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Pillarless Pontiac: 1967 Pontiac Bonneville Hardtop

At 18½’ in length, the 1967 Pontiac Bonneville is by no means a small car, but it is a car that can transport its occupants in comfort and style. This particular Bonneville could be driven and enjoyed as it currently stands, although some light restoration work would make it something pretty special. Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, you will find the Pontiac listed for sale here on eBay. This 1960s giant could be yours with a BIN price of $10,900.

Finished in Champagne Gold with a Montego Cream top, the Pontiac presents very nicely. I like the attitude of the owner because he provides clear photos of the nicks and dings in the paintwork. Making this all the more impressive, he places a ruler next to each mark to give prospective buyers a scale from which to work. The car doesn’t appear to have any major marks, and there are no obvious signs of any rust issues. The trim and chrome look good, while the fender skirts accentuate the car’s size. I really like the Bonneville, and I think that a lot of it has to do with the pillarless construction. Even though this is a big car, that feature alone makes the car look quite light and airy.

The interior of the Bonneville is also pretty nice, and once a couple of issues have been addressed, it will look really good. The biggest issue is the condition of the front seat, which is in desperate need of a new cover. The current one is quite shredded, but an aftermarket cover could be fitted as a temporary measure. There are a few chips on the dash and a split on an armrest. Otherwise, it really is quite nicely preserved. Apart from the wrap on the wheel, there have been no aftermarket additions, while the inclusion of power windows and air conditioning should make life quite pleasant.

It’s when we open the hood that the owner potentially lets himself down with the Bonneville. He says that he thinks that the engine is a 389ci V8, but if it is, then it isn’t original to this car. From 1967, the 389 had been replaced by the 400ci V8 as the base engine in the Bonneville range, and I think that it is a 400 that is fitted to this car. Backing the 400 is a 3-speed Hydramatic transmission, while we also get power steering and power brakes as part of the package. The next owner will have 325hp available to move the 4,343lb Pontiac. With the Bonneville being such a big and heavy car, the fact that it will deliver an average fuel mileage of 10.5mpg doesn’t come as a huge surprise. If the intent was to use the car as a daily driver, that would certainly cause the wallet to take a real hit. However, for the occasional weekend cruise, that sort of consumption is less of an issue. The owner says that the car runs and drives as it should and that it holds the road really well.

This appears to be a really honest car, and the owner is very candid about its faults. It really doesn’t look like it will take a lot of time or money to return the car to its best, and it would seem that it might be worth the effort financially. Values have taken a bit of a hit in recent months, but they have begun to bounce back. A decent Bonneville 4-Door Hardtop the same as this can be had, on average, for around $14,500. A pristine example can push up around the $22,000 mark. Even at that lower valuation, that would leave a bit of room to address some of the car’s issues, and still be in a solid financial position. As an added bonus, it would also mean that the next owner will own a gentle giant with plenty of presence. That seems like a pretty decent combination.

Comments

  1. Avatar Moparman Member

    Those steering wheel wraps were an aid to comfort on long drives, and in genral due to the skinny plastic wheels. People used to today’s thick rimmed wheels often disparage the covers, never having personally driven a car with one. :-)

    Like 15
    • Avatar KEN TILLY UK Member

      I have a steering wheel cover on my car because it’s too cold to use in winter unless wearing gloves, which I don’t like to do.

      Like 1
    • Avatar Angrymike

      I wrapped my 67 Chevelle’s wheel, it was to dang skinny. I also kinda liked the look. I never will understand ppl not liking them.

      Like 2
  2. Avatar Bill Nagribianko

    And to cover up cracks when trying to sell it.

    Like 8
  3. Avatar Jack Hammer

    You know, I lost my first GF to a guy with a bigger………car. He had a new Catalena convertible. I had a 1960 Borgward Isabella Kombi.

    Like 5
    • Avatar ken tilly UK Member

      You can lose a girl friend at any time but you would never want to lose a Borgward Isabella Kombi! I have owned two Isabella TS’ and one Kombi. Fantastic motor cars.

      Like 3
      • Avatar Jack Hammer

        I agree with your comment. That Kombi was my first car, and red! I sold it to buy a Sport Coup Special, off white, with a black and white interior. Loved the car, but I had to sell it to go to college. I sold it to Max Hoffman himself in NYC!

        Like 0
  4. Avatar Shaun Dymond

    What a wonderful old girl! Totally impractical for the roads here in The UK, and it’s bigger than my home too. I love this car loads, but the average mpg of 10.5 is eye watering. 😬

    Like 0
    • Avatar ken tilly UK Member

      That’s 10.5 miles per American gallon Shaun, so maybe a little better to an Imperial gallon. However, at one Pound 30 pence per LITRE, (that’s $1.67 in US,) it’s still going to cost an arm and a leg just to start it!

      Like 0
  5. Avatar normadesmond

    Isn’t that beautiful?

    Like 2
  6. Avatar GTO MAN 455

    i had a wheel rap on my 73 cutlass it was cool, alot of people had them back in the day

    Like 0
  7. Avatar MrShred

    The only car I know of that gave itself a flat tire. My coworker at the gas station where we worked at got a flat on the right rear of 67 his Bonneville. We pulled it off a found the v-shaped Pontiac emblem driven deep into the tread. We walked around to the front bumper and sure enough the emblem was gone!

    Like 1
  8. Avatar Glen Riddle

    My parents had the wagon version of this, with the top dog 428 no less, which my wife and I got in 1973 just in time for the gas crisis! Still, it was a wonderful beast that our family named Hyacinth after the Hippo in Fantasia.

    Like 3
  9. Avatar PDXBryan

    Pontiac definitely had it going on in the style department in the late 60s!

    Like 1
  10. Avatar Dennis

    Beautiful, Car, Awesome Road Car, Built Like a Bank Vault…I had the 1968 version of this great Bonneville…I still miss it today. I actually had two 1963 Bonneville convertibles, a 1965 Bonneville two door Hardtop, four 1968 Grand Prix hardtops, and the 1968 Bonneville four door hardtop. I also had two or three Catalina hardtops and convertibles, a 1957 Super Chief hardtop, and a 1967 GTO convertible…yes, I loved my Pontiacs.
    Pontiac led the way in Style and Performance, from 1957, all the way thru the wonder cars, of the 1960’s 👍 but that’s just my opinion.

    Like 3
    • Avatar Miguel

      Dennis, I don’t think you need to specify hardtop for the 1968 Grand Prix, as all of them were hardtops.

      This car seems small to me since I had a long wheel base ambulance based on this same make and model year.

      Like 0
  11. Avatar TimM

    A cross country cruiser!!!

    Like 1

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