In its initial year of sales, the 1958 Chevrolet Impala sold close to 200,000 units. The Impala, which made up 15% of Chevrolet’s output in that year, assisted the business in taking back the top production slot in the United States.
Sales of the Impala surged significantly in the 1960s, reaching over 900,000 vehicles in 1964. By 2022, second- and third-generation Impalas will be anything from uncommon, but the antique car community will love them to pieces. to the point where other full-size GM vehicles from the same era are essentially disregarded.
And that’s a shame because GM’s lineup included many awesome land yachts at the time. I’m talking about the Oldsmobile 98, the Buick Electra, and the Pontiac Bonneville. The latter is my absolute favorite for two reasons: it looks sexier than the Impala and it came with a powerful V8 engine as standard.
The first-generation Bonneville was a one-year wonder, much like the Impala. In 1959, the full-size had a makeover and was positioned above the Catalina. In addition, Pontiac debuted the “wide track” design that year, which gave its cars three inches more track width than other GM vehicles, and the recognizable split grille.
The only engine available for the second-generation Bonneville was a 389 cubic inch (6.4 liter) Tempest V8. Even though it was limited to one mill, the base Bonneville was more powerful than the majority of Impala models at the time.
Not surprisingly, the 1960 Bonneville wasn’t as popular as the Impala: Pontiac delivered only 80,651 units that year. And only 17,062 examples were convertibles, which makes the 1960 Bonneville one of the rarest full-size drop-tops from the era. The Coronado Red example you see here is one of those cars.
Briliantly restored to original specifications, this Poncho looks like it could win awards at any Concours d’Elegance. The paint looks absolutely gorgeous from every angle, the chrome trim shines like new, and the interior is so clean you could eat off the floor. The same goes for the engine bay, which hides a spotless 389 V8 refinished in period-correct color and still rocking many of its original components.
On top of that, it purrs like a kitten while idling and roars like a lion when the pedal hits the metal. Since many of these drop-tops were abandoned in junkyards or barns, this 1960 Bonneville might just be the finest one in existence.