Currently offered on Hemmings Auctions is a quite nice example of the rare 1957 Pontiac Bonneville, a model that was created expressly to elevate the image of the Pontiac brand.In fact, the 57 Bonneville was intended to serve as a sort of showroom dream car, created to lure in curious patrons who would then, hopefully, purchase a lesser Pontiac after being suitably dazzled by the loaded top ...
www.hemmings.com
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......big block, 4 speed, bench seat, it doesn't get much better
I'm with you Bernie,always coveted the Bonneville, in my case it started with the '61. We had a 61 Batwing Strato Chief, midnight blue and up on Georgian Bay a family from Michigan had a cottage and they had a two door bubble top Bonneville same midnight blue, except those taillights were so cool to me, the 3 round taillights on each side, then our neighbour in East York Mr. Guilfoyle had a 70 harvest gold with brown vinyl top Bonneville, 455 , man it throbed and I loved it too. I vowed to myself to one day own a Bonneville. I did albeit a 1992 which was the last car I actually factory ordered.
This very first Bonneville has always been one of my main DREAM machines. That and the 57 Chev Nomad. Of course the 57 Bonneville commands some very serious money, especially when properly restored. I met a gentleman here in southern Ontario that had one back in the early to mid sixties in Ontario and he showed me photos of him with the car back then. He sold the car when he got married then and now has very deep regrets over it. It is just one of those very special automobiles that there is no way you could dislike.
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1957 Pontiac Pathfinder Deluxe sedan restored 261 six
1974 Chevrolet Caprice Estate wagon low mileage original 400 V-8
The 57 Bonnevilles are nice but still had the master cylinder on the frame under the cowl area. They are an absolute pain to check the brake fluid. One of those things you can see from under the hood and wonder how to get at.
Paul
Currently offered on Hemmings Auctions is a quite nice example of the rare 1957 Pontiac Bonneville, a model that was created expressly to elevate the image of the Pontiac brand.In fact, the 57 Bonneville was intended to serve as a sort of showroom dream car, created to lure in curious patrons who would then, hopefully, purchase a lesser Pontiac after being suitably dazzled by the loaded top ...
www.hemmings.com
Bernie, thanks for sharing this 57 Bonnie stuff. Always worth the time to enjoy. Cheers.
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1957 Pontiac Pathfinder Deluxe sedan restored 261 six
1974 Chevrolet Caprice Estate wagon low mileage original 400 V-8
Absoutely one of the most stunning Pontiacs ever made IMHO.
Little side story---
POCI conventions used to have (and may still have) their conventions setup that members judge the cars. If I recall right, if you entered a car in the show you could judge up to 4 classes. I picked the 57's as one of the classes to judge when I went to the POCI convention in North Carolina, 1986. There was I think 3 Bonnevilles on the show field as well as numerous other 57's. The Bonnevilles were trailer queens but I picked my favourite as being the 57 Star Chief convert that two couples showed up in from the west coast. I had seen them arrive a couple of days earlier with a massive bug screen on the front of the car, plastered with bugs from driving across the entire US in that car!
Trailer queen Bonneville converts are spectacular but I figured that none of the 57 owners enjoyed their car as much as the owners of that one, so they deserved to win! (Of course, one of the trailer queens won,)
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
Absoutely one of the most stunning Pontiacs ever made IMHO.
Little side story---
POCI conventions used to have (and may still have) their conventions setup that members judge the cars. If I recall right, if you entered a car in the show you could judge up to 4 classes. I picked the 57's as one of the classes to judge when I went to the POCI convention in North Carolina, 1986. There was I think 3 Bonnevilles on the show field as well as numerous other 57's. The Bonnevilles were trailer queens but I picked my favourite as being the 57 Star Chief convert that two couples showed up in from the west coast. I had seen them arrive a couple of days earlier with a massive bug screen on the front of the car, plastered with bugs from driving across the entire US in that car!
Trailer queen Bonneville converts are spectacular but I figured that none of the 57 owners enjoyed their car as much as the owners of that one, so they deserved to win! (Of course, one of the trailer queens won,)
Carl, i agree with you all the way on this one my brother. As much as i love the Bonny's i would be giving the award to the folks that put in the real effort in getting there in the first place. Cheers.
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1957 Pontiac Pathfinder Deluxe sedan restored 261 six
1974 Chevrolet Caprice Estate wagon low mileage original 400 V-8
