CarBrandLogos archive · Pontiac · 1957

PontiacBonneville

Named after a salt flat, and the car that made Pontiac stop being dull.

Photo: IFCAR · Public domain

The story

A defining chapter in Pontiac history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Pontiac Bonneville, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

1961 Pontiac Bonneville Tri-Power Sport Coupe

Origins

In 1956 Pontiac was General Motors' respectable, elderly division, selling sensible cars to sensible people. Semon Knudsen took charge and set about destroying that reputation, and the Bonneville was one of his instruments. It appeared for 1957 as a very limited, very expensive fuel-injected convertible, borrowing its name from the Utah salt flats where speed records were set, and its job was purely to change what people thought Pontiac was for.

1961 Pontiac Bonneville Tri-Power Sport Coupe · Stephen Foskett (Wikipedia User: sfoskett) · CC BY-SA 3.0

Design and engineering

It worked, and for 1958 the Bonneville became a full series at the top of the range. From 1959 it also carried Pontiac's new Wide Track chassis, a genuine engineering change that pushed the wheels further out for better stability and, not incidentally, gave the division a marketing phrase and a distinctive stance.

1962 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible · Pat Durkin · CC BY-SA 2.0

In production

For the next two decades the Bonneville was Pontiac's full-size flagship, front-engined and rear-driven, briefly demoted to mid-size in the early 1980s, then returned to full-size in 1987 as a transverse front-wheel-drive car, which is where enthusiasts generally stop paying attention. It ran until 2005, and the G8 that eventually replaced it came from Australia.

1958 Pontiac Bonneville photo2 · AlfvanBeem · CC0

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

1958–2005

Technical specification

The Bonneville, in detail.

Production: 1958–2005; 1983–2005 (Canada)
Class: Full-size car (1957–1981 and 1987–2005); Mid-size car (1982–1986)
Layout: FR layout (1958–1986); Transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive (1987–2005)
Assembly: Pontiac Assembly, Pontiac, Michigan
Manufacturer: Pontiac (General Motors)

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