Hello everyone! We want to thank all who have supported our channel. It's because of YOU that we keep growing. If you're not a subscriber, can you PLEASE help us out by clicking the subscribe button? We promise we won't bother you. As always, THANK YOU FOR WATCHING OUR VIDEOS! - Michael J - Boca Brothers
@@danr1920 I'm continually amazed by other car guys who bemoan the loss of Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Plymouth, Mercury etc., and realistically think GM (who's basically on death's door themselves) would re-produce Bonnevilles and other defunct autos from 46 years ago, now, with a straight face! I see it over and over again. Aside from the sheer ridiculousness of the very notion, the market today is strictly for trucks, SUV's, crossovers, electric this and that. GM itself is barely hanging in there in '23 otherwise, and may very well be gone or nearly gone in a later section of this decade. (By the way, have you noticed no one refers to this decade as the '20s? When the '20s are referred to, it's always the 1920's.)
@@67marlins While Dan (above) said 'no one' would buy them, I think 'some' might; but not enough to justify producing them. This is all pointless fantasy anyway with Pontiac officially dead about 13 years, but pretending they were still around as we are here it could have a small 'niche' market.
What a great video guys. I’m. Pontiac guy thru and thru. I have owned 64s and have a 63,65, and 66 as well as 71 Bonneville 71, 74 and 75 Grand Villes. My fav years are probably 64,65,71 76 80/81. Still thinking about a 92 or 2005. 😍😍😍🤔. Thanks again for the good vibes
I owned a '78 Trans Am and my Grandmother owned a '76 BONNIVILLE White in color 2dr with the 455 and after having it serviced every time she would ask me or my Dad to flip the top of aircleaner cover over so there was a gap because she liked the sound of the air rush when she floored it.. It would make a WHOO sound every time the 4barrel would kick in.... Thanks Guys for the posting just love this channel and I wait for Saturdays to see your postings 👍👍😎✌🍻
Great cars!!! I remember as a child my grandfather would get a new Bonneville every two or three years, he really loved his Bonnevilles!!! My favorite was his 62 with the eight lug wheels & the translucent steering wheel!!! 👍👍🙂
Stacked headlights are divisive. I distain stacked headlights, but I respect that you like them. My favourite year of Bonneville is the 1960, although my own Bonneville is a 1970 model.
I love the 1972 and 1979 Bonbevilles. Also the 1981, which was the last year for the 2 door coupe Bonneville. The older Bonneville, I like the double fin of 1959
Without a doubt, my absolute favorite was ‘65, especially the convertible with fender skirts and real wood interior trim. For a short period of time, I was assigned an ‘85 Bonneville with an anemic V-8 as a company car. It was horrible. The Bonneville was redeemed in my eye when I got a ‘95 SSE as another company vehicle.
The 65 and 66 models were incredibly gorgeous. They looked like they were moving when they were parked and they looked like they were going slowly and taking forever to pass by when passing by because they were so long and sleek.
Technically, I have owned two Pontiacs in my lifetime! First was a 1951 Pontiac 4-door with a straight 8, the 2nd was my favorite, a 1967 Pontiac Executive. The Executive in the model lineup was between the Catalina and the Bonneville. In my opinon, it was one of the best Pontiacs designs of all times.
Going to the drive- in movies with my parents as a kid, I can still remember falling asleep in the back of the station wagon with those humongous rear seats folded down. Before mini vans and SUV's it was definitely back in the 60's and 70's the family vehicle to travel in.
That '76 Bonnaville coupe was a tough act to follow, large & luxurious, Sporty & clean for the masses, one ill never forget very unique in its own way,
As a Buick guy, I agree 100%. The Bonneville got its uniqueness from having a "C" body roof on a "B" platform. That is what made the Bonneville and the Grand Ville the most stylish B Body of them all. I could be wrong, but I believe the Grand Ville had a slightly longer wheelbase.
66 was the high point for the US auto industry for design and build quality, witness the Malibu, mustang, pick ups, Camaro etc . These are the most collectible of that era
My father bought a green 1974 Pontiac Bonnie with a light tan interior. It had the Pontiac 400 4-barrel. He had that car for 14 years. My sister and I learned to drive in that car.
I had a 1965 Pontiac GTO with a 4 speed and I loved that car. If I hadn't gotten married I would still have that car. I also really like the 1962 Pontiac Bonneville or the Grand Prix.
Nice work once again, guys. I had no idea the name lasted that long. Anything from the '60s would appeal to me. My uncle had a '65 Tempest, 2 door 326 with a 3 speed in silver w/blk. He bought it new. Great car. In like '81 my Wife, BIL, SIL and I took a drive from Ca to Wa state for a family reunion. It was just a ferry ride from there to Victoria Canada so with days to spare, we did it. After docking, we look for a place to have lunch. During that walk, i saw at least 5 'Parisienne' Pontiacs. All i could think was 'these look just like Catalinas'. I 'd forgotten they offered one state side. Thanx for the memories!
My Favorite Bonneville was the 1965 model year. My parents had one and it was an awesome car. The body lines were so fine and the instrument panel with all the chrome and real walnut accents were a work of art.
My father and I restored a 66 Bonneville 2 door coupe in the mid-90s when I was in high school. That car was huge and beautiful, shame he had to sell it though. She was a gorgeous car!
Grandpa owned a real estate company and this is all that he carted the buyers around in. Favorite was his 76 cream colored one. Also, he had a 72 copper Grandville coupe that would burn rubber. I was the only car I remember that we owned with air shocks you could inflate with the nipple inside the trunk. Luxury.
