1960 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible

For cruising with both power and style, check out this 1960 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible in Shelltone White with white top and ‘Tutone’ blue vinyl interior.

Pontiacs were family cars offering a little more luxury than its Chevrolet sibling. Bonneville was Pontiac’s top of the line car so you know it was something a little bit special. 

1959 saw the introduction of Pontiac’s Wide-Track – adding five inches to the distance between the wheels on each axle and therefore giving more stability on the road.  This was its second incarnation and was much of the focus of their marketing campaign.

The second generation Bonneville was introduced in 1959 and lasted two years. 1959 was a roaring success with it’s split grille design.  You’d perhaps expect Pontiac to keep with this winning formula. However, changes were already planned and 1960 saw a lot of revisions and it became a one year only body style.

The result was actually a much cleaner look and the split grille was gone. Well, until the following year when the grille was brought back and became a Pontiac signature look right through the sixties.

Pontiac used “Air Foil” styling for 1960 with narrow, horizontal bars for the grille, small round taillamps housed in long tubes that ran down the rear fenders, and the large deck lid was almost flush with the top of the fenders.

The Bonneville “Flair” included features such as: dual ash trays, clock, courtesy lamps, padded cushion handrail assist, custom steering wheel (with clear upper section) and four distinctive long chrome mouldings along the rear quarters.

Inside there is a beautifully contrasting Tutone Blue interior with blue vinyl door panels and seats.

The standard engine for Pontiac cars in 1960 was a 389 cubic inch Tempest V8. It produced 281 horsepower with the standard 2 barrel carburetor configuration. This car however is fitted with the tri-power option (3 x 2 barrel carburetors) delivering another 34 horsepower which, with the Hydra-matic automatic transmission this car is also equipped with, cost an additional $320.

The Bonneville was up against cars like Mercury’s Park Lane, Dodge Polara and DeSoto.

Pontiac produced 17,062 Bonneville convertibles for the 1960 model year at a base price of $3,478. This car is also has optional power steering ($108), power brakes ($43), powered front seat ($97) and AM radio ($89). It was built in the Kansas City, KS assembly plant.

This ’60 Bonneville is currently for sale on eBay. (follow the link for even more photos)