Vehicle Description
West Coast Classics are proud to present an exceptional example of
this original southern California family owned and original 'Black
License Plate' 1963 Pontiac Bonneville 2 door V8 Convertible in
original factory 'Marimba Red' (Code L) color paint with its
original factory specification 'Maroon' color (trim code 274)
interior and seats and with a new 'Black' power convertible top and
its original 389 4BBL V8 engine with factory options including:
Hydra-Matic automatic transmission, full carpeting including lower
door panels, cushioned instrument panel, chrome exterior trim,
power windows, power steering, power brakes, deluxe steering wheel,
original Pontiac 'Super Deluxe' AM radio, heater, original and
factory Pontiac hubcaps upgraded with Kelsey Hayes 8 Lug wheels
with period correct tires!The car was purchased new by the most
recent owners father from 'Glenn Pontiac' in Detroit, MI on
6/15/1963, a dedicated Pontiac buyer it was the same dealership
where the owner had purchased other Pontiacs since the early
1950's. The original purchase orders, sales documents,
Protecto-plate and owners manuals will be included in the sale.
Having just moved to southern California the car was received by
his best friend who drove the car to California. He drove the car
as his primary driver for some 15 years and reportedly loved the
car as it never let him down. The original owners son was given the
car by his father in 1983 and he has been the loving custodian
since, remembering the family being driven on vacation in the car
to other states throughout the 1960's and 1970's! The car was
ordered with the 389 V8 engine in 'Marimba Red' with a matching
Maroon interior and at the time specially ordered Red colored soft
top (now replaced with a Black top), soft ray glass, power
steering, power windows, power brakes, power seats amp; of course a
power top. The car was restored as required over the years since
having been repainted once in it's original and highly striking
factory 'Marimba Red' color paint and has its correct specification
'Maroon' interior and with the floor boards, trunk and all the
typical rust-prone areas solid and rust-free and with the car
having no indication of any accidents - obviously an always garaged
and cherished original southern California car since new! The car
looks very impressive with all it's original logos and its original
'Pontiac Super Deluxe' radio and power antenna and with the
brightwork design on the dashboard, the dashboard itself, and the
carpets and seats all in very presentable condition throughout. All
the chrome work is also in very good condition and the original
spare wheel is in the trunk. This particular car drives very well
with the transmission shifting smoothly through all the gears and
with the temperature always remaining cool!It is hard to pin down
the first actual muscle car; some have asserted that it is the 1949
Oldsmobile Rocket 88, which was built with speed in mind and with
an overhead valve V8 placed in a mid-size car with a relatively
lightweight body. A lot of observers cite the next big step in the
evolution of the early muscle car to be the introduction of the
1955 Chrysler C-300 with its 300 horsepower Hemi engine that could
go from zero to sixty in 9.8 seconds and reach a top speed of
around 130 miles per hour. A car that came along a few years later
that is of note to many collectors and muscle car enthusiasts is
the Pontiac Ventura. The Ventura hardtop of 1961 cost the same as
the 1960 model but weighed 180lbs less. The new and shorter
wheelbase by 4 inches 1961 Pontiac with the lighter bodies and
stronger engines made Pontiac drag racers hard to beat on the
street or strip and Pontiac won 21 of 52 NASCAR Grand National
stock-car races this year. The 1961 Pontiac Ventura 389 with the
standard 389 cubic inch OHV V8 and three two-barrels was capable of
going from a standing position to sixty miles per hour in a brief
8.2 seconds, and it could get a quarter mile in 15.5 seconds and
reach 93 miles per hour in the process. They were offered with the
famed bubble-top body style and the eye catching 'Jeweltone
Morrokide' upholstery and were similar in design to the marque's
top of the line model the legendary Pontiac Bonneville!The
Bonneville name was introduced in 1954 on a pair of bubble-topped
GM Motorama concept cars called the Bonneville Special. It entered
the production lineup as a high-performance, fuel-injected luxury
convertible within the Star Chief line in the 1957 model year and
was loaded with every conceivable option as standard equipment with
the exception of optional air conditioning. This put the Bonneville
in a Cadillac-like price range of $5,000 - more than double the
base price of a Chieftain four-door sedan. A fully equipped
Bonneville could cost more than a Cadillac. Only 630 units were
produced that first year, making it one of the most collectible
Pontiacs of all time today. The following year it would become its
own separate model and it would endure until 2005 as the division's
top-of-the-line model. The name was taken from the Bonneville Salt
Flats in Utah, the site of much early auto racing and most of the
world's land speed record runs, which was named in turn after U.S.
Army officer Benjamin Bonneville. Bonneville became a separate
model in 1958 and was available as a coupe or a convertible. It
paced the Indianapolis 500 in its first year. In its third year,
the 1959 Bonneville became a full top-line series with the addition
of the four-door hardtop sedan and Safari station wagon body
styles. The Bonneville played an important part that year in the
introduction of two of Pontiac's greatest marketing inspirations
the split grille and the Wide Track slogan. The latter was not just
ad copy, either, as Pontiac pushed its wheels further out toward
the fenders than anyone else and created what were considered to be
the best-cornering full-size cars in the industry. Both the grille
design and the Wide Track phrase remained part of Pontiac's image
up to its termination. A "Safe-T-Track" differential, used to
minimize wheel spin, was an option beginning in 1959. The
Bonneville remained as Pontiac's costliest and most luxurious model
throughout the 1960s and was instrumental in pushing Pontiac to
third place in sales from 1962 to 1970.The Bonneville differed from
its lesser Catalina and Star Chief counterparts by featuring more
luxurious interior trim with upgraded cloth and Morrokide vinyl or
expanded Morrokide upholstery in sedans and coupes, expanded
Morrokide in Safari wagons or genuine leather seating in
convertibles. Bonnevilles (with the exception of Bonneville Safari
Station wagons) were also (along with Star Chiefs) built on a
longer wheelbase version of GM's B-Body. Also found in the
Bonneville were instrument panels and door panels with walnut
veneer trim, carpeted lower door panels, grab bar on passenger side
of dash and courtesy lights and rear arm rest. Beginning in 1964, a
Bonneville Brougham option package was available that included an
even more luxurious interior trim level with front and rear seats
featuring center armrests, upgraded door panels and a standard
Cordova (vinyl) roof with 'Brougham' nameplates.Bonneville models
were standard equipped with Hydra-Matic (through 1964) or Turbo
Hydra-Matic (1965-on) automatic transmissions. Other options
included power steering and power brakes as well as air
conditioning. The Bonneville also had more powerful standard V8
engines than other full-sized Pontiacs including the 389 cu in (6.4
l) or 400 cu in (6.6 l) V8s with four-barrel carburetors with many
optional V8 offerings available including Tri-Power (three
two-barrel carburetor) options on both the 389 cu in (6.4 l) and
421 cu in (6.9 l) V8s that offered u...for more information please
contact the seller.
