The Pontiac Bonneville was an automobile built by the Pontiac division of General Motors from 1958 to 2005. Introduced as a limited production performance convertible in the Pontiac Star Chief model range during the 1957 model year, the Bonneville became its own series in 1958. The Bonneville, and its platform partner, the Grand Ville, are some of the largest Pontiacs ever built; in station wagon bodystyles they reached just over 19 feet long, and were also some of the heaviest (2 and 1/2 tons, or 5,000 pounds).

Early development - 1954-58

The Bonneville name first appeared in 1954 on a pair of bubble-topped GM Motorama concept cars called the Bonneville Special. It entered the production lineup as the Star Chief Custom Bonneville, a high-performance, fuel-injected luxury convertible late in the 1957 model year that was loaded with every conceivable option as standard equipment, putting it in a Cadillac-like price range of $5,000 - more than double the base price of a Chieftain four-door sedan. Only 630 units were produced that first year, making it one of the most collectible Pontiacs of all time. The Bonneville endured until 2005 as the division's top-of-the-line model. The term was taken from the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, the site of much early auto racing and most of the world's land speed record runs.

The Bonneville expanded into its own series and added a coupe in 1958, and it paced the Indianapolis 500 that year. This year's Bonneville had a significantly lower price tag of around $3,000 thanks to the demotion of most of the luxury items found on the '57 model from standard equipment to the option list. Also a 300-horsepower 370 cubic-inch V8 with four-barrel carburetor and dual exhausts was now standard equipment. The fuel-injection system offered with the standard engine on the '57 model was now listed as an extra cost option but very few (if any) '58 Bonnevilles were so equipped due to a towering price tag of over $500, which was not considered a very good value considering that for less than $100, a Tri-Power option was available with three two-barrel carburetors and even more horsepower.

Pontiac's flagship - 1959-70

In its third year, the 1959 Bonneville became a full top-line series with the addition of the four-door hardtop sedan and Safari station wagon bodystyles. The Bonneville played an important part that year in the introduction of two of Pontiac's greatest marketing inspirations — the split grille and the Wide Track slogan. The latter was not just ad copy, either, as Pontiac pushed its wheels further out toward the fenders than anyone else and created what were considered to be the best-cornering full-size cars in the industry. Both the grille design and the Wide Track phrase are still part of Pontiac's image today. The Bonneville remained as Pontiac's costliest and most luxurious model throughout the 1960s and was instrumental in pushing Pontiac to third place in sales from 1962 to 1970.

Bonnevilles differed from their lesser Catalina and Star Chief counterparts by featuring more luxurious interior trims with upgraded cloth and Morrokide vinyl or expanded Morrokide upholstery in sedans and coupes, expanded Morrokid in Safari wagons or genuine leather seating in convertibles. Also found in Bonnevilles were instrument panels and door panels with walnut veneer trim, carpeted lower door panels, grab bar on passenger side of dash and courtesy lights. Beginning in 1964, a Bonneville Brougham option package was available that included even more luxurious interior trims with front and rear seats featuring center armrests, upgraded door panels and a standard Cordova (vinyl) roof with "Brougham" nameplates.

Although they were extra-cost options, virtually all Bonnevilles were equipped with Hydra-Matic (through 1964) or Turbo Hydra-Matic (1965-on) automatic transmissions, power steering and power brakes with many also optioned with air conditioning. Other popular options included power windows, power seats, radio, cruise control, 8-lug aluminum wheels that included integral brake drums for improved stopping power. Bonnevilles also had more powerful standard V8 engines than lesser full-sized Pontiacs including the 389 or 400 cubic inch V8s with four-barrel carburetors (horsepower ratings of 303 to 340 depending on year) with many optional V8 offerings available including Tri Power (three two-barrel carburetion) options on both the 389 and 421 cubic inch V8s that offered up to 376 horsepower through 1966. A General Motors corporate edict that took effect with the 1967 model year led Pontiac to discontinue the Tri Power engine options on all of its cars. That year also brought a larger 400 cubic-inch V8 as the standard engine for Bonneville and other full-sized Pontiacs to replace the previous 389, while the 421 cubic inch V8 was replaced by a new 428 cubic-inch engine that offered as much as 390 horsepower. For 1969, a 360-horsepower 428 became the standard Bonneville engine, which in turn was replaced for 1970 by an even larger 455 cubic-inch V8 rated at 370 horsepower.