I'm more of a 80s baby and I rode in my older cousin's 1979 Bonneville coupe sky blue back in the 1988. It was so comfortable and the back seats was on point. It was the downsized version. Till I gotten older in 2003. I had owned a silver 1997 Bonneville SSEi fully loaded with the 3800 Supercharged. That was my baby and my first full-size luxury sports car. My cousin same age as me in 2002 tried to out do me and so he bought a 2000 Bonneville SE burgandy base model while I had a 1998 Grand Am GT V6 sedan in forest green at the time. But I can't forget about my first love, My 1987 Grand Am LE sedan white.
I owned a 77 Bonneville the best car ever owned it road excellent everybody loved it I customize the wheels with cragar SS with the knockoff center hub and it's and a half white walls she was beautiful metallic green with a black vinyl top
My Parents had Pontiacs all their lives, from their 1965 Catalina 2-door, all the way until their 2004 Grand Prix GT, the GP is still on the road today, my son's drives it to college, one of my favorite model years was in 1971, we had a dark blue Bonneville, (455, 4 barrel), and after that car was wrecked, they bought a 71 brown Catalina, (350, 2 barrel), both cars had the same massive front end, vinyl interior and both sedans, no hard tops.
My Favorite year for Bonneville and Catalina was 1973. Style wise those were the best looking! The 1978 Pontiac LeMans was good looking too. Awesome cars of the times.
I really loved my father's 65 convertible and having Pontiacs my entire life. My 98 fwd really rocked with hardened steel front axels and Trans splines. Ported heads and supercharger, leather seats that never made your but sore and 150 shot of nitrous! Snow days, just plow right through.
My family at one point had three Bonnevilles in our driveway, A two tone brown 1984 with all the options, A maroon 1986 with slightly fewer options, bit still lots of goodies (both cars bought to match the birth year of us kids), And a blue 1985 with white pinstripes, bought off my uncle as a backup when the sometimes problematic 86 was down. All three came from Damon Pontiac in southeastern Massachusetts, where the God of cars, Jay Leno himself, once worked. My family had some style back then.
Great video. However you missed my favorite Bonneville -1970. I believe Pontiac made that body style for only one year. It was one of those cars you either liked or didn't. I liked the car. Unfortunately, In 1970 I was only 15, couldn't drive. But that didn't stop me from liking cars, and wishing that I owned certain cars. Again, really like your work.
I really loved that '70 a lot too, Kevin. The body (like the Impala) actually was a face-lifted '69, but 'seemed' all-new. I particularly loved the beautiful front end. I was too young (turned 13 in May '70) to drive also. The 1971-'76 full-size Pontiac's were a little over-sized for my taste, BUT they were the last generation to have all of the wonderful body styles: 2 and 4 door open coupes and the convertible. 1977 and after, not interested, but they have their following.
My Mom bought a blue 66 Pontiac Bonneville coupe. It was definitely one of the coolest cars our family owned. She replaced it with a 76 LeMans Sports Coupe.
That '84 Parisienne @ 6:30 looks JUST like my Aunt's one! Too bad she had a stroke and can't comment on it anymore. Thanks for all the memories, though! She always loved her Pontiacs!
My family had a Canadian built Pontiac Laurentian in NZ - very basic with a 6 cylinder engine and three speed manual on the column. I learnt how to double declutch in that car. Many fond memories.
I had a 76 Bonneville Brougham 2 door coupe, black with white vinyl top and black velour interior, it had the 455 which was really fast, I used to flip the breather top and listen to that 4 bbl moan, it was probably the nicest car I have ever owned. I bought it in 82 with 70k miles on it, it still had the new car smell. It had icy cold a/c!
1950s through to 1968 - Pontiac could not miss ! These cars stood out … class style power. 1971 … I don’t know what these people were thinking. Ugly, sad and really looked lost. A poor clueless absolute lost automobile. Take 1971 forward, put all the Pontiac cars on skis - we watched pontiac fall off a cliff a 1000 feet a generation - to it unfortunate death. Pontiac should by all means be alive today - a youth brand would have thrived with the right people in-charge.
My first ever car was a 1975 Pontiac Grand Prix in 1991 that I had got from relatives on the cheap. The engine was in dire need of repair but it was a V8 big block car-berated engine and once it got going it could fly and float.
I love the style of the 1974-'76 Grand Prix's a lot also, Rodney. It's sad I never (and I mean NEVER) see these cars at classic car shows; even one's that are all GM! I actually have come to hate (resent anyway) muscle cars for their overkill domination of such events. I went to an all 'Mopar' event this past weekend, and it was overrun with late model Challengers. Enough!
Excellent! Excellent! You covered everything and you did it a good job. I liked how you mentioned Grand Ville and Parisienne. You also covered a lot of information. The Grand Prix connection and talking point was well placed too. You covered the engines, the trims and more. I liked the video footage included as well. It is appreciated and thank you. I have several generations of the Bonneville I liked. The 1975-1976,1980-1981,1984-1986,1992-1999,2000-2005. Thank you for reading my comments from last week as well. I hope to see more of what I stated in the future. Thank you for doing a great job as I know it took a lot of work. Two corrections: You misspelled 'Bonneville' in your You tube video title. The 1985-1986 Pontiac Parisienne had the 1980-1981 Pontiac Bonneville sheet metal/styling and seats among other things. Again... thank you and thank you!
