Not only does the top go down, but triple carburetors make this big Bonneville move out, in style. With a near-perfect presentation, this spectacular convertible is going to garner a lot of attention. Let’s examine closely and see what this Oak Hills, California domiciled Poncho is all about. It’s available, here on craigslist for $24,500. Thanks to rex m for this discovery!

Pontiac had a lot of bases covered in ’62 with Bonneville, such as our example, riding at the top, Star Chief in the middle, and Catalina bringing up the markers. There was also a “new for ’62” Grand Prix two-door hardtop available as well. While the Catalina went full range on body styles from the lowly two-door sedan, up through four-door sedans and hardtops, on to two-door hardtops and finally a convertible, the Bonneville was more staid with just a convertible and two or four-door hardtops. Pontiac moved some metal in the ’62 production race, knocking out 521K copies and coming in third, just behind #2 Ford and #1 Chevrolet.

The listing proclaims, “very clean and complete all original classic!” so we’ll run with the assumption that this 57K mile convertible is still as initially intended. The finish, which looks like Garnet Mist, shows no defects, as does the stainless trim, chrome bumpers, and body panels. The seller claims that his car has been always garaged, and it looks like it. Ditto the white convertible top and I can tell you from experience, just look at one of those the wrong way, and it will show a smudge of some sort. The full wheel covers, with their tucked-in spinners and accompanying white stripe tires, complete the early ’60s vibe.

Cool stuff resides under the hood in the form of a 318 gross HP, Tri-Power, 389 CI “Trophy V8” engine. Surprisingly, there is no word as to how this powerplant and its Hydramatic automatic transmission motivates this 4,200 lb. ragtop. The engine looks complete and original in its appearance except for the K&N air filter elements and the valve covers. This is a non-A/C equipped Bonneville, an expensive option that was often absent on convertibles of this era.

Nothing but “snappy” is how I’d describe the bucket seat-equipped interior. The while vinyl upholstery, offset with red trim, similar to this car’s exterior hue, pulls the entire package together perfectly. While the Grand Prix offered a center console, this Bonneville is console-less and features a steering column-mounted gear selector. The interior images are not offered in great detail but from what can be spied, nothing appears to need attention.

As far as the old “what to do with it” category goes, that’s easy – leave it as is and just enjoy this big Bonneville as it sits. This 1962 Pontiac convertible is another fine automotive tribute to what we once had but no longer do. It’s an unfortunate turn of events but as long as cars like this continue to surface, we can still revel in prior times, right?