Bonneville's identity crisis: 1971-86

From 1971 to 1975, the Bonneville was de-emphasized somewhat as Pontiac used the Grand Ville name for its highest-price model. During these years, the Bonneville dropped to mid-line status between the lower-priced Catalina and the Grand Ville. During these years, the Bonneville was offered in three bodystyles including the pillared four-door sedan, four-door hardtop sedan and two-door hardtop coupe. The standard engine for 1971-72 was a 455 cubic-inch V8 with two-barrel carburetor that was rated at 280 gross horsepower for 1971 and 185 net horsepower for 1972 and optionally available was the four-barrel version of the 455 rated at 325 gross horsepower in 1971 and 250 net horses in 1972. (the on-paper horsepower ratings of both years reflect the changes in horsepower measurement between those two years as was common throughout the auto industry at the time). The year 1971 was also the first for Pontiac and other GM divisions to reduce compression ratios on all engines across the board in order to enable use of lower-octane regular leaded, low-lead or unleaded gasoline thanks to a corporate edict in preparation for the introduction of catalytic converters in 1975 to help meet increasing stringent federal (and California) emission requirements.

In mid-1971, a Turbo-Hydramatic transmission, power steering and power front-disc brakes became standard equipment on Bonneville and other full-sized Pontiacs (as well as other full-sized GM cars).

From 1973 to 1976, the Bonneville's standard engine dropped to a 170-horsepower 400 cubic-inch V8. Optionally available was the 455 four-barrel V8 rated at 250 horsepower for 1973-74 and 200 for 1975-76. In 1973, Bonneville was the only full-sized Pontiac to offer a "Radial Tuned Suspension" option package which included the steel-belted radial tires along with an upgraded suspension with Pliacell shock absorbers and front and rear sway bars. The RTS option was expanded for 1974 to all full-sized Pontiacs and radial-ply tires became standard on all 1975 models though an upgraded "RTS" package was still available as an option.

With the demise of the Grand Ville series after 1975, Bonneville once again emerged as the top-line full-sized Pontiac series for 1976 with the Bonneville Brougham models featuring the same luxurious interior appointments as the departed Grand Ville.

Bonneville would continued its flagship duties on the downsized big car line that was introduced for 1977. The downsized Bonnevilles (and Catalinas) were about a foot shorter in length and reduced in weight by some 800 pounds compared to their 1976 counterparts but maintained the same interior roominess and trunk space with much-improved fuel economy - a major selling point in the years following the 1973-74 energy crisis.

With the downsized 1977 models, only a pillared four-door sedan and two-door coupe (with optional opera windows) were offered as the hardtop sedans and coupes offered in previous years were discontinued across the board at all GM divisions. The Bonneville also regained the Safari station wagon as part of its model lineup for the first time since 1970 with woodgrained exterior trim and interior appointments shared with Bonneville coupes and sedans. The Safari was available in both 6- and 9-passenger configurations and featured a dual-action tailgate that could be opened to the side as a door or downward as a tailgate, rather than the disappearing clamshell tailgates found in 1971-76 full-sized Pontiac wagons.

The standard engine for Bonneville was Pontiac's new 301 cubic-inch V8 rated at 135 horsepower and optional engines included a 170-horsepower 350 or 185-horsepower 400 cubic-inch V8. In later years, increasingly stringent fuel-economy standards mandated by the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations would lead to the discontinuation of the larger engines with a 231 cubic-inch Buick V6 becoming the standard engine on Bonneville coupes and sedans for 1980 and 1981 with the only optional V8s offered including 265 and 301 cubic-inch Pontiac-built gasoline engines or an Oldsmobile-built 350 cubic-inch Diesel powerplant.

The Bonneville/Bonneville Brougham models were discontinued after the 1981 model year along with the lower-priced Catalina due to sagging sales resulting from the second energy crisis of 1979-80 which sent many new car buyers to more fuel-efficient four-cylinder of V6-powered compact cars. The discontinuation of the American-built, rear-drive full-sized Pontiac also coincided with the demise of Pontiac-built V8 engines, which were last built in 1981. From 1982 onward, all V8-powered Pontiacs were powered by engines sourced from other GM divisions such as Chevrolet or Oldsmobile.

In 1982, Pontiac abruptly moved the Bonneville nameplate from a full-size car to a mid-size car previously known as the Pontiac LeMans in both four-door sedan and Safari station wagon bodystyles with engine choices including a standard Buick 231 cubic-inch V6 or optional Chevrolet 305 cubic-inch V8 or Oldsmobile 350 cubic-inch Diesel V8. The wagon was dropped after 1983 in favor of the front-drive Pontiac 6000 wagon introduced for 1984. The Bonneville sedan continued in both base and Brougham versions through 1986.

