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Pontiac Bonneville...Dead....1958 to 2005 (Page 2)
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ProwlerOnline, Plymouth/Chrysler Prowler Discussion Forum
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Pontiac Bonneville...Dead....1958 to 2005 (Page 2)
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| This topic is 2 pages long: 1 2 This topic was originally posted in this forum: Tires, Rims Discusssion |
| Author | Topic: Pontiac Bonneville...Dead....1958 to 2005 |
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tangled up in BLUE Prowler Junkie Posts: 11086 |
posted 02-06-2005 05:04 PM
...decling sales was the official cause of death...the popularity of the SUV was the culprit....  This message has been edited by tangled up in BLUE on 02-06-2005 at 05:08 PM |
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halicat unregistered Posts: 11086 |
posted 02-06-2005 05:21 PM
a friend of mine had a 64 or 65... it was very nice with all the options... drove like it weighed 3 tons but took off like a rocket.. |
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Chromer Prowler Junkie Posts: 2723 |
posted 02-06-2005 06:40 PM
quote: "...Cars..Rock Stars..Famous animal actors..you name it...no obituary gets by that Tangled guy..."
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Bcoffman Gray Ghost Prowler Junkie Posts: 2418 |
posted 02-06-2005 06:53 PM
Actually, 1958 was the seconf year that they built the Bonneville. In 1957 they came out with a special edition Bonneville. Production was limited to one for each Pontiac dealer. I think around 5000 units. Only built in a convertible. And only two color combinations. White with a red spear down the side and white with a blue spear. Every option available on the other Pontiacs was standard on the Bonneville. Remember the "Wonder-Bar" radio? Before fm radios. Leather interior. When we got our order form to order the color we wanted, my Dad wouldn't let me order one. He was still the franchizee then. As I remember, he said that no new Pontiac was ever going to be worth $5000.00. That was the dealer invoice then. Way higher than any of the other Pontiacs. Some years back I saw when one sold at a collectors sale for around $250,000 I think. Of course, I never would have hung on to it long enough to get that kind of money out of ours. Our Pontiac sales rep told me some other dealer got ours. Practically killed me back then. Memories!!!! |
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tangled up in BLUE Prowler Junkie Posts: 11086 |
posted 02-06-2005 07:00 PM
...I wasn't really sure about the 1958 date....that is just what they said on the news....1957 Pontiacs are beautiful cars, along with the 1957 Oldsmobiles....  |
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ALLEY CAT Prowler Junkie Posts: 36093 |
posted 02-06-2005 07:08 PM
While I was a young kid back then,,,,I thought that flashlite on the side of the Bonneville was the coolest thing around |
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CJ Prowler Junkie Posts: 18860 |
posted 02-06-2005 07:10 PM
This was the article in today's Detroit News: Sunday, February 6, 2005 Pontiac eliminates Bonneville GM blames falling sales, shifts in consumer tastes for dropping large sedan. By Ed Garsten / The Detroit News
Citing declining sales and shifting consumer tastes, General Motors Corp. told employees last week that production of the Pontiac Bonneville sedan will end this summer at its Detroit-Hamtramck plant. No jobs will be lost because the factory will continue to produce other large cars, including the new Buick Lucerne and Cadillac DTS, GM said. Pontiac introduced the Bonneville name in February 1957 at the Daytona Beach races, but didn't introduce it as a product line until 1958. It was the first Pontiac with fuel injection and was initially available only as a convertible. Considered an upscale model, the Bonneville competed with other popular large cars at the time, including the Chrysler 300 and DeSoto Golden Adventurer. It evolved over the years into a roomy family sedan with plenty of power. But as the public's tastes in family haulers shifted to minivans, sport utility vehicles and crossover vehicles, Bonneville's core market evaporated. "After much discussion, it is in the best interest of Pontiac to align our product portfolio with where demand is," Pontiac spokesman Rick Crooks said. "Demand in the large car segment has been declining for some years." Pontiac has revamped its car lineup with products such as the G6, which replaced the Grand Am, and entered new segments with the Vibe hatchback and Torrent, a small SUV. The division attempted to revive the Bonneville with a high-performance V-8 GXP version, but it wasn't enough. Pontiac sold nearly 100,000 Bonnevilles as recently as 1992, but demand fell to 29,852 last year, according to Ward's Automotive Reports. Sales peaked at 135,401 units in 1966. For some dealers, the Bonneville's demise is bittersweet. "It's a shame," said Rochester Pontiac-Buick dealer Russ Shelton. "We won't have a full-size vehicle to sell to a Pontiac buyer." |
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