a picture of sweets in a car brochure book is an odd decision.

And is probably more likely to make you crave a sugary snack than buy a car.

The world of cars can be a weird place sometimes

Admittedly, as strange as some of these images are, the Pontiac Tempest itself is a rather ordinary-looking car for its time period.

By way of comparison, there are several cars that are downright odd and don’t need a brochure to drum up their quirky qualities.

Who could forget the Outspan Orange, which is literally shaped like the fruit of the same name?

Speaking of the fruit, there’s the ‘banana peel’ Honda Civic EG, which is Taiwan’s ‘lowest car’ for obvious reasons.

Then there’s this nuclear-powered car, which was quite literally a WTF concept.

To be fair, the Pontiac Tempest brochure could certainly be described as a WTF brochure.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie