While many people believe that the Parisienne is the Canadian version of the Bonneville, this Pontiac model is actually more related to the American Impala.
The two cars are virtually identical from a mechanical perspective, with even the marketing strategy embraced by Chevrolet replicating the one it used in the United States for the Impala.
Launched in 1958, the Parisienne was originally offered as the top version of the Laurentian – in the American market, the Impala debuted the same year as a high-end configuration in the Bel Air family.
At the same time, the GM brand used pretty much the same engines that were available on Impala in its home market. As a result, the Parisienne could be ordered with the same mix of six-cylinder units and V8 powerplants, as the engine lineups offered to Canadian and American customers were always in sync.
The 1958 Parisienne that you see in these pics is here to remind us of those great times, though it goes without saying its current condition isn’t that great. Last on the road back in the ‘90s, this Parisienne is now nothing more than a restoration candidate, and a closer inspection should be enough to understand the project isn’t aimed at the faint of heart.
Not only that the metal comes in a rough shape, but many parts are also missing, beginning with the engine and the transmission. This Parisienne was born with a six-cylinder under the hood, but that unit is long gone, so if anything, the car is now ready for a restomod as well.
But at the end of the day, this is one of the most solid Parisienne examples still known to be in existence, so fingers crossed for someone to give it a second chance.