1959 Pontiac Bonneville

First appearing in 1954 on a pair of GM Motorama concept vehicles called the Bonneville Special, the Bonneville name entered the lineup as the Star Chief Custom Bonneville, which was a high-performance, fuel-injected luxury convertible during the 1957 model year.

For 1959, General Motors had taken on a major reworking of its platform design. Pontiac General Manager Semon 'Bunkie' Knudsen and engineers led by Pete Estes and John DeLorean had aggressively moved Pontiac toward a performance image, and at the center of this was the increasing engine displacements each year starting in 1956. This resulted in the Tempest 420 engine which arrived in 1959. Pontiacs of 1959 further benefited from the optional 4-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmission. Body styling features included crisp fins that ended in a V-shape over the tail lamps. The 'Wide Track' design had been the result of having the front and rear dimensions extended by more than four inches, putting the wheels closer to the corners of the car. There was a thin chrome line that arced at the rear to end at the rear wheelhouse and the split-grille with quad headlamps. The beltline was strictly horizontal, from front to rear. 1959 was also the first year of Pontiac's split grille which was to become a trademark of the brand until its passing some six decades later years later. In a similar fashion to other GM makes, the roofs became thinner and flatter and a panoramic windshield curved upwards into the roof. Tri-Power machines had emblems on the front quarter panels, and cast Bonneville-script logos are covered in bright gold-tone metallic. Pontiac offered optional equipment to help market cars, but Bonnevilles came with many items as standard.

Motor Trend magazine named Pontiac its 'Car of the Year.' Pontiacs were victorious in many NASCAR stock car races including wins at both Daytona and Darlington.

A total of 11,426 top-of-the-line Bonneville convertibles were produced in 1959. 38,696 examples of the Vista Hardtop and 27,769 were 2-door hardtops.

The overhead-valve V8 engine displaced 389 cubic inches and offered 260 horsepower. Depending on the configuration, that figure rose even further. Standard equipment included inside door safety reflectors, rear seat foam cushions, padded dashboard, and dash courtesy lights.

For 1959, the Pontiac line included three models: the value-priced Catalina, the mid-level Star Chief, and the top-of-the-line Bonneville.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2019