Pontiac customers did not take to the change as the "downsized" Bonneville arrived just as many new-car buyers were switching their preferences from compact economy cars to full-sized, V8-powered cars, as noted by increasing big cars from Pontiac's competitors such as the Chevrolet Caprice, Oldsmobile 88, Buick LeSabre and Mercury Grand Marquis. Late in the 1983 model year, Pontiac reintroduced a full-sized car to the American market by bringing over the Canadian-built Pontiac Parisienne (which was essentially a restyled Chevrolet Caprice and powered by Chevrolet V6 or V8 engines). The Bonneville was then again one notch below the top of the line from late 1983 through 1986.

However, exactly as before, a downsizing proved its salvation. In 1987, the Parisienne was discontinued and the Bonneville was completely redesigned as a front-wheel drive car, rejoining its pre-1982 platform mates the Buick LeSabre and Oldsmobile 88 and regaining its status as the senior Pontiac. The Bonneville SE was on Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list that year.

The Front Wheel Drive Era

1992-1999
1992-1999
	1993 Bonneville SSEi
Body and chassis
Class	Full-size
Body style	4-door sedan
Platform	H-body
Related	Buick LeSabre; Oldsmobile 88
Powertrain
Engine	3.8 L L27 V6; 3.8 L SC L67 V6; 3.8 L SC L67 V6; 3.8 L L36 V6; 3.8 L SC Series II L67 V6
Transmission	4-speed 4T60-E automatic; 4-speed 4T60E-HD automatic; 4-speed 4T65-E automatic; 4-speed 4T65E-HD automatic

1987-1991
1987-1991
Body and chassis
Class	Full-size
Platform	H-body
Powertrain
Engine	3.8 L LG3 V6; 3.8 L LN3 V6
Transmission	4-speed 4T60 automatic

Pontiac Bonneville
Pontiac Bonneville
Overview
Manufacturer	General Motors
Production	1957–2005
Assembly	Hamtramck, Michigan; Lake Orion, Michigan; Pontiac, Michigan; Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec, Canada (1982-1986)
Body and chassis
Class	Full-size
Body style	2-door convertible; 2-door coupe; 4-door sedan
Layout	FR layout (1958-1986); FF layout (1987-2005)
Platform	GM B platform (pre-1981); GM G platform (RWD) (1982-1986); GM H platform (FWD) (1987-1999); GM G platform (FWD) (2000-2005)
Related	Buick LeSabre; Buick Park Avenue; Oldsmobile Aurora
Chronology
Successor	Pontiac Grand Prix GXP

1987-1991

In 1987, Pontiac decided to change the car from rear wheel drive with a V8 to a more economical front wheel drive H-body platform, which was introduced a year earlier with the Buick LeSabre and Oldsmobile 88. Pontiac used the 3.8 L Buick V6 (RPO code LG3). Performance was adequate, with the V6 producing 150 hp, and 210 ft-lbs of torque. The 1987 Bonneville was awarded placement on Car and Driver's Ten Best list.

It is speculated that Pontiac decided the Buick V6 was not peppy enough for a Bonneville because the next model year they used an updated version of the same engine, with an increase of 15 hp and 10 ft-lbs of torque. This engine has the RPO code of LN3. The LN3 was used until 1991 when the Bonneville was once again redesigned.

Engines & transmissions

1987-1987 3.8 L (231 in³) LG3, 150 hp, 210 ft·lbf torque V6
1988-1991 3.8 L (231 in³) LN3 3800 MPFI, 165 hp, 220 ft·lbf torque V6
- THM440T4 (Turbo Hydra-Matic - Model: 440 - Transverse Mounted - 4 Speed Fully Automatic Transmission w/ Overdrive)

1992-1999

File:95SLE.jpg

1995 Bonneville SLE

In 1992 the exterior and interior of the car was redesigned in its entirety, and the LE trim was discontinued. The remaining trims available for 1992 were SE, SSE, and SSEi. The new 3800 Series I engine was installed, producing 170 hp and 220 ft-lb of torque. This was the first year that airbags came standard in Bonnevilles. This was also the first time that the Bonneville was offered with a supercharger. The Series I L67 used an Eaton M62 roots type supercharger, putting out 205 hp and 260 ft-lb of torque.

For 1993 a Sport Luxury Edition was offered. This is basically an SE trim with more standard options such as leather seats, electronic climate control and premium sound. Many more options were available with the SSE. The SSEI Supercharged produced 250-260 hp. With gas mileage only being 17 mpg city, this car would be considered a "Gas Guzzler" by todays standards

In 1994, A new Generation III M62 supercharger came, along with GM's new OBD 1.5, raising the horsepower to 225hp, torque was raised to 275 ft.lbs. Also this year introduced the new 5 spoke "Torque Star" rims. A resonator also became standard on the exhaust to lower the raspy tone that the engine produces.

