When it comes to automobiles, it doesn’t take much to be remembered for one or two details that otherwise overshadow a wholly decent platform. That was certainly the case with the 1990s-era Pontiac Bonneville, which was a competent, comfortable performer that offered a tremendous amount of performance for the money, but was always mocked up for its excessive body cladding and occasionally bonkers array of buttons in the cabin. Beneath that all, however, was a supercharged sedan that could light up the tires while picking up the dry cleaning with ease.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Tony Primo for this find, which is what of a 1997 SSEi sedan with just over 66,000 original miles. The SSEi was the top banana in Pontiac’s flagship sedan lineup, equipped with leather trim, tons of power features, chrome wheels, and of course, the supercharged powerplant. Pontiac loaded up the Bonneville with numerous other features, ranging from a head-up display to Bose stereo system to traction control to auto-leveling suspension. It was clear Pontiac wanted to go to war n the mid-sized sedan segment, and if aggressive looks were the key to winning the battle, the Bonneville would have been the hands-down winner.
The supercharged 3800 was a mainstay in any of GM’s high-end sedan offerings, and for good reason. This was a terrific powerplant, producing a healthy 225 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque, channeled through the front wheels via a 4-speed automatic transmission. In addition to ample power, the 3800 was a very reliable engine, capable of withstanding untold amounts of abuse while also responding well to upgrades. The Bonneville and other models like the Regal could be absolute wolves in sheep’s clothing with plenty of horsepower to uncork with a few bolt-on modifications. However, in the case of this Bonneville, you’ll likely want to maintain its high state of preservation.
Different eras saw the interior become more and more jetfighter-like in its execution, with legions of buttons littering places like the steering wheel. This Bonneville features a far cleaner design, and while I don’t know how much it differs from one year to the next, it is nice to see this one is slightly less busy inside. More importantly is how well-preserved the leather seating surfaces are, and those buckets look like they are built for a long road trip. Completely stock and factory-correct down to the SSEi floor mats, this Bonneville may be one of the best ones left, and it’s listed here on craigslist for $9,950 near Chicago.
I had a 2001 with this engine, silver with grey cloth interior. Special order bench front seat and column shift. Beast of a car. Comfortable cruiser, but a real brute when you needed it to be. I surprised many sports cars off the line in that car. Best daily driver I ever had thus far, until it lost in a collision with a deer. The relationships I have had with several BMWS since then didn’t live ip to the big ol bonnie. Power, comfort and reliability. RIP Bonnie, and Pontiac in general.
When I was younger, had a gal come into the station where I worked. She was missing the belt for the supercharger, and didn’t even realize. I’m sure she didn’t drive like you! She got a new belt, of course.
Well appointed Q ships from the good folks at the Generals Pontiac division. 6pot had a nice exhaust note as well 🎶
This car has the L67 3800 Supercharged with 240 HP. The 97s also got the much needed 4T65E-Heavy Duty transmission. I miss my 97, rust took it out. Best seats I have ever experienced. A catcher’s mitt for your bum.
Pontiac was at its best again in the late 80s thru the 90s. Great cars you could be proud to own.
My wife and I had a ’96 SSEi as our family car and loved it. To this day, I still miss those amazing seats. I have had back problems since I was in my late 20’s, so these were revelatory in their adjustability. The powerful engine really made for many great trips, whether daily driving or for vacations. I did tire a little of the red instrumentation lights after a while, but that’s so minor in light of what a great car it was!
I rented a Bonnie SE and the red dash lights were a blessing to me. Note, I only rented, did not own. I may have gotten tired of them, had I owned one, but driving at night, they did not produce the glare and eye strain the white lights did. I thought about getting some replacement bulbs with the red tint for a car I bought. Kind of glad I didn’t. Replacing the instrument panel lights would have been a real bear.
You make a good point. I actually loved it for the same reason for the first couple of years we had it. I just grew tired of it over a long period of time. I never thought about it before, but now I’m wondering if the SSEi had the same amount of dash lights (or more) than the other trim levels.
Funny how, over time, something I love can become something I just don’t care for as much.
That’s a really good price for what is a really nice car overall. I bought a ’97 SE once at a state vehicle auction and it was a very comfortable ride and even though the miles were over 130k, that 3800 V-6 ran like a sewing machine and while not supercharged, it was still capable and got around 26mpg. Sold it for a nice profit and the owner drove it for a long time after that as I saw it years later still going down the road.
I rented a Pontiac SE one year for a Christmas trip. I was driving thru Atlanta running the speed limit plus five. People were driving past me like I was setting still. Crazy me, decided to run with them. At over 100 mph, I said no more, and slowed back down. I really liked the car and wished I could have bought one. Funny thing is, they were really hard to find. The SSEei were really rare and hard to find. Pontiac built a great car with the SE. To bad they didn’t keep building great cars, and it cost them.
I recall seeing one at the Miami Beach Convention center Auto Show in 1992 as a young adult. Was for the 93 model year. “Hunter Green” or the GM equivalent with a nice tan leather interior and BBS rims. Man that was a nice car.