428 V8 Drop-Top: 1969 Pontiac Bonneville
For most of the back half of the 20th Century, if you wanted Pontiac’s biggest and most luxurious car, you bought yourself a Bonneville. From 1957 through 2005, it set the standard for other full-size, well-appointed automobiles to follow. This 1969 Bonneville is a convertible and in nice shape overall, although the seller doesn’t elaborate on its condition. Located in Galion, Ohio, this sweet land yacht is available here on craigslist for $17,000 OBO. Another cool tip from Barn Finder, T.J.!
Bonneville – the car – got its moniker from the salt flats in Utah of the same name. Bonneville was the site of many early auto racing events and most of the world’s land speed records. Except for a brief period in the 1980s, the Bonneville would always be a full-sized car, some of the biggest and heaviest built by General Motors. Fourth-generation Bonneville’s were produced between 1965 and 1970, with a heavy facelift in 1969. That year, the standard Bonneville engine was upgraded to a 428 cubic inch V8 that produced 360 hp.
According to the seller, this Pontiac is completely original at 69,000 miles. It runs and drives, but the seller doesn’t use any adjectives to describe how well. No mention is made if the car will need any mechanical attention, so you must assume that it’s turnkey. The body looks fine as does the dark green paint. However, the canvas top may need some work while the interior looks solid from what we can see. With just 5,400 drop-top copies built in 1969, these bigger-than-life automobiles don’t turn up very often.
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Comments
Powerful convertible. Nice ride. 3.08 ⚙️ was standard issue. Nice choice.
That is one fugly color
ALL of the Major manufacturers had a variation of green in that era🤢
GM paint code 57 – Midnight Green. Also known as Fathom Green in Chevrolets. I had a ’69 Impala Custom Coupe in this color. Looks black at night…
Nice ride – but Single exhaust with the 428?
I thought a 428 emblem would be on the
rocker trim if it is indeed, a 428.
I like it and… could live with the color.
This Bonneville has the optional 265 hp 400 2bbl. It was a credit if you didn’t want the standard 360hp 428 4bbl. The 400 was a single exhaust, low compression (8.6:1) engine designed to run on ‘regular’ fuel. Standard rear gear ratio of 2.56. Torque number for the 400 is decent – 397 lb.- ft. Talk about a freeway flyer!
Funny that the air cleaner lid is flipped upside down. That was a trick we would do back in the day to make a 2-barrel carburetor sound like a 4-barrel when flooring it off the line. Kids, young, showing off, but learning at the same time. I’d drive this one as is, but with the air cleaner lid installed correctly.
Just install a slightly taller air filter element, longer stud, and turn the lid right side up. Buh-waaaaaaaaaah!
Again, funny, and you get it.
Also known as British Racing Green. I think it’s anything but fugly.