My favorite car of the 70's, well I have 2, my 1975 Ford Maverick 4 door & my 1976 Datsun 280Z. My favorite car of the 80's was my 1985 Ford Mustang GT convertible. I've owned so many cars & driven so many, after spending 32 years in the car business.
I remember my neighbor pulling up into his driveway he had a 1982 or 3 Bonneville two-door black tan buckets with automatic on the floor had the diamond patterned cast wheels with the wide white walls The car was gorgeous a real eyecatcher it's still my favorite model today
65 Bonneville (especially convert) was to me the most beautiful Pontiac of all. Had 74 GRAND VILLE and 80 Bonneville Brougham. Both beautiful automobiles looking like more expensive OTT luxury vehicles. Moving Bonneville name to downsized cars was a HUGE mistake! From there it was completely down a slippery slope 😮. Remember when Parisienne was introduced in US, a columnist called it a Caprice in DRAG! 💋. GM really screwed up dropping full size cars. Olds and Pontiac made some great vehicles. Now it's hard to find a vehicle that is not a crossover or SUV! 🤮
The 70's were great because there was a car for every personality. You could tell a lot about a person by the car they drove. Single people drove 2 door cars, no matter how big. Cadillacs were for people who want to impress other people. Bankers & finance people drove Buicks, because they had money, but didn't want everyone to know. Salesmen drove Chrysler New Yorkers & Mercury Broughams. My elderly great aunt never married drove a hot Plymouth Roadrunner. 4 door cars were for families, but if you had the money, you drove your family in a station wagon. True muscle cars were everywhere & cheap, mostly in the hands of Single or divorced men. Today, show me a man's car & I know almost nothing about him.
AWESOME MEMORIES ❤ YOU LEFT OUT THE LARGEST OF THE LINCOLN'S . A1979 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL TOWN CAR , 4 DOOR SEDAN BROUGHAM. 233 INCHES IN LENGTH.❤ I'M SITTING IN MY MINT CONDITION OF THE ABOVE NOW . I'LL KEEP IT ANYTIME OVER TODAY'S PLASTIC GARBAGE CANS , COMPUTERIZED MISFITS , THROW AWAY SCRAP CRAP . 8MPG. AND OH WHAT A CLASSIC HEAD TURNER. ❤
I use to own a 1963 Bonneville Convertible that I bought used for $90.00 in 1979; The car was huge, But that 389 left allot of mid 70's muscle cars in the dust!!!!!!! It had every option you could imagine on it. I wish I knew then what I had; I ended up selling it for what I paid for it after wrecking it 4 months latter.
Like @Primus54 I also somehow pulled off a Bonneville SSE as a company car. Mine was a '94. Black with red trim. Back then I was averaging around 60K miles per year as a retail district manager. I once drove it coast-to-coast with my two young sons on a vcation trip and never told the company I took the car. We were racking up so many miles back then they didn't notice or even care. It was a great trouble free and good looking car.
Would love to see a feature on 83 through 88 🤔 Chrysler Fifth Avenues. One of the best upgrades of existing platform. Had 83 and 85 Fifths. Total traditional OTT American luxury. 🏆
Wide Track. My dad had a 64 Bonneville when I was a boy. They made a mistake putting the Bonnieville on the G Platform with the Grand Prix. That car should have been named the Lemans
The 65 and 66 Bonnevilles were the most beautiful and solidly built. Styling was long and massive but elegant with sleek, fast back, coke bottle design. Mid to late 60s was GM's peak period for all their cars.
I finally bought MY Bonneville in 2000. It was a love hate relationship. It had so many repairs in the 3 year warranty period that I bought a no deductible extended warranty. I paid about $1,000 for that warranty and I received about $2,000 in repairs. Even so it could have been better as some of the repairs were disallowed for payment due to the way the dealer wrote them up. I traded it in when out of warranty in the 8th year I paid over $1,000 to replace the solenoid on the lock up torque converter. The transmission repair shop also noticed the knock sensor was bad. The same knock sensor that the dealer (and another dealer for another 3.8 I had) refused to fix. Seems the mechanics didn't want to drop the tranny to fix an inexpensive part. I loved it when it was running, but..... it seemed like it needed repairs much too often.
I bought a US registered 1973 (built 1972) Ponty Bonneville Grand Prix Convertible from a dealer just outside Las Vegas for USD6500 and it shipped to New Zealand 4 years ago. I drove it locally a little while, love the car, and then set about having it certified for New Zealand use. 4 Years later and a spend of NZD45,000 I still haven't got my car back from the auto repair shop doing the certification!! Boy oh Boy............ to be continued
My second new Car at age 19 was the 1981 Bonneville Brougham Coupe in Deep Burgundy red with matching Thick Padded Landau top.Honey comb Wheels and an interior to Rival any luxury car deep maroon crushed velour tilt wheel every option except the power roof. I was a fool at age 19 and insisted on the diesel Engine for the added costs and added headaches and killed the resale value. Lucky for me I found a dealer who thought it was a gas V8 when I traded it in 2 years later as the salesman didn’t want to go check the car in the sub zero weather. They just asked me if it was a V8. I said YES. That was a beautiful car and turned heads.
My favorite is the 65 Bonneville, then 66. Had five 65 Bonneville’s, two being 100 point show wagons. Then my favorite of the 70’s was the 75 Bonneville Convertible. The 1980-81 Coupe, (like you) is by far my most favorite of all the down sized. I also like the 78 Coupe with buckets and no vinyl top. After the 80-81, they were ugly junk!!!
