THE MOST EXPENSIVE PONTIAC EVER: WHY THIS BONNEVILLE SPECIAL SOLD FOR $3.3 MILLION

Pontiac went out of business more than a decade ago, but gearheads still remember the fallen American brand fondly. Pontiac created some of the fastest American muscle cars before its sad demise, including icons like the GTO, which many consider to be the first-ever muscle car, the Firebird Trans Am, the Fiero GT, and many others.

After Pontiac went out of business, it didn't take long for its popular models to start gaining value, with some rare ones like the 1969 GTO Judge getting on the list of the most expensive American cars sold at auction. However, the most expensive Pontiac ever sold at auction is one that most gearheads don't even know exists – the Pontiac Bonneville Special, which sold for an astounding $3.3 million at a Barrett Jackson auction in 2015.

There's a good reason why many gearheads don't know about it, though, as the Bonneville Special wowed gearheads at the General Motors Motorama show in the 1950s but never made it into production. So why would anyone in their right mind pay such a huge sum for a concept car from the '50s? Well, read on as we explain why the Bonneville Special could sell for even more in the future.

The Pontiac Bonneville Special Was The Brainchild Of The Renowned Harley Earl

Harley Earl was a legendary American automotive designer who played a key role in the advancement of the American car industry in the pre- and post-World War II era. Earl was initially the designated head of design at General Motors, but he worked his way up to the vice president role where he truly left a mark. An industrial designer and coachbuilder by trade, Earl was among the pioneers of freedom sketching and the use of hand-sculpted clay models when designing cars. He subsequently introduced the use of concept cars both as a tool to improve the overall design process and as a clever marketing technique.

Earl's first concept car was the Buick Y-Job in 1939, and it is credited as being the world's first concept car. While many one-off cars had been built before, the Y-Job was the first car built for the sole purpose of gauging the public's reaction to new design concepts.

After World War II, Earl felt that General Motors needed to have a proper sports car in its lineup if it was going to compete with European carmakers. He started design work on “Project Opel” in secret, and when he was done, he offered it to Chevrolet head Ed Cole. Cole was so impressed by the project that he immediately accepted it, and shortly after, the car debuted in 1953 as the now-iconic Chevrolet Corvette C1.

The huge success of the Corvette prompted Earl to design yet another two-seater sports car concept for General Motors, and this time he chose Pontiac as the brand was trying to improve its image among performance-oriented buyers. The result was the Pontiac Bonneville Special, and it was yet another Harley Earl classic that would be displayed at the famous General Motors Motorama event. Two prototypes were built, one painted emerald green and the other metallic bronze. Our focus today is on the emerald green version.

The Pontiac Bonneville Special Had Futuristic Styling Features

According to NASA, the Space Age began in the '50s when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world's first artificial satellite. However, the Space Age began long before that, as Americans were already obsessed with space exploration, space tech, and the overall space race long decades before the launch of Sputnik. This obsession with space influenced many aspects of life in the US, including television, movies, art, and architecture.

The Space Age also influenced automotive design, and Harley Earl knew that when designing the Pontiac Bonneville Special after World War II. Earl also knew that returning soldiers had been exposed to some superb European sports cars from the '40s and craved similar designs from American automakers, so he decided to create a concept car that appealed to gearheads obsessed with the Space Age and those who liked European sports cars. The result was the Pontiac Bonneville Special.

Pontiac Bonneville Special Exterior Design

The Pontiac Bonneville Special wowed gearheads at the GM Motorama event, as it was among the concept cars that pushed the boundaries of design at the time. The front-end design drew inspiration from advanced European sports car designs of the day and featured sleek lines sculpted with the help of a wind tunnel, glass-covered recessed headlights, and twin Pontiac ‘Silver Streaks’ on the hood.

Things got more interesting in the rear end, as its design drew inspiration from America's fascination with the Space Age. The Bonneville Special had a recessed spare tire enclosure in the back flanked by top-to-bottom tailfins, creating a rocket-powered appearance. The Bonneville Special also had a see-through plexiglass canopy with gull-wing doors, further enhancing the spacecraft vibe.

Pontiac Bonneville Special Interior Design

The futuristic theme continued inside the Pontiac Bonneville Special, where a massive central speedometer pod with five analog brushed stainless steel gauges flanking its right further enhanced the aircraft-influenced design language. Wide leather bucket seats ensured the driver was comfortable while a racing-style three-spoke steering wheel hinted at spirited performance.

The Pontiac Bonneville Special Had A ‘Special’ Engine

The idea to use the ‘Bonneville’ name on the Pontiac concept sports car came to Harley Earl after he took a trip to the Utah Bonneville salt flats where speed trials were commonly held. He wanted the Pontiac Bonneville Special to be able to hold its own against such cars and to do so, it needed a proper engine.

With no options powerful enough available in Pontiac's inventory, Earl decided to build a unique engine for the Bonneville Special. Dubbed the ‘Special-8’, this unique engine was a bored-out, high-compression 4.4-liter straight-8 engine with a long-duration camshaft and four Carter YH single barrel carburetors breathing through race-inspired open-mesh screens. The engine made 230 hp, a figure that would have made the Bonneville Special one of the most powerful sports cars of the '50s had it been produced.

Pontiac Bonneville Special Engine Specs

With such a huge amount of power, the Bonneville Special was ready to take over the American sports car scene in the '50s. Its biggest domestic rivals would have been the first-generation Chevy Corvette and the 1955 Ford Thunderbird, both of which made almost 100 hp less than the Bonneville Special. The Bonneville Special would also have given the top European sports cars of the day a run for their money in the power department, including models like the BMW 507 and the iconic Mercedes-Benz 300SL.

Pontiac Bonneville Special Vs Top '50s Sports Cars

There Will Never Be Another Pontiac Bonneