Never-Restored Driver! 1965 Pontiac Bonneville
Embrace the land yacht culture with the expanses of chrome and brilliant white paint on this 1965 Pontiac Bonneville four-door hardtop sedan. The never-restored classic, currently docked in Missoula, Montana, seeks a new owner here on eBay where eight bidders have triggered a rising tide of offers, floating the market value above $7500 with one day left in the No Reserve auction. That’s right; this battleship sells to the highest bidder! Thanks to reader Larry D for spotting this splendid example of GM ’60s styling.
The red interior really pops against that stark white paint, all claimed original except for a few white “touch ups,” according to the seller. The well-equipped Bonneville spoils its skipper with power windows, air conditioning, and a power bench seat. A quick internet search suggests that steering column would have been red when this freighter was originally christened.
Full-width trim enclosing the handsome tail lights and “Bonneville” script reminds drivers of plainer vehicles that this is no ordinary ride, but a powerful chariot named after the salt flats that entice racers from around the globe to challenge land speed records. Look closely and you’ll see mooring cleats on each quarter panel, a humorous nod to the size of this white whale.
Though not documented, the seller believes this Pontiac’s odometer has not been “rolled over,” and the interior certainly tells a story that looks more like 58,947 miles than 100,000 more. If nothing else, at least the hood has been replaced, and the engine’s seen a spray can treatment at least once. Aside from some DIY wiring and a Cheese-o-Rific top radiator hose on the numbers-matching 389 cid (6.4L) V8, the engine bay looks mostly stock. Best of all, the seller says it runs and drives great! If this sedan showed up in my neighborhood, I might be ordering apology flowers for my wife! What’s your top bid on this sweet ’65 Bonneville?
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Comments
It’s not a gp but my heart goes thump
Sweet Ride, Two Too Many Doors
Haha, speak for yourself!!
If it’s got to be a 4 door at least make it a true hardtop.
I don’t know what your definition of a hardtop is Redlines, but it sure looks like one to me. If the bidding stays close to where it is now, somebody’s going to end up with a sweet ride.
My idea of a true hardtop is non-pillared doors.
???????? I don’t see any pillars.
There were no POST Bonnevilles (exc. wagons) at this time.
Nice tie downs!
I wonder why the column would be black? I’ve swapped out a column or two, but I always “sprayed on ’em” to give ’em that “factree” look.
true. shouldn’t it be red?
Either it didn’t have a tilt wheel and someone wanted one (and didn’t bother to paint it), or perhaps the tilt feature broke (it happened), and they couldn’t find anyone to repair it (there USED to be a local guy who repaired several for me), so they replaced it (and didn’t bother to repaint it). It’s a lot easier to paint one OUTSIDE the car rather than after it’s installed. Steering wheel is wrong color as well.
Clever write-up Todd.
@Bob_in_TN – Thank you Sir! Buick-Olds-Pontiac styling from this era is top-shelf. It will be interesting to see where the auction ends up.
I always thought that around this time GM was at their best:-)
I tried to convince my wife and 2 of our closest friends to buy this for a Summer road trip to Mexico! 3 of us are in – but the one that pays the bills just laughed and said “Build me a house first!”
This is a gorgeous car!! Who wouldn’t be happy with this??
Listen to King of the Road while driving. Wonderful old cars.
I love it. Except for the crazy shag in the back. Easy fix though. But literally a big red flag to look out for other surprises. 😉
11 mpg on a good day around town, 19 on that trip to Mexico, water pump every 40,000 miles but not a big job, keep a spare in the trunk, all the power you need to tow your Airstream, but very little ground clearance, so no “off road” experiences, and an equalizer hitch and beefed up rear spring/shock system to take the tongue weight of that Airstream. But what a great ride!
Friend of mine had one of these. The only car I’ve ever known that gave itself a flat tire when that big metal Pontiac emblem fell off the front bumper and stabbed itself into the driver’s side rear tire!
What a beauty! The steering column is a little bothersome, but not a huge deal. I like it!
Great car! If it were closer to home (and I didn’t have 3 kids in college) I would consider bidding. I have the 2-door version of this car (in maroon) right now, and have this fantasy that one day I will have the whole Bonneville set. Years ago a 1965 Bonnie wagon popped up on craigslist, and it was equipped with the (now rare) 421. It was snapped up before I could respond. The one that got away…
Well-bought at $8200 IMO.
Someone got a good deal om this one. Beautiful lines.
Am I the only person that doesn’t care about the gas mileage? I drive my old classics for fun. People ask what they get for mileage. I really don’t have a clue. I never measure it. It’s a toy!
I don’t worry about gas mileage either. The vehicle that I drive most is my 1978 GMC K35 with a 454, TH-400 and 3.73 gear. The big difference between this Pontiac and my truck is that this will most likely be a fair weather weekend cruiser so gas mileage is a moot point here.
SOLD for $8,200.