My Baptist minister once owned a 1978 or '79 Bonneville 4dr. sedan back in September '81 when I was baptized: I used to imagine myself driving it around town, but he bought it "used" w/the 231-CID (3.8-litre) 2bbl. V6 engine!!
In 1979 my dad traded our Maverick in for a brand-new maroon Bonneville. My gosh, you would have thought it was a Cadillac Fleetwood. We as a family were so proud of that car. It purred like a kitten. Remember we were being carted around in a Maverick. Does anyone from Houston remember Frizzel Pontiac. Their badging was everywhere. The only thing I did not really care about was the color of the seats. They were multicolor stripes, but plush velour. Dad sold that car about 12 years later and the man who bought it was just as proud of it as we were. After that car, Dad finally got his Buick something he could never afford with 5 kids at home.
Back in the late 2000s, I always wondered why they didn't just name the G8 the Bonneville and keep the W body Grand Prix going. This way they would have a name that actually made sense and had some legacy to it and it would signify it was intended to be a higher priced vehicle and intended for a different market than the Grand Prix.
My favorite car was a loaded gold colored 2000 Bonneville SSEI that I bought new in April 2000. Then a 1967 Firebird I owned in High School and for many years after. Thirdly was a 1978 Trans am. I loved all 3 of those and was saddened to see the Pontiac brand go. My friends also had GTO's, Ram Air IV Judge, 1969 Trans Am Ram Air IV (very rare) and other Trans Am's and a 1964 Tri Power GTO. My friends and I liked Pontiac's I guess.
I had a 1992 Bonneville that was a "program car" I bought in Dec 1992. It was in the shop more than I was able to drive it. The powertrain was great but damn did it have ALOT of electrical issues and issues with the windshield seal and back window defrost. It was super comfortable, had great gas mileage and power though! We were having our first child so traded it for a brand new Plymouth Grand Voyager............wasn't a great choice but that's what happened.........lol
I had a 1978 Bonneville Brougham and it was a nice enough car, but I wish that I would have been a couple of years older and had a 1976. I ordered my 1978 on my 21st birthday. The 1978 was not of the best quality. It had a Buick 350 engine which was not very quick and only got 13-14 miles per gallon.
In Canada we never had a Bonneville. It was always the Parisienne from inception to finish. The base Pontiac in Canada was called the Strato Chief (not unlike the US Star Chief). One notch above that was the Laurentian but they were hard to tell apart. I think the Strato came standard with a six cyl engine with an 8 cyl as optional. The Catalina was the next model up and Parisienne was the fully optioned top model comparable to the Bonneville except that it was powered by a Chevy engine.
Back in 1977 my parents and I went to the Pontiac dealer. My dad wanted the bonneville. I was 6 and smoky and the bandit came out. I wanted the trans am. We ended up with a grand prix lj completely loaded. My momma said she was too young for a grandma car. Lmao
Hello everyone! We want to thank all who have supported our channel. It's because of YOU that we keep growing. If you're not a subscriber, can you PLEASE help us out by clicking the subscribe button? We promise we won't bother you. As always, THANK YOU FOR WATCHING OUR VIDEOS! - Michael J - Boca Brothers
1977-1979 Bonneville was my favorite. Wish we could have such nice cars again!
No one would buy them.
I wish people still wanted them.
@@danr1920 wrong
@@danr1920 I'm continually amazed by other car guys who bemoan the loss of Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Plymouth, Mercury etc., and realistically think GM (who's basically on death's door themselves) would re-produce Bonnevilles and other defunct autos from 46 years ago, now, with a straight face! I see it over and over again. Aside from the sheer ridiculousness of the very notion, the market today is strictly for trucks, SUV's, crossovers, electric this and that. GM itself is barely hanging in there in '23 otherwise, and may very well be gone or nearly gone in a later section of this decade. (By the way, have you noticed no one refers to this decade as the '20s? When the '20s are referred to, it's always the 1920's.)
@@67marlins While Dan (above) said 'no one' would buy them, I think 'some' might; but not enough to justify producing them. This is all pointless fantasy anyway with Pontiac officially dead about 13 years, but pretending they were still around as we are here it could have a small 'niche' market.
The Bonnevilles of the Sixties were the love of my life!
Agreed 100% brother
Any ponitac before the 1977 down size is my favorite
What a great video guys. I’m. Pontiac guy thru and thru. I have owned 64s and have a 63,65, and 66 as well as 71 Bonneville 71, 74 and 75 Grand Villes. My fav years are probably 64,65,71 76 80/81. Still thinking about a 92 or 2005. 😍😍😍🤔. Thanks again for the good vibes
I owned a '78 Trans Am and my Grandmother owned a '76 BONNIVILLE White in color 2dr with the 455 and after having it serviced every time she would ask me or my Dad to flip the top of aircleaner cover over so there was a gap because she liked the sound of the air rush when she floored it.. It would make a WHOO sound every time the 4barrel would kick in.... Thanks Guys for the posting just love this channel and I wait for Saturdays to see your postings 👍👍😎✌🍻
Great cars!!! I remember as a child my grandfather would get a new Bonneville every two or three years, he really loved his Bonnevilles!!! My favorite was his 62 with the eight lug wheels & the translucent steering wheel!!! 👍👍🙂
I've always thought that the '65, and '66 were the most beautiful!
The high point of American automotive design and quality
Stacked headlights are divisive. I distain stacked headlights, but I respect that you like them. My favourite year of Bonneville is the 1960, although my own Bonneville is a 1970 model.
