UPDATE – This attractive and solid-looking 1962 Pontiac Bonneville Sports Coupe has been listed for sale again. In January, fellow Barn Finds staff writer Russ Dixon did his usual nice job of writing up this Bonnie that has a lot going for it but needs some TLC. It’s been a California car all of its life and still resides in Bakersfield (the city Buck Owens and the Buckaroos put on the map in the ’60’s with their popular country music “Bakersfield Sound”). The price has been dropped $1,000 to $19,000 or best offer and you can see the current listing here on eBay. Another shoutout to our pal, Curvette, for sending this full-of-potential ’62 Bonneville our way. Hopefully, this classy Bonneville will find a new home this time around.
Of the 1961-64 full-size Pontiacs, I always thought the ’62s were the most attractive, thanks to GM designer Bill Mitchell. The Bonneville had no less than a 389 cubic inch V8, and the seller’s car has a 2-barrel carburetor (I thought they were all 4-barrels). A Hydramatic transmission takes care of the shifting of gears (no CVTs here!). The Bonneville rode on a longer version of the GM B-body platform and had a much better level of trim than the Catalina or Star Chief, but on a par with the Grand Prix.
This Pontiac was put together at a GM plant in South Gate, California, and none of its three owners has relocated it outside of the Left Coast. The seller has only owned the car for a year or less, but has no time to do anything but look at it. The original owner had it until 2007, and the second owner had it from 2007 until 2025. The odometer has only recently crossed the 62,000-mile mark, and almost everything works as it should. The tires have tread but are older. The paint job is a re-do but of a cheaper variety, per the seller. The chrome trim is good, but it does have some pitting. The fuel pump is new, but the car shuts off after you let off the gas, so some attention is needed there. A new master cylinder may be in order, and it comes with the car for the buyer to fool with. Rust isn’t an issue, but the interior is beginning to show its age, and a new headliner will be required. Pontiac sold more than 31,600 Bonneville 2-door hardtops in 1962.
Most beautiful tail lights EVER! There was no question a ’62 Bonne just blew your doors off,,,at night.
Howard, there a beautifully illustrated ad that Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kauffman did that drives your point home. The rear of a Bonne at night is shown with another off to one side and front/center are those cool taillights! Im a huge fan of those two illustrators, and have this ad framed in my hobby room! One of my all-time favorites.
can’t believe this did not sell first go around. very cool looking. good car to improve on for sure.
Is that a Factory Air Conditioning dash? I don’t see a compressor under the hood.
I see what looks like factory air conditioning vents in the dash, but no a/c plumbing under the hood???
From the ebay listing ‘ This is an A/C car. The previous owner removed the parts under the hood, but I have them in the trunk.’
Lovely looking car. I hope it goes to a good owner, one who will enjoy it and take care of it. IMHO, it’s the best looking car until the 1968 model year.
The trunk of this car is an Italian Mauseloum.
Nice Pontiac Bonneville. I like the smaller Catalina or the first year Grand Prix. But I would be happy to drive this around also.
The Bonneville and Catalina are the same, size wise. Trim is the only difference.
They’re not I looked it up.
Joe
This nice pontiac did have air conditioning at one time. There are air conditioning controls on the left side of the driver’s on the control dash panel. You can see a c lines coming out of the right side , fender , near the fan motor. Where the a c compressor went in , the engine compartment is hard to tell. Just my observations, maybe the owner can elaborate more on the A.C issue.
I think the Cat had a shorter wheel base . Also think this car would have looked better with a shorter trunk lid .The front and rear look almost equal/equal .