Pontiac had a hot hand in 1965 with popular models including the Catalina, Grand Prix, and GTO, and Motor Trend recognized the brand with its Car of the Year award. 

Then as now, Motor Trend magazine Car of the Year is one of the more prestigious awards a new car can receive, and naturally, manufacturers have been known to publicize the recognition with TV and print ad buys from wall to wall. (Which, by the way, makes the award both a good deal for the car maker and a good deal for the magazine, too.)  The award format was much the same in 1965 as it is today, with a few interesting differences. For example, The editors could elect to give the honor to an entire car brand or division rather than just one specific model.

For 1965, the Motor Trend staff chose the Pontiac Division of General Motors for CoY honors, and in hindsight it must have been a fairly easy choice, as Pontiac was riding a wave of success. The brand’s lineup for ’65 included three red-hot sellers: the popular Catalina, the luxurious Grand Prix, and the game-changing GTO, and Pontiac now cruised along in third place in total sales volume, trailing only Chevrolet and Ford. This original Pontiac spot from 1965 features a number of TV character actors reenacting the award presentation—see how many familiar faces you can spot.