My favorite was my 1968 Bonneville convertible. Full power, with AC. Loved that car!
Pontiac had some of the beautiful cars on the road from the late 50s to 60s and 70s Bonnevilles /Grand Prix GTOs Firebird
The 1959 was the most beautiful ! New all around. Loved the twin fins on the rear ! Long, wide and CAR OF THE YEAR !
My favorite Bonneville is definitely the 65-69 for sure.
Just GORGEOUS up until 1976.
UNAVAILABLE ,. ABSOLUTELY TRUE . 1971 THRU 1978 WERE BEAUTIES ❤
I love the 1972 and 1979 Bonbevilles. Also the 1981, which was the last year for the 2 door coupe Bonneville. The older Bonneville, I like the double fin of 1959
I built the 1/25 AMT 65 Bonneville Model Kit about a year ago... If I remember correctly it was a lot of fun to build!!
Without a doubt, my absolute favorite was ‘65, especially the convertible with fender skirts and real wood interior trim. For a short period of time, I was assigned an ‘85 Bonneville with an anemic V-8 as a company car. It was horrible. The Bonneville was redeemed in my eye when I got a ‘95 SSE as another company vehicle.
The 65 and 66 models were incredibly gorgeous. They looked like they were moving when they were parked and they looked like they were going slowly and taking forever to pass by when passing by because they were so long and sleek.
Technically, I have owned two Pontiacs in my lifetime! First was a 1951 Pontiac 4-door with a straight 8, the 2nd was my favorite, a 1967 Pontiac Executive. The Executive in the model lineup was between the Catalina and the Bonneville. In my opinon, it was one of the best Pontiacs designs of all times.
The 76 bonnieville Through 80 was my favorite and the olds 98 from 78-84
GREAT CHOICES ❤
My favorite is the old station wagon!
Going to the drive- in movies with my parents as a kid, I can still remember falling asleep in the back of the station wagon with those humongous rear seats folded down. Before mini vans and SUV's it was definitely back in the 60's and 70's the family vehicle to travel in.
That '76 Bonnaville coupe was a tough act to follow, large & luxurious, Sporty & clean for the masses, one ill never forget very unique in its own way,
As a Buick guy, I agree 100%. The Bonneville got its uniqueness from having a "C" body roof on a "B" platform. That is what made the Bonneville and the Grand Ville the most stylish B Body of them all. I could be wrong, but I believe the Grand Ville had a slightly longer wheelbase.
66 was the high point for the US auto industry for design and build quality, witness the Malibu, mustang, pick ups, Camaro etc . These are the most collectible of that era
65-66 could not agree more!
My father bought a green 1974 Pontiac Bonnie with a light tan interior. It had the Pontiac 400 4-barrel. He had that car for 14 years. My sister and I learned to drive in that car.
My grandmother drove a 1978 Bonneville! She brought me home from the hospital after I was born in it! Great car!
My buddy Rick in the 80's had a brown 1969 Bonneville and that thing was a cruiser.... RIP Rick !
I had a 1965 Pontiac GTO with a 4 speed and I loved that car. If I hadn't gotten married I would still have that car. I also really like the 1962 Pontiac Bonneville or the Grand Prix.
My Favorite Pontiac Bonneville was the 1988 SSE model and the 05 Bonneville GXP model
WE ENJOYED THE LARGER 1971--1978 PONTIACS . VS. TODAY'S GROSSLY OVERPRICED GROSS PLADTIC PLASTIC GARBAGE CANS ❤
Nice work once again, guys. I had no idea the name lasted that long.
Anything from the '60s would appeal to me.
My uncle had a '65 Tempest, 2 door 326 with a 3 speed in silver w/blk. He bought it new. Great car.
In like '81 my Wife, BIL, SIL and I took a drive from Ca to Wa state for a family reunion.
It was just a ferry ride from there to Victoria Canada so with days to spare, we did it.
After docking, we look for a place to have lunch.
During that walk, i saw at least 5 'Parisienne' Pontiacs. All i could think was 'these look just like Catalinas'.
I 'd forgotten they offered one state side.
Thanx for the memories!
My Favorite Bonneville was the 1965 model year. My parents had one and it was an awesome car. The body lines were so fine and the instrument panel with all the chrome and real walnut accents were a work of art.
Thanks for sharing!
Great 👍 review down memory lane 👏 ! My parents owned a full-sized Pontiac Parisienne wagon back in the mid 80s.
My father and I restored a 66 Bonneville 2 door coupe in the mid-90s when I was in high school. That car was huge and beautiful, shame he had to sell it though. She was a gorgeous car!
Grandpa owned a real estate company and this is all that he carted the buyers around in. Favorite was his 76 cream colored one. Also, he had a 72 copper Grandville coupe that would burn rubber. I was the only car I remember that we owned with air shocks you could inflate with the nipple inside the trunk. Luxury.
The 1965-66 Pontiac Bonneville's as well as the Star Chief/Executive's and the Catalina's are one of my all time favorite vehicles ever built.
65-66
I'm more of a 80s baby and I rode in my older cousin's 1979 Bonneville coupe sky blue back in the 1988. It was so comfortable and the back seats was on point. It was the downsized version. Till I gotten older in 2003. I had owned a silver 1997 Bonneville SSEi fully loaded with the 3800 Supercharged. That was my baby and my first full-size luxury sports car. My cousin same age as me in 2002 tried to out do me and so he bought a 2000 Bonneville SE burgandy base model while I had a 1998 Grand Am GT V6 sedan in forest green at the time. But I can't forget about my first love, My 1987 Grand Am LE sedan white.
