Pontiac Bonneville Convertible, 1957
Pontiac Bonneville
Pontiac Bonneville•
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Chassis No.: P857H32589
Auction: Monterey 2023
Auction date: August 19, 2023
Lot No.: S55
$75,000 | High bid
- Odometer: 53,546 miles
- Transmission: Automatic
- Exterior: Kenya Ivory/Red
- Interior: Red/White
- Body: Convertible
- 1 of 630 produced
- 347/310 HP engine with Rochester fuel injection
- Strato-Flight Hydra-Matic transmission
- Red and White leather upholstery
- Power convertible top
- Power steering
- Power brakes
- Correct Kenya Ivory and Tartan Red exterior finish
The job of turning Pontiac around as a stodgy brand of dependable, solidly built cars admired by the geriatric set was laid at the feet of Semon Knudsen, better known as Bunkie. GM had been considering the discontinuation of the brand for some time, with sales slowly in decline and popularity waning, especially among the younger, professional crowd. Bunkie brought in Pete Estes from Oldsmobile as chief engineer and hired John DeLorean from Packard as an engineer, and the work began immediately. The goal was to show people that Pontiac indeed meant not just quality, but performance and style.
The 1957 Bonneville was a huge part of driving home that point as a performance, style and engineering leader with a serious penchant for performance and exclusivity. Only 630 were produced, one for each Pontiac dealership in the U.S., and most were finished in Kenya Ivory with a blue or red trim package. Costing around $5,700, they were not for the financially faint of heart, with the price just edging across the threshold into Cadillac territory, but what customers got for the money was astonishing. The convertible top was power operated, and drivers enjoyed the power steering, power brakes, power windows, a power seat and the Wonderbar radio.
In fact, the only things a customer had to choose was the color combination and whether or not they wanted air conditioning. Powered by a 347/310 HP V-8 engine with Rochester fuel injection and a Strato-Flight Hydra-Matic transmission, the Bonneville soared from 0-60 MPH in just a tick over 8 seconds, making it one of the quickest cars of the day. It immediately catapulted Pontiac into another status strata and created a buzz in the target market GM was hoping to penetrate. This one is finished in Kenya Ivory with the Tartan Red detail stripe and rolls on wide whitewall tires with stock wheel covers.
It presents in magnificent condition, the red and white interior in impressive condition and the chrome and glass likewise. The scene under the hood is like the rest of the car, stunningly well detailed.
https://www.mecum.com/lots/1095152/1957-pontiac-bonneville-convertible/
Cost
275,438 AED
