Pontiac Bonneville Convertible, 1957
Pontiac Bonneville
Pontiac Bonneville•
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Chassis No.: P857H34997
Auction: Monterey 2022
Auction date: August 20, 2022
Lot No.: S95
$90,000 | High bid
- Exterior: White
- Interior: Red/White
- Body: Convertible
- One of 630 Bonneville Convertibles produced in 1957, one for each Pontiac dealer
- 347/310 HP V-8 engine
- Rochester fuel injection
- Strato-Flight Hydra-Matic transmission
- Power steering
- Power brakes
- Two-tone Red and White leather interior
- Deluxe carpeting
- Power convertible top
- Wonderbar signal-seeking radio
- Power antenna
- 8-way power seats
- Wide whitewall tires
- Full size wheel covers
With its gleaming Kenya Ivory exterior with Bonneville Red inserts and a two-tone red and white interior, this 1957 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible is a head-turning machine that was also a total game-changer for Pontiac in the 1950s. With newly-appointed General Manager Semon E. “Bunkie” Knudsen’s hand now guiding the division, he set out to let the world know that it was no longer “business as usual” at Pontiac. The Bonneville was the first of Knudsen’s high-performance, youth-oriented product offerings to hit the market.
This Bonneville features such innovations as six-way adjustable front seats, specific Bonneville trim and badging, and every luxury and convenience option available on lesser models as standard equipment, such as leather seating and the Autronic Eye headlamp dimmer. Under the hood was an exclusive Rochester mechanical fuel-injected version of the Pontiac 347 that featured a 10.25:1 compression ratio. It was rated at 310 HP at 4,800 RPM with 400 lb-ft of torque at 3,400 RPM. That special fuel-injected engine was available only with the 4-speed Strato-Flight Hydramatic transmission, such as the one seen on this fine example.
Additionally, this particular Bonneville features power steering and power brakes, Deluxe carpeting, a power-operated convertible top, air conditioning, a Wonderbar signal-seeking radio, a power antenna, full wheel covers and wide whitewall tires. Only 630 Bonneville convertibles were built for 1957—just one for each Pontiac dealer at the time. With its rarity and Rochester fuel-injected 347/310 HP V-8, this is a car with the kind of star power that will separate it from other vehicles at a show, convention or concours.
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