For me its the 73, i remember it well from my childhood
I have a 1980 Pontiac Bonneville low rider fully custom Paint and interior. One of the best Pontiac of all time.
Mom had a ‘77 and a ‘79; I think those were the prettiest years ❤
Dad was one of the first ones to buy the SSEI back in 1992. Plastic Fantastic!
Great video. My favorite Bonneville is the 65 Safari Wagon.
1976 Bonneville was silver with Black velour interior just like the one at end of video....ours had cornering lights.Loved that Bonneville Brougham!
I owned a 77 Bonneville the best car ever owned it road excellent everybody loved it I customize the wheels with cragar SS with the knockoff center hub and it's and a half white walls she was beautiful metallic green with a black vinyl top
Favorite 1975 Grandville Convertible, 1970 Bonneville. What I want to see, the Chrysler Imperial.
My Parents had Pontiacs all their lives, from their 1965 Catalina 2-door, all the way until their 2004 Grand Prix GT, the GP is still on the road today, my son's drives it to college, one of my favorite model years was in 1971, we had a dark blue Bonneville, (455, 4 barrel), and after that car was wrecked, they bought a 71 brown Catalina, (350, 2 barrel), both cars had the same massive front end, vinyl interior and both sedans, no hard tops.
My Favorite year for Bonneville and Catalina was 1973. Style wise those were the best looking! The 1978 Pontiac LeMans was good looking too. Awesome cars of the times.
Beautiful cars. Until the front wheel drive era came along and ruined everything 😢
Oh you are so right that's when the car industry fell apart what's a crappy front-wheel drive
I really loved my father's 65 convertible and having Pontiacs my entire life. My 98 fwd really rocked with hardened steel front axels and Trans splines. Ported heads and supercharger, leather seats that never made your but sore and 150 shot of nitrous! Snow days, just plow right through.
Maybe so, but the '87-'91 fwd's were great cars. My dad had many Bonnevilles over the years including an '87 SE.
AND BIDENS ATTEMPTS TO DESTROY EVERYTHING ELSE TODAY 😢
Those original Bonnevilles were massive. You could have a picnic in the trunk.
8 body trunks
:)
My family at one point had three Bonnevilles in our driveway,
A two tone brown 1984 with all the options,
A maroon 1986 with slightly fewer options, bit still lots of goodies (both cars bought to match the birth year of us kids),
And a blue 1985 with white pinstripes, bought off my uncle as a backup when the sometimes problematic 86 was down.
All three came from Damon Pontiac in southeastern Massachusetts, where the God of cars, Jay Leno himself, once worked.
My family had some style back then.
I miss all of the big rear drive GM B bodies and C bodies.
Great video. However you missed my favorite Bonneville -1970. I believe Pontiac made that body style for only one year. It was one of those cars you either liked or didn't. I liked the car. Unfortunately, In 1970 I was only 15, couldn't drive. But that didn't stop me from liking cars, and wishing that I owned certain cars. Again, really like your work.
I really loved that '70 a lot too, Kevin. The body (like the Impala) actually was a face-lifted '69, but 'seemed' all-new. I particularly loved the beautiful front end. I was too young (turned 13 in May '70) to drive also. The 1971-'76 full-size Pontiac's were a little over-sized for my taste, BUT they were the last generation to have all of the wonderful body styles: 2 and 4 door open coupes and the convertible. 1977 and after, not interested, but they have their following.
My Mom bought a blue 66 Pontiac Bonneville coupe. It was definitely one of the coolest cars our family owned. She replaced it with a 76 LeMans Sports Coupe.
My favorite Pontiac is the 1974 Grand Ville 2 door hard top, 455 quadrejet V8
Ford and Mopar guy here......who really always liked Pontiacs since I was a kid.
That '84 Parisienne @ 6:30 looks JUST like my Aunt's one! Too bad she had a stroke and can't comment on it anymore. Thanks for all the memories, though! She always loved her Pontiacs!
My family had a Canadian built Pontiac Laurentian in NZ - very basic with a 6 cylinder engine and three speed manual on the column. I learnt how to double declutch in that car. Many fond memories.
I had a 76 Bonneville Brougham 2 door coupe, black with white vinyl top and black velour interior, it had the 455 which was really fast, I used to flip the breather top and listen to that 4 bbl moan, it was probably the nicest car I have ever owned. I bought it in 82 with 70k miles on it, it still had the new car smell. It had icy cold a/c!
The 1959 bonneville is one of the most beautiful cars ever designed
1950s through to 1968 - Pontiac could not miss ! These cars stood out … class style power. 1971 … I don’t know what these people were thinking. Ugly, sad and really looked lost. A poor clueless absolute lost automobile. Take 1971 forward, put all the Pontiac cars on skis - we watched pontiac fall off a cliff a 1000 feet a generation - to it unfortunate death. Pontiac should by all means be alive today - a youth brand would have thrived with the right people in-charge.
It’s not too late. GM should bring it back and make it a EV performance brand.
My first ever car was a 1975 Pontiac Grand Prix in 1991 that I had got from relatives on the cheap. The engine was in dire need of repair but it was a V8 big block car-berated engine and once it got going it could fly and float.
I love the style of the 1974-'76 Grand Prix's a lot also, Rodney. It's sad I never (and I mean NEVER) see these cars at classic car shows; even one's that are all GM! I actually have come to hate (resent anyway) muscle cars for their overkill domination of such events. I went to an all 'Mopar' event this past weekend, and it was overrun with late model Challengers. Enough!
