Pontiac Bonneville
In the northeastern portion of Utah, there is a stretch of desolate flatland approximately 100-square miles. Bonneville is part of the Great Salt Lake Desert. The area became synonymous with speed after a man named Sir Malcolm Campbell, aka “Bluebird”, broke the land speed record there. He was the first to break the 300 mph barrier.
In the 50s and 60s, Pontiac was making an effort to establish itself as a manufacturer of performance vehicles. They named their full-size car Bonneville to take advantage of the association of between the name and perception of speed.
Well behind Buick and Oldsmobile, sister divisions under the General Motors umbrella, Pontiac was sixth in industry sales at the time. Pontiacs were a genuine value for the money, but customers were not buying on the level management had hoped. The company was steadily falling behind.
Part of the problem was that Pontiacs were still burdened with a side-valve straight eight cylinder used three years prior in 1954. Only one other vehicle that year had the same distinction, the Packard. Also, the Pontiac brand had become coupled with older (on the brink of elderly) drivers. Younger GIs of World War II were beginning to become a major market influence. A young man’s car can be sold to an old man, but an old man’s car can’t be sold to a young one.
Within a short period of time, a fleet of more youthful vehicles came down the line. They were showcased at Motorama, an auto show staged by General Motors from 1949 to 1961. This included cars like the Pontiac Parisienne, a modified 1953 Chieftain Catalina hardtop with a trendy wrapped windshield.
The Bonneville Special of 1954
The most noteworthy Pontiac show car of the 1950s was the 1954 Bonneville Special, the first Pontiac to pay homage to the famous salt flats. It was originally conceived as a follow up to the Corvette roadster and like the roadster, the Bonneville concept car had a body made of fiberglass, but with a fixed canopy of clear Plexiglas.
In 1957, the Bonneville Special moved into production as a fuel-injected luxury convertible that was high performance. It was complete with every option available as standard with the exception of air conditioning. The continental kit, an upright mounted spare tire positioned directly behind the trunk, was also optional.
With a sticker price of $5,782, the Bonneville was in the same financial stratosphere as the Cadillac. This was more than twice the base price of the Chieftain, the model on which the foundation of the Bonneville was built. A fully built Bonneville, with all of the bells and whistles, could be more expensive than an entry level Caddy.
Only 630 Bonnevilles were produced the first year, making the vehicle a highly sought after collector’s item and one of the most coveted Pontiac’s of all time.
The End of an Era
The Pontiac Bonneville had a very long shelf life enduring until 2005. It remained the division’s top of the line model. The final Bonneville left the assembly line in May of 2005 with only about 12,000 being sold that year.
