1932 was the first year for the Pontiac Series 302 V8. The 1932 V8 had an oversquare bore and stroke of 3.4375 in (87.3 mm) x 3.375 in (85.7 mm) displacing 251 cu in (4.1 L) with a compression ratio of 5.2:1.
As the economy began to recover, by 1933, it had moved up to producing the least expensive cars available with straight-eight engines.
This was done by using many components from the six-cylinder Chevrolet Master, such as the body, but installing a large chrome strip on the top and center of the front hood Pontiac called the "Silver Streak". Only eight-cylinder engines were offered in 1933 and 1934, displacing 223.4 cu in (3.7 L) rated at 77 hp (57 kW; 78 PS).