@@bobpierce115 man when I think back I wish I could have kept that car.
My favorite GM Potiac was the 77 Grand Prix.
Excellent! Excellent! You covered everything and you did it a good job. I liked how you mentioned Grand Ville and Parisienne. You also covered a lot of information. The Grand Prix connection and talking point was well placed too. You covered the engines, the trims and more. I liked the video footage included as well. It is appreciated and thank you. I have several generations of the Bonneville I liked. The 1975-1976,1980-1981,1984-1986,1992-1999,2000-2005. Thank you for reading my comments from last week as well. I hope to see more of what I stated in the future. Thank you for doing a great job as I know it took a lot of work. Two corrections: You misspelled 'Bonneville' in your You tube video title. The 1985-1986 Pontiac Parisienne had the 1980-1981 Pontiac Bonneville sheet metal/styling and seats among other things. Again... thank you and thank you!
My mom and I got a ride in a maroon 1974 bonneville when I was 15 years old. It had AC and it was 90 degrees outside. A luxurious 20 minute ride.
My favorite car of the 70's, well I have 2, my 1975 Ford Maverick 4 door & my 1976 Datsun 280Z.
My favorite car of the 80's was my 1985 Ford Mustang GT convertible.
I've owned so many cars & driven so many, after spending 32 years in the car business.
I remember my neighbor pulling up into his driveway he had a 1982 or 3 Bonneville two-door black tan buckets with automatic on the floor had the diamond patterned cast wheels with the wide white walls The car was gorgeous a real eyecatcher it's still my favorite model today
I had a 60 Bonneville convertible with A super duty motor. The American people that I bought it off said it was a $1200.00 dollar option.
une grande marque disparue... Magnifique reportage :
65 Bonneville (especially convert) was to me the most beautiful Pontiac of all. Had 74 GRAND VILLE and 80 Bonneville Brougham. Both beautiful automobiles looking like more expensive OTT luxury vehicles. Moving Bonneville name to downsized cars was a HUGE mistake! From there it was completely down a slippery slope 😮. Remember when Parisienne was introduced in US, a columnist called it a Caprice in DRAG! 💋. GM really screwed up dropping full size cars. Olds and Pontiac made some great vehicles. Now it's hard to find a vehicle that is not a crossover or SUV! 🤮
65-66
The 70's were great because there was a car for every personality. You could tell a lot about a person by the car they drove. Single people drove 2 door cars, no matter how big. Cadillacs were for people who want to impress other people. Bankers & finance people drove Buicks, because they had money, but didn't want everyone to know. Salesmen drove Chrysler New Yorkers & Mercury Broughams. My elderly great aunt never married drove a hot Plymouth Roadrunner. 4 door cars were for families, but if you had the money, you drove your family in a station wagon. True muscle cars were everywhere & cheap, mostly in the hands of Single or divorced men. Today, show me a man's car & I know almost nothing about him.
AWESOME MEMORIES ❤ YOU LEFT OUT THE LARGEST OF THE LINCOLN'S . A1979 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL TOWN CAR , 4 DOOR SEDAN BROUGHAM. 233 INCHES IN LENGTH.❤ I'M SITTING IN MY MINT CONDITION OF THE ABOVE NOW . I'LL KEEP IT ANYTIME OVER TODAY'S PLASTIC GARBAGE CANS , COMPUTERIZED MISFITS , THROW AWAY SCRAP CRAP . 8MPG. AND OH WHAT A CLASSIC HEAD TURNER. ❤
I use to own a 1963 Bonneville Convertible that I bought used for $90.00 in 1979; The car was huge, But that 389 left allot of mid 70's muscle cars in the dust!!!!!!! It had every option you could imagine on it. I wish I knew then what I had; I ended up selling it for what I paid for it after wrecking it 4 months latter.
Like @Primus54 I also somehow pulled off a Bonneville SSE as a company car. Mine was a '94. Black with red trim. Back then I was averaging around 60K miles per year as a retail district manager. I once drove it coast-to-coast with my two young sons on a vcation trip and never told the company I took the car. We were racking up so many miles back then they didn't notice or even care. It was a great trouble free and good looking car.
I'm glad I bought my 75' Bonneville when I did, I'm gonna feel a little cooler driving around this summer after I watched this. Lol
Would love to see a feature on 83 through 88 🤔 Chrysler Fifth Avenues. One of the best upgrades of existing platform. Had 83 and 85 Fifths. Total traditional OTT American luxury. 🏆
Wide Track. My dad had a 64 Bonneville when I was a boy. They made a mistake putting the Bonnieville on the G Platform with the Grand Prix. That car should have been named the Lemans
The 65 and 66 Bonnevilles were the most beautiful and solidly built. Styling was long and massive but elegant with sleek, fast back, coke bottle design. Mid to late 60s was GM's peak period for all their cars.
1,000 % exactly correct
My 1985 not a full Pontiac Parisienne but 1 of the last best big rear wheel well built cars..
I finally bought MY Bonneville in 2000. It was a love hate relationship. It had so many repairs in the 3 year warranty period that I bought a no deductible extended warranty. I paid about $1,000 for that warranty and I received about $2,000 in repairs. Even so it could have been better as some of the repairs were disallowed for payment due to the way the dealer wrote them up.
