1963 Pontiac Bonneville

The Bonneville name was first used in 1954 on a pair of bubble-topped GM Motorama concept cars called the Bonneville Special. A limited-edition Custom Bonneville Convertible on the Star Chief line was announced in early December of 1956 and introduced on January 11th of 1957. It was a high-performance, fuel-injected luxury convertible that came with every available option as standard equipment, with the exception of a continental kit and air-conditioning. Priced at a staggering $5,782, the Star Chief Bonneville convertible was double the base price of the Chieftain on which it was built, and was similarly priced to a Cadillac. A total of 630 examples were built that first year. The following year, the Bonneville became its own model, offered as a two-door hardtop or a convertible, and paced the Indianapolis 500.

To celebrate General Motors' 50th Anniversary 'Golden Jubilee,' Anniversary models for each of its brands were introduced for 1958, including the Cadillac Eldorado Seville, Buick Roadmaster Riviera, Oldsmobile Holiday 88, Pontiac Bonneville Catalina, and the all-new Chevrolet Bel-Air Impala.

A four-door hardtop sedan and Safari station wagon body style joined the 1959 Pontiac Bonneville which became a full top-line series. Pontiac adopted a new marketing strategy in 1959 to transform its image into a maker of sporty and youthful cars that would appeal to younger buyers. Over the years that followed, the cars became wider and lower and available with a vast array of performance engines and options. Pontiac's continued success in the NASCAR racing series helped to promote this new strategy and increase sales. Pontiac would continue to build and sell low to medium-priced cars with a variety of trim and mechanical options throughout the 1960s.

All Pontiacs were downsized for 1961, riding on a perimeter frame, with the Bonneville's wheelbase measuring 119-inches (the same as the Catalina and Ventura). They had twin grille styling, squared-off bodies, and small tailfins. Bonnevilles received more luxurious interior trim, additional standard features, bright metal moldings on side spears, and Bonneville nameplates.

1963 Pontiac Bonneville
The 1963 Pontiac Bonneville was available as a 2-door hardtop, a convertible, four-door Safari, and a 4-door Vista hardtop. Pricing ranged from the low $3,000 through $3,625. A total of 110,316 examples were produced with 108,497 being equipped with the Hydra-Matic gearbox. The remaining 1,819 had synchromesh. The most popular body style was the four-door Vista Hardtop with seating for six and priced at $3,425 with 49,929 examples built. Next was the two-door hardtop priced at $3,350 and 30,995 examples built. 23,459 examples of the convertible were built having a base price of $3,570. The four-door Safari station wagon had a price of $3,625 and 5,156 examples built.

Powering the Bonneville was an overhead-valve V-8 engine with 389 cubic-inches of displacement, a cast-iron block, hydraulic valve lifters, a Carter four-barrel carburetor, five main bearings, and delivering 303 hp. The Hydra-Matic transmission was standard. Optional versions of the 389 CID or 400 CID V8 were available, with horsepower ratings as high as 313 with the 389 CID and over 400 with the 421 CID.

The Bonneville was given all the features found on the Star Chief plus padded instrument panels and courtesy lamps. There were also foam cushions in the rear of the car.

Pontiac had an 8.9 percent of the market share in 1963, with Bonneville's accounting for approximately nineteen-percent of Pontiac's total production. With over 600,000 vehicles produced in 1963, Pontiac ranked third among North American automobile manufacturers. They also scored four NASCAR victories and shocked the drag racing community with the introduction of 'Swiss Cheese' Catalina factory lightweight racing machines. A year later they shocked the world with the introduction of the legendary GTO.

A new generation of styling was introduced to the Bonneville in 1965, and the name 'Bonneville' would be part of the Pontiac lineup for decades, coming to an end in the mid-2000s.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2011