Have a bit of a tiff on another forum and I figured this is the best place to ask. Is the 1957 Pontiac Bonneville a Model or a Trim Package? Yes, I know they were available in select numbers in '57 but if you look at the model number it's model 28 which would be the Star Chief in '57. Also, here's a copy of a page out of a 1960 Pontiac Master Parts catalog showing all the '57 models including the model number 2867SDX which the Bonneville was labeled as. Thanks in advance.
The extent of it is that I said it's not a model, but a trim package, option, whatever you want to call it to the Star Chief and it's being said that because you could buy a Bonneville it was a model. I only asked cause my master catalog only lists Star Chief and that model number as an option there to.
The '64 and '65 GTO package was an option to the LeMans yet "LeMans" wasn't anywhere on the car either. Not trying to start an arguement here, but in which case what would define a car being a "model?"
The Bonneville is a model. You don't call them 'loaded Star Chief convertibles with the Bonneville trim package', do ya? Those cars had content you could not get on any other Pontiac, including the fuel injected 347. It was a late-run limited edition model, aimed directly at the DeSoto Adventurer - another model with exclusive content added to a lower line car (Fireflite).
According to the Encyclopedia of American Cars, Bonneville was a separate model, 630 made. But the Old Cars Price Guide lists it under Star Chief. Not like the '58 Impala, which had a completely different body but was cl***ified as a Bel-Air trim option by Chevrolet, not becoming a separate model until 1959.
As stated before the Bonneville was a separate en***y based on the Star Chief convertible.They were very limited production and several of the early ones were one of a kind.Semon,"Bunky" Knudsen(the head of Pontiac and the guy who really got Pontiac into racing)had one that featured a**** other things 4 headlamps!Glad they never did that to production cars;it was ugly! 1957 was a weird year for Pontiac;they called ALL wagons Safaris and in mid-year discontinued the 2 door Custom Safari wagon(apparently due to poor sales)and introduced the Transcontinental which was sort of like a wagon version of the Bonneville. As I recall the fuel injection unit on the 57 is substantially different from the 58 unit although I've never compared the two physically. Whatever the case the 57 Bonnevile is without a doubt one of the most desireable Pontiacs ever produced(next to a Safari of course).
Looks like I started something. Sorry. A buddy of mine contacted POCI and here's the reply. Apparently there's contradiction between different texts so the only true way to find out I would think is to see what the ***le of a 1957 Bonneville is labeled as.
This is an interesting debate, I was always under the impression that the Bonneville was a separate model that came with its own interior, trim and engine package much like a DeSoto Adventurer or Plymouth Fury. Could you get the fuel injected engine in other models?
From what I've found. No, it was only in the Bonneville. Does anyone know if it was by chance the same fuel injection system the '57 Chevy's ran?
Was flipping through books last night and found this. It's from the Standard Catalog of Pontiac 1926-2002 - 2nd Edition
I love threads like this, because I always learn something I didn't know before. So thanks for bringing it up, starchief1959!
The thread has been broken out so it's not so confusing. Here's a link: http://********pontiacs.com/forum/8631-1957-bonneville-debate.html
'57 Pontiac Fuel Injection unit was different than '58 and Chevy. It was made of tin not cast aluminum like the others. B-ville injected car automatic transmission was also different - that comes from a B-ville restorer. Also the side trim was different. That's the extent of my B-ville knowledge - subject to change by people smarter than me - that includes most of you. Lee
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