1957 Pontiac Bonneville

The Bonneville model to brought a throng of performance-seekers into Pontiac showrooms. The Bonneville bowed out as the most costliest and most muscular Pontiac yet. The most luxurious too. Offered only as a convertible Star Chief's 124 rich Wheelbase, it came with Strato -Flight Hydra-Matic, and practically everything else on Pontiac options list.

Outside the Bonneville sported anodized-aluminum gravel shields on the lower rear fender trim, chrome-plated bullets set within the spear-like bodyside moldings adopted as part of restyle, and unique spinner wheel covers. The result looked longer and lower than other Pontiacs. The Bonneville's main technical attraction was advertised on bold front fender nameplates that read "Fuel Injection". This referred to 10.0:1 compression 347 V-8 bored to 3370 cubic inches. Though Pontiac never indulged the exact figure, this "fuelie" achieved 310-315 horsepower at 4800 rpm and a mighty 400 lbs./ft torque at 3400 rpm via an new Rochester system similar to the Ramjet option introduced that same year at Chevrolet. At $5782 some people might have thought the new Pontiac Bonneville convertible overpriced. The Bonneville ragtop outweighed the lightest Chieftain sedans by more than 700 pounds, and the experts said that power was slightly more powerful than the fuel- injected V-8. Bonneville was timed by a magazine at 18 seconds in the standing quarter mile-fast but not breathtaking. The first Bonneville was mainly a promotional exercise, which is why only 630 were built. But it provided just the sort of sales Pontiac needed ands it worked, in good part because the Bonneville was in fact a " muscle car" in its time.