The Bonneville was Pontiac’s full-size luxury car in the 1950s through the 1980s. The second generation was produced in just 1959 and 1960, with the latter being part of Pontiac’s new “Wide Track” promotion that had real teeth. The seller’s 1960 Bonneville may be rare for two reasons. One, it could be one of 700 built with a Borg-Warner 4-speed manual transmission. And two, former NASCAR driver Cotton Owens once owned it. Today, it looks like an unfinished restoration project that awaits someone new to rekindle the action. Located in a garage in Mooreville, Indiana, this once bold Poncho is available here on eBay for $10,000 OBO.
As a nameplate, the Bonneville was a long-time staple at Pontiac. It first appeared in 1958 and was finally put to rest in 2005. The 1959 Bonneville looked, well, weird in terms of styling, but some fine-tuning made the car much more attractive in 1960. My uncle owned one of these, a blue-on-blue 4-door “flat-top,” and I recall many a road trip in it back in the day (Pontiacs were all he would drive, to the point of obsession).
According to the seller, Pontiac built 700 Bonnevilles mid-year in 1960 with a 4-speed manual transmission. Not something you would expect in a luxury car. And we’re told that Pontiac gave a number of them to the brand’s NASCAR drivers, including Cotton Owens. His real first name was Everett, and he was somewhat of a Modifieds legend before NASCAR. From 1950 to 1964, he won nine Cup races out of 160 entered, with half of them coming between 1957 and 1961. He passed away in 2012 at 88 years of age.
We’re unsure of when Owens owned this Poncho (from 1960 to when?), but photos are provided of him with the car. It’s doubtful it did any racing because the Bonneville was bigger and heavier than the Catalina. The car has traveled at least 86,000 miles and its 389 cubic inch V8 has been recently rebuilt. Though primer is prevalent now, it was once black with a blue interior. The car needs a restoration, which may include a complete new interior. Have you ever driven one of these 4-speed Bonnies? Another nod goes to “Curvette” for a great tip.
This is pretty cool, and extremely rare. I read, of the 82,193 Bonnevilles made in 1960, there was no breakdown between 3 speed and 4, but some think 722 were 4 speeds. Typically, it wasn’t something a Bonneville buyer would want. Probably, the only exception would be someone that raced them. It’s entirely possible these guys had personal cars like this. Not sure the name Owens has any clout, few today know who he was anyways. Pontiac was huge at race tracks then, from roundy round to drag racing, thanks to the motor. So many things not going for this car. It’s unfinished, a stick, I’m not sure what will happen to these great cars.