Third Resto Is A Charm: One-family-owned 1957 Pontiac Is Finally Restored

John Dickert, of Allentown, Pa., finally has his family’s 1957 Pontiac Star Chief convertible back to how he remembers it when his father drove it home from the dealership. It was a long road that involved several stops in restoration shops, but after nearly 60 years off the road, the Pontiac is again the chief of the road.

‘Pontiac’s Got a Hit’

Pontiac was mighty bold in its advertising for 1957. Ads headlined with “Pontiac’s the whole Bloomin’ Show,” “Pontiac Read America’s Mind,” “Pontiac wins the Styling Honors too,” and other ads hyped the heavily refreshed 1957 Pontiacs. Paul Gillan was the chief designer at Pontiac from 1953 to 1958 and oversaw the design of the 1957 Pontiacs. Appearance changes were evolutionary on the ’57, because the body shell dated to 1955, when an all-new and modern Pontiac body debuted. Gillan liked the simplicity of the ’57 style. Pontiac’s Silver Streaks were removed for 1957 by order of Semon “Bunkie” Knudson, Pontiac’s new divisional chief. A new spear-like body side molding expanded from front to rear and formed a rocket-like projection. Gillan was reportedly pleased that the rear fenders were exceedingly straight. An ornate taillamp ensemble wrapped around the sides at the rear and housed the oval taillamps. Up front were frenched and hooded headlamps. The grille was conceived by Irv Rybicki with a center “electric razor” theme, which Gillan disliked, because it reminded him of Mercury grilles. However, General Motors’ head of all design studios was Harley Earl, and he liked it. So, it went into production.

The buying public expected visual changes each year during the 1950s, and in 1957, Pontiac’s competitors drastically changed. In 1957, Dodge had its new “Forward Look” high-flying tailfins and Mercury was restyled with dream-car styling borrowed from its XM-Turnpike Cruiser show car. Compared to the Pontiac sedans and wagons, those competitors were 5 in. lower! Obviously, styling was quickly changing and autos could look outdated in one year during the ‘50s. Although the Poncho was not as wild-looking as the Dodge and Mercury and did not have their modern profile, some 334,000 owners liked its understated elegance enough to drive a new one home.

One of those people who drove home a new Pontiac in 1957 was Allentown, Pa., resident John Dickert’s father.

A Poncho joins the family

“My father bought a 1957 Pontiac Star Chief convertible new from the Pontiac dealer, R.H. Hager in Quakertown,” he said.

“The family enjoyed the fresh air-Pontiac for many years, going on vacations, family trips and a daily driver for my mother going to and from work. This is the car I used for my driver’s test.”

It is understandable why the Dickerts loved the droptop. The hood shelters a new-for-1957 347-cid V-8 that produced 270 hp whose power was channeled through a Hydra-Matic automatic transmission. In 1957, manufacturers allowed customers to individually order options, rather than buy them in packages, and the Dickert’s car came with power steering and brakes. With its 347-cid V-8 and its power options, the Dickerts’ ragtop provided significant go, one-hand steering and tip-toe braking. These traits, and a revised suspension, helped Pontiac advertise the 1957 as, “America’s number one road car.” The 1955-’56 Pontiacs had a hard ride, and in 1957, Pontiac installed long rear springs mounted in rubber shackles to smooth out the ride. 

Pontiac offered three models in 1957: the entry-level Chieftain, mid-range Super Chief and top-line Star Chief. The Star Chief convertible was at the top of Pontiac’s lineup that year, bested only by the flashier fuel-injected Bonneville convertible, of which only 630 were built. 

The well-dressed Star Chief was 214 in. in length and had a wheelbase of 124 in. Compared to lower-priced Pontiacs, it was 7 in. longer with 2 in. more wheelbase. 

After about a decade of use, the Dickerts’ Star Chief suffered mechanical failure that led to it being parked.

“In 1967, while my mother was driving to work, the transmission failed. My father, seeing this was a somewhat rare car, put it in a garage with the hopes of fixing it up again someday.”  

Speed bumps of life got in the way of restoring the Pontiac and it took decades before it would see the road again.

The bumpy road to restoration

“In the 1990s, with my father in his winter years, wanting to leave something to my brother and me, we suggested he get the ’57 restored and that I ‘knew a guy,’” Dickert said. He said the restoration was going along well until his father ran out of money. 

“My brother and I were raising families and were not able to help at the time,” Dickert said. “The car was pulled out of the shop and back into storage at my garage.

“My brother also ‘knew a guy,” Dickert added. “This second shop undid everything the first shop had done, completely dismantling the car. After already laying out several thousand dollars, we were told it would take another $80,000 to complete the work.  Neither my brother nor I had that kind of money. The car was pulled out of the second shop and again into storage, in pieces, parts in boxes, engine and transmission on pallets and moved to a friend’s barn.” 

After a few years, the friend with the barn needed room to store his cars and the Star Chief had to leave.  

“The friend with the barn knew someone willing to buy the car for $10,000,” Dickert recalled. “I convinced my brother we should take the offer. 2007 was a very sad year for my brother and I to see the car leave for good. My father was hoping he could drive it once more. Sadly, he then passed in December of 2009.”

The Pontiac may have been out of sight, but it was not out of mind, even while Dickert’s family suffered more tragedy.

“After a courageous battle with breast cancer, I lost my wife of 44 years on July 17, 2026,” Dickert said. “I had hit a new low in my life. Reflecting on things discussed at a grief support group, I decided to do something to regain my happiness. I heard my wife guiding me. I wondered if the guy who bought our beloved Pontiac still had it. Surprisingly, I still had his phone number.”

Dickert dialed the number and on the other end was Lou Calasibetta of The Old Stillwater Garage in Stillwater, N.J. Calasibetta’s business is widely known for its restorations and he had bought the car with the intention of seeing the 1957 Star Chief to completion. However, Lou had not touched the car since he bought it years earlier. Dickert asked if Calasibetta would sell it back to him and he agreed.

Things were now looking up for Dickert. He and Calasibetta discussed putting the Poncho back on the road while Dickert’s financial advisor told him to “go for it.” 

“The garage was not only a fully equipped restoration facility, staffed by some of the best mechanics around, but also one that specialized in Pontiacs!” Dickert says. Work began on Nov. 11, 2021.

Other restoration shops may not be able to find the correct items for an obscure vehicle such as an open-air Star Chief. For example, there is an abundance of model-year-specific parts that the Stillwater team was able to get and make work, such as the instrument panel’s strip speedometer that has a sideways “thermometer” indicator instead of a needle. 

On April 17, 2026, the Dickert family 1957 Pontiac was completed.  

“From a financial aspect, this is a poor investment,” Dickert says. “However, the story behind this car and the satisfaction of bringing her back on the road in honor of my father and brother is priceless.  My brother never knew what I did until I drove up to his house. The auto will be known as Dorothy, in honor of my mother, who was the last to drive the car in 1967.”

If you like stories like these and other classic car features, check out Old Cars magazine. CLICK HERE to subscribe.

Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter and stay up to date with Old Cars news and features – CLICK HERE

We know you love old cars, but do you collect anything else? Ever wonder about the baseball cards in a box in the basement or Grandma’s old coins in a jar?  Do you love history or spin vinyl? Head on over to Collect.com and see what you are missing. Collect.com is the who, what, when and where of the collecting world! https://www.collect.com/

The post Third resto is a charm: One-family-owned 1957 Pontiac is finally restored appeared first on Old Cars Weekly.