General Motors Canada (GM Canada) was founded in 1918, 10 years after GM was founded in the US and produced a number of well-known Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, and GMC vehicles. However, it has created a number of models that were available only in Canada and are hardly known outside of the North American nation. One of these is The Acadian Beaumont.
The Auto Pact (APTA), which was struck in the 1960s between the US and Canada, gave rise to the Acadian. In order to promote domestic production, the agreement barred the sale of several American-made vehicles in Canada. In response, GM developed new marques specifically for the Canadian market.
Introduced in 1962, the Acadian Beaumont was based on the then-new Chevrolet Chevy II / Nova. The cars were sold at Pontiac-Buick dealers. Starting in 1964, GM of Canada began selling a Beaumont based on the Chevelle, all while continuing to offer the Nova-based version. And that’s not the only confusing part.
The cars also sported an arrow emblem based on Pontiac’s and came with instrument panels taken from the Tempest. In 1966, GM decided to separate the Acadian and Beaumont names. While the former remained a Chevy Nova affair, the latter became a standalone marque exclusive to Chevelle-based automobiles.
The Pontiac LeMans and Chevrolet Chevelle models, which were exact replicas of their US counterparts, supplanted both names in Canadian dealerships in 1969. Despite having a lengthy production cycle, less than 90,000 Acadian and Beaumont units were sold (almost 30,000 of those in the first two years).
In addition to being scarce outside of Canada, these unusual GMs are also uncommon. With only a few hundred vehicles made through 1969, convertibles are likely the rarest. One of them is the 1964 Beaumont you can see here.
A first-year Beaumont based on the Chevrolet Chevelle, this two-door convertible is one of only 128 drop-tops delivered that year. And it’s in surprisingly good condition for a vehicle that’s nearly 60 years old as of 2023. But as you might have already guessed, it’s not an unrestored survivor.
The two-door’s Silver Blue paint could use some work, but it has previously received a refinish and some body repairs. The majority of the interior appears to be original, however the seller notes that the carpet and seat covers are more recent. Additionally, the glovebox is equipped with an aftermarket Pioneer CD player.
But there are other surprises in this Beaumont as well. The 327-cubic-inch (5.7-liter) V8 engine that replaced the original inline-six there is the biggest improvement. It’s also not your typical power source. The lump, which feeds 300 horsepower to the rear wheels, apparently came from a 1965 Chevy Corvette. This figure compares the Beaumont to a US-made Chevelle SS from the same time period.