I traded it in when out of warranty in the 8th year I paid over $1,000 to replace the solenoid on the lock up torque converter. The transmission repair shop also noticed the knock sensor was bad. The same knock sensor that the dealer (and another dealer for another 3.8 I had) refused to fix. Seems the mechanics didn't want to drop the tranny to fix an inexpensive part.
I loved it when it was running, but..... it seemed like it needed repairs much too often.
Downsizing came with the '77 model year, not 1975.
I bought a US registered 1973 (built 1972) Ponty Bonneville Grand Prix Convertible from a dealer just outside Las Vegas for USD6500 and it shipped to New Zealand 4 years ago. I drove it locally a little while, love the car, and then set about having it certified for New Zealand use. 4 Years later and a spend of NZD45,000 I still haven't got my car back from the auto repair shop doing the certification!! Boy oh Boy............ to be continued
Love this!
My second new Car at age 19 was the 1981 Bonneville Brougham Coupe in Deep Burgundy red with matching Thick Padded Landau top.Honey comb Wheels and an interior to Rival any luxury car deep maroon crushed velour tilt wheel every option except the power roof. I was a fool at age 19 and insisted on the diesel Engine for the added costs and added headaches and killed the resale value. Lucky for me I found a dealer who thought it was a gas V8 when I traded it in 2 years later as the salesman didn’t want to go check the car in the sub zero weather. They just asked me if it was a V8. I said YES. That was a beautiful car and turned heads.
I only liked the Bonnevilles until 1981 because they were Pontiac V8's under the hood.
Favorite car is the Cadillac Eldorado
My favorite is the 65 Bonneville, then 66. Had five 65 Bonneville’s, two being 100 point show wagons. Then my favorite of the 70’s was the 75 Bonneville Convertible. The 1980-81 Coupe, (like you) is by far my most favorite of all the down sized. I also like the 78 Coupe with buckets and no vinyl top. After the 80-81, they were ugly junk!!!
65-66
My Baptist minister once owned a 1978 or '79 Bonneville 4dr. sedan back in September '81 when I was baptized: I used to imagine myself driving it around town, but he bought it "used" w/the 231-CID (3.8-litre) 2bbl. V6 engine!!
In 1979 my dad traded our Maverick in for a brand-new maroon Bonneville. My gosh, you would have thought it was a Cadillac Fleetwood. We as a family were so proud of that car. It purred like a kitten. Remember we were being carted around in a Maverick. Does anyone from Houston remember Frizzel Pontiac. Their badging was everywhere. The only thing I did not really care about was the color of the seats. They were multicolor stripes, but plush velour. Dad sold that car about 12 years later and the man who bought it was just as proud of it as we were. After that car, Dad finally got his Buick something he could never afford with 5 kids at home.
Back in the late 2000s, I always wondered why they didn't just name the G8 the Bonneville and keep the W body Grand Prix going. This way they would have a name that actually made sense and had some legacy to it and it would signify it was intended to be a higher priced vehicle and intended for a different market than the Grand Prix.
Agreed
That's why they're out of business.
We once had a 1968!
Hey, could you do one of these about the Plymouth Fury? My folks had several, and they’ve always been favorites of mine!
My favorite car was a loaded gold colored 2000 Bonneville SSEI that I bought new in April 2000. Then a 1967 Firebird I owned in High School and for many years after. Thirdly was a 1978 Trans am. I loved all 3 of those and was saddened to see the Pontiac brand go. My friends also had GTO's, Ram Air IV Judge, 1969 Trans Am Ram Air IV (very rare) and other Trans Am's and a 1964 Tri Power GTO. My friends and I liked Pontiac's I guess.
Captain Nelson’s Pontiac was a nice car, but my fav is the 1978 / 1979 Grand Prix 🏁
I had a 1992 Bonneville that was a "program car" I bought in Dec 1992. It was in the shop more than I was able to drive it. The powertrain was great but damn did it have ALOT of electrical issues and issues with the windshield seal and back window defrost. It was super comfortable, had great gas mileage and power though! We were having our first child so traded it for a brand new Plymouth Grand Voyager............wasn't a great choice but that's what happened.........lol
I had a 1978 Bonneville Brougham and it was a nice enough car, but I wish that I would have been a couple of years older and had a 1976. I ordered my 1978 on my 21st birthday. The 1978 was not of the best quality. It had a Buick 350 engine which was not very quick and only got 13-14 miles per gallon.
My absolute favorite were the 63 and 65 Grand Prix
In Canada we never had a Bonneville. It was always the Parisienne from inception to finish. The base Pontiac in Canada was called the Strato Chief (not unlike the US Star Chief). One notch above that was the Laurentian but they were hard to tell apart. I think the Strato came standard with a six cyl engine with an 8 cyl as optional. The Catalina was the next model up and Parisienne was the fully optioned top model comparable to the Bonneville except that it was powered by a Chevy engine.
1981bonnevillewas my favorite.
For me my favorite car of the 1970’s is the 1970 Chevelle LS6.
All Bonnevilles and Grand Villes and Parissienne any year.... but the '65 Pontiac Coke Bottle Look... Full Size cars make me emotional
Must have been the nicest cars at the time
Back in 1977 my parents and I went to the Pontiac dealer. My dad wanted the bonneville. I was 6 and smoky and the bandit came out. I wanted the trans am. We ended up with a grand prix lj completely loaded. My momma said she was too young for a grandma car. Lmao
I had a 1987 Pontiac Bonneville. My late Uncle was taken it and sold parts off it.
My favorite car ,and I had one was a 83 Ford Ltd
Cool cars.
1973 Pontiac grand ville brougham 4 door.
Awesome