1957 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible
As advertised in Hemmings Classifieds
This was the first year of the Pontiac Bonneville and was offered only as a Convertible and only with Fuel Injection.This is probably the finest restored example ever offered for sale.Every part on this car is 100% factory correct and numbers matching.Every component was restored to as new or better condition.Most of the chrome was NOS and it ALL -interior and exterior was show chrome plated. This is a Museum Quality investment level car.
History on the Bonnevilles- When introduced on January 11th of 1957, the Bonneville was the fastest Pontiac ever produced. Zero to sixty took just 8.1 seconds to achieve. A Bonneville won the Grand National Championship with a top speed of 101. 6 mph and broke all existing records during NASCAR trials at Daytona. The 300+ horsepower fuel injected V8 engine changed the image of the Pontiac nameplate into one that was backed by performance. This had been the work of Semon E. 'Bunky' Knudsen who had made it his goal to update the 'bland' mid-range vehicles. The new designs were meant to appeal to a younger generation and were inspired by style and performance.
The Pontiac Bonneville Convertible came with a $5782 sticker price, a rather high figure at the time, though the vehicle came equipped with nearly every option offered. As a result only 630 examples were produced making them one of the rarest Pontiacs ever produced. Each dealership was given only one car to sell. Most of the cars were finished in white with red 'flashes'; a few were given custom colors.
The Bonneville's factory list price was an astronomical $5,782 ($2,677 more than a regular-production Star Chief Convertible). For that Cadillac-like price, Bonneville buyers got a Cadillac-like level of standard equipment, including Hydra-Matic automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, eight-way power seat, Wonderbar radio, tri-blade wheel covers and a full leather interior. Distribution was limited to select Pontiac dealers and only 630 were built.
The only two available options were Air Conditioning and an externally mounted Continental Kit spare tire.
This example has been treated to a correct frame-off restoration. It is painted in Kenya Ivory with a tartan Red interior. It comes equipped with a Wonderbar AM radio, a deluxe steering wheel, a padded dash, a clock, cowl vent chrome wheel discs, and whitewall tires. It has the total power group, including a power-operated convertible top, a power antenna, power steering, power brakes, power windows, and an eight-way power-operated seat.
All options and features were completely restored and are in perfect working order.
- This 1957 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible is #116 of the 630 produced in 1957.
- The car has had a complete frame off /rotisserie restoration finished in 2009.
- The car was judged at the Pontiac Oakland Club Nationals at Dayton, Ohio. It was judged 396 out of 400 points. They deducted one point for a spark plug wire, one point for a valve stem cap, one point for a window crank, & one point for a parking light. Three of the Pontiac judges stated the car was the best ’57 Pontiac that they had ever judged.
- The car was picked “BEST OF SHOW” at the 11th Annual Fred Gibb Chevrolet COPO Memorial Open Car Show in LaHarpe, Illinois. The following year, the car was on the 12th Annual Fred Gibb Chevrolet Car Show T-shirt being the first time in history that a car other than a Chevy was on the shirt. It also won “BEST GM”award.
- The car won “BEST GM” at Catfish Bend Casino in Burlington, Iowa.
- The car won “BEST OF THE BUNCH” at the 34th Annual Festival of Wheels in Nauvoo, Illinois.
- The car won GOODGUYS 4th Annual Chicagoland Nationals “SLICK SLED” award in Joilet, Illinois.
- These are the only shows the car has been shown at.
- This ’57 Pontiac Bonneville is more than likely the best one of its kind in the world.
$250,000 negotiable