In 1995 the car stayed the same appearance wise, but for the SE, SLE and SSE trims got a new engine, the Series II, with the RPO code of L36. This engine produced 205 hp and 230 ft-lbs of torque. The SSEi kept the Series I supercharged engine until the 1996 model year, when it too was updated.

Common problems

The exhaust manifolds sometimes crack (usually on the L67, but happens on the L27 less commonly), causing a rise in KR (knock retard), reducing engine performance. This can be fixed by having the cracks properly welded.

Sometimes the voltage, oil (or boost), and battery gauges work erratically. This is fixed by replacing the circuit board on the cluster, or possibly resoldering the connections.

The lower intake manifold gaskets sometimes fail generally around 110-120k.

The naturally aspirated 3800 Series II engine (L36) is known for having problems with the upper composite intake degrading from EGR tube heat and leaking coolant into the engine, along with lower intake manifold gasket problems.

1996-1999

In 1996 the exterior of the vehicle had some minor changes. Some things were reshaped, and the tail lights, headlights, grille, and lower body cladding were drastically changed. Also this year, the supercharged version of the 3800 Series II engine was introduced. The SSEi and optionally the SSE got a new supercharged L67, producing 240 hp and 280 ft-lb of torque. This engine was used from 1996 til it was retired from the Bonneville in 2003.

A new transmission was introduced in 1997 referred to as the 4T65-E, or for the L67 it is a Heavy Duty Version with the name of 4T65E-HD.

File:96SSEi.jpg

1996 Bonneville SSEi

2000-2005

2000-2005
2000 Bonneville SLE
Body and chassis
Platform	G-body
Powertrain
Engine	3.8 L L36 V6 3.8 L SC L67 V6 4.6L LD8 V8
Transmission	4-speed 4T65-E automatic 4-speed 4T65E-HD automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	112.2 in
Length	202.5 in
Width	74.2 in
Height	56.0 in
Curb weight	3596 lbs (SE) 3656 lbs (SLE) 3745 lbs (SSEi)

Completely redesigned from the ground up with significant advancements in design. Moved to the GM G platform (FWD).

2004-2005

Interestingly, the Bonneville regained a V8 option on the GXP trim for 2004, its first since 1986, as a result of the discontinuation of the Oldsmobile Aurora. This opened up a "hole" in the GM lineup between Pontiac and Buick, allowing Pontiac to expand upmarket somewhat. The engine is Cadillac's Northstar, and as Pontiac's website said, "With GXP, V8 power gets reintroduced into the Bonneville line in the form of the world-renowed 4.6 L (279 in³) Northstar V8 engine. 275 hp, 300 ft·lbf torque and 0-60 mph in 6.5 seconds demonstrates better performance than BMW 330i and 530i, and Lexus ES. Its 3.7:1 final drive ratio is the most aggressive found on any car in its class."

The End

GM announced on February 8, 2005 that the Bonneville would be dropped from Pontiac's lineup for 2006. This was considered by many fans to be a black day in automobile history, because few other cars had the reliability and comfort of the Bonneville. Only 40,000 Bonnevilles were sold in 2005, partly due to a lack of advertising over the past years. The Bonneville was replaced by the high-end Pontiac Grand Prix GXP trim, because the Grand Prix grew in size since its 2004 redesign. With more than half of Pontiac dealers also selling Buick models, the new Buick Lucerne will remain as GM's only non-luxury full-size car. The smaller Pontiac G6, intended as a replacement for the Grand Am, will absorb the rest of the Bonneville's customer base. The last Bonneville rolled off the assembly line on May 27, 2005.

Platforms

The Bonneville had used the B-body prior to 1981, then the G-body (RWD) from 1982 to 1986, later the H-body from 1987 to 1999, and finally the G-body (FWD) from 2000 to 2005.

The G-body was created in 1995 for the Buick Riviera and the Oldsmobile Aurora. In 2000, the Bonneville and the Buick LeSabre got a shorter and more rigid version of the G-body, but the vehicle identification numbers retained the "H" designation.

2000 Bonneville SSEi

2000 Bonneville SSEi
2000 Bonneville SE
2005 Bonneville GXP

External links

Bonneville Club - The one and only place for Bonneville help!
Pontiac Bonneville Photo Catalog!
'58 Coupe site, note the extravagant side trim—the simulated rocket exhaust and four starbursts. Most Pontiacs had fewer starbursts, and no others had the rocket.
Official Pontiac website
2004 V8 review