Acadian (automobile) - Sport Deluxe

Sport Deluxe

During the muscle car craze in the late 1960s, Chevrolet Chevelle offered the Super Sport and SS396 models that offered high performance, bucket seats, and sport stripes. In Canada, Beaumont offered an equivalent model, the Sport Deluxe, or SD. For 1966, the Sport Deluxe was combined with the Chevrolet 396 cubic-inch Mark IV big-block V8, along with the same bucket seats/console package as the Chevelle SS396, along with unique sport stripes, trim, and SD396 emblems. Many collectors consider the Beaumont SD396 even more desirable than the Chevelle SS396, since it is far more rare. Many Acadians and Beaumonts succumbed to rough Canadian winters, suffering from rust and mechanical wear and tear, leaving very few original specimens left, in addition to the fact that production was much lower than equivalent Chevy models.

An equivalent Acadian, the Canso Sport Deluxe, offered as similar package equivalent to the Chevy II Super Sport, which included the same Strato-bucket seats, console, floor shift, along with unique SD trim and emblems. Top performance option for the Canso SD was Chevrolet's 350-bhp 327 cubic-inch L79 small-block V8, along with a four-speed manual, or Powerglide automatic transmission.

During the late 1960s, the Beaumont was also available in Puerto Rico. There was actually a Beaumont Cafeteria that was co-located with the local Beaumont dealer in San Juan.

The Acadian continued using the Chevy II/Nova body through mid-1971, after which it was replaced by the Pontiac Ventura II. GM would not market another Canadian-exclusive brand until the launch of Passport starting in the 1989 model year.

From 1976 to 1987, the Pontiac Acadian was a version of the Chevrolet Chevette sold by Canadian Pontiac-Buick dealers, initially identical to the Chevette except for badging but picking up the distinctly "Pontiac" design cues of the U.S. market Pontiac T1000 after that model's 1981 introduction.