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Sometimes I cast my mind back to the 1950s and what it must have been like to be an eight year old kid in Asheville. For some kids, it may have been sitting in front of a TV on Saturday morning to watch cartoons with a bowl of Kellogg's cereal. For others, it may have been flipping through a dog eared Hot Rod magazine to see wild creations from Ed Roth or George Barris. On a daily basis, they probably would have seen some of the large sedans from GM’s Pontiac division cruising the streets of Asheville or even in their own driveway. They might have even dreamed of being able to drive one, but how could they? Enter Harry Blomberg and Buddy Patton.
Harry's Motor Inn - North Market Street
If you were looking for either a new Cadillac or Pontiac in Asheville, North Carolina, you most likely would have paid a visit to Harry’s Cadillac and Pontiac. Harry started his own business in 1923 with his Harry’s Motor Inn service station and secure parking garage down on North Market street behind Julia Wolfe’s Old Kentucky Home boarding house. She knew Harry, who played with her son Thomas Wolfe and grew up close by on Spruce street. Harry ended up leasing the lot to build his Motor Inn from Mrs. Wolfe, who stipulated the size and construction of the building. The success of Harry’s Motor Inn enabled him to expand his growing automotive business in Asheville with two other service station locations. In 1938, he obtained the Cadillac franchise and opened Harry’s Cadillac. By 1955, he had two Harry’s Motor Inns, three Texaco gas stations, his Cadillac and Pontiac dealer and a used car dealer down on Coxe avenue. Harry was one of the top selling Cadillac and Pontiac dealers in the country, which enabled him to participate in several special programs and promotions for General Motors.
Harry's Cadillac and Pontiac, 68 North Market Street, Courtesy of Southern Appalachian Digital Collections
In 1955, Jack Stuart - a designer with Pontiac’s promotional division came up with the idea to create a scale “junior” Pontiac go kart for children that would promote the 1956 Model lineup of cars to customers. Of particular popularity in this line up was the 1956 Star Chief convertible - a stand out of Harley Earl’s design stable at General Motors. To build these cars, Stuart outsourced the development and manufacturing to the Silvestri Art Manufacturing Studios of Chicago, Illinois. Silvestri was co-owned by George Silvestri and Bernard Gorman, who employed about 200 people. They were known for creating toys, animatronic figures and detailed displays for department store windows.
The toy they came up with for the Pontiac promotional event was the 1956 Pontiac Junior Star Chief convertible. It was approximately ⅓ the size of a real 1956 Pontiac Star Chief convertible, with a steel frame and a fiberglass body that measured 6 feet long. It was a fully functioning electric go kart, powered by an electric Pontiac starter motor and a 12 volt Delco car battery. It had forward and reverse gears, headlights, horn and semi-pneumatic tires. They were only made in 1956, with the total number of cars produced not known. Harry and his general manager/son in law Buddy Patton were able to obtain one to give away for a promotion at Harry’s Cadillac held in November of 1955.
Asheville’s winner of the 1956 Pontiac Junior Star Chief was eight-year-old Judy Davis of 171 Montford Avenue. She must have had a blast running this little Pontiac up and down the sidewalks and side streets of Montford. It must have been a magical day to walk into Harry’s dealer at 68 Haywood street among the gleaming new cars as an eight year old kid and see your very own custom made 1956 Pontiac convertible waiting for you to jump inside! Buddy Patton ended up delivering the car to little Judy and making sure that she knew how to drive it. No doubt while she was being outfitted for her new ride, her parents would have been shown a 1956 Pontiac in full-size. We’d love to see if we could find one of these cars today, maybe even this exact one! If you know where this one is located, drop us a line at mountaineermotortours@gmail.com.
Sources:
Asheville Citizen-Times. (November 6, 1955). Harry's 1956 Pontiac Convertible. Newspapers.com. Retrieved May 5, 2024, from https://www.newspapers.com/article/asheville-citizen-times-harrys-1956-pon/146562195/