1972 Pontiac Bonneville

The full-size line of Pontiac models included the 'entry-level' Catalina and Catalina Brougham, the 'intermediate' Bonneville, and the top-of-the-line Grand Ville. The Bonneville's perch as the top full-size model was displaced in 1971 and its duties were regulated to the Grand Ville. Bonneville body styles included a pillared four-door sedan and a two- and four-door hardtop, along with six- and nine-passenger station wagons known as Grand Safaris. The standard 455 cubic-inch V8 with two-barrel carburetion was rated at 280 gross horsepower for 1971 and 185 net horsepower a year later. An optional four-barrel version was available of the 455 as available with 325 gross horsepower in 1971 and 250 net horsepower a year later.

All-new styling was introduced to the full-size Pontiac models for 1971 and represented the fifth major restyling since the Bonneville's introduction in 1957. The 'fuselage' bodies had a large V-shaped split radiator grille, dual round headlamps in square bevels positioned high into the hood line, with horizontal grilles below, meeting the side marker lamps.

1971 was the first year that the GM divisions used reduced compression ratios on all engines to operate on lower-octane regular leaded, low-lead or unleaded gasoline. This was in response to a corporate edict anticipating the introduction of catalytic converters in 1975 to comply with increasingly stringent federal emission requirements.

The Catalina was priced from $3,710 to $4,370, and the Grand Ville listed for $4,500 to $4,640. The Bonneville sedan was $4,170, the four-door hardtop at $4,300, and the two-door hardtop coupe at $4,225. The six-passenger station wagon was $4,580 and the nine-passenger version was $140 higher.

The most popular body style was the four-door hardtop with 15,806 examples built, followed by 10,568 of the two-door hardtop coupe, and 9,704 of the sedan. Pontiac built 8,540 of the nine-passenger wagon and 5,675 of the six-passenger version. The combined 1972 Bonneville production was 50,293 units, more than the 41,269 examples built the previous year, and more than the 46,898 built for 1973.

The most popular full-size 1972 Pontiac was the Catalina with 200,948 examples built, including 83,004 of the sedan. The combined production of the 1972 Grand Ville was 63,411 units.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2021