The 1949 Pontiac Streamliner Eight DeLuxe station wagon was an anomaly in the postwar auto market. After World War II, most U.S. 1942s and proceeded to sell all the cars they could produce. Problem was, they couldn't build nearly enough because they were hampered by steel shortages and strikes. It wasn't necessary, but apparently Pontiac management felt some loyalty to the annual model change, so the 1946 and 1947 models featured recognizably different front ends. So did the 1948, which sported a "floating" bar at the top of the grille that doubled as a Pontiac nameplate. The overall effect was to make the front end look wider and more massive. Meanwhile, Chief Pontiac's silhouette moved up from the grille surround to the bottom of the Silver Streaks, which now numbered three, rather than five. The Chief received additional massaging as he now rode atop the hood with a red translucent plastic face.
In back, the rectangular taillights were traded for round lamps (wagons had different round units), which would be used in one form or another for a decade. On the fenders, the triple "speedlines" were replaced by a single front fender chrome spear on the DeLuxe (but not standard) models. Of the two series, the Torpedo listed semi-notchback sedans and coupes, plus a convertible. The Streamliner line was composed of fastback sedans. All models in both series could be ordered as a Six or Eight, and most in standard or DeLuxe form. With all these permutations, there were 30 models listed. For some unexplainable reason, the station wagon was placed in the Streamliner series -- though it was hardly a fastback. And it came in four models: Streamliner Six and Eight, regular and DeLuxe. The wagon seen here is the Streamliner Eight DeLuxe