Here’s a three-minute march down memory lane for all the many admirers of the late, great Pontiac brand.

The Pontiac Motor Division ceased to exist in 2010, a victim of the General Motors bankruptcy the year before, and many car enthusiasts still haven’t gotten over it. The  brand was founded in 1926 (an important story for GM; read about it here) but the Pontiac story begins in earnest for performance fans with the 1957 model year. That was when Bunkie Kundsen took over the struggling division and, aided by two talented understudies, Pete Estes and John Z. DeLorean, transformed it into the corporation’s leading youth and performance brand. Pontiac soon leaped up to number three in sales, trailing only Ford and Chevrolet. But many fans will say that for style, performance, and value, Pontiac in those days was second to none.

Coincidentally enough, this short Pontiac promotional video also begins in 1957. Barely three and a half minutes long, it manages to cram in an impressive volume of Pontiac Excitement in a rapid-paced review. (Watch for Cotton Owens, Mickey Thompson, Butch Leal, and too many others to name.) At the very end, as the 1990 Pontiac Sunfire concept speeds across a dry lake, actor Patrick Stewart—Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek renown—opens his Shakespearean pipes and proclaims, “And the best is yet to come.” Alas, that’s not quite how things worked out for Pontiac, but we still have our memories. Video below.  (Note: Don’t forget to click and subscribe to our YouTube channel, where we host our videos and feature tons of great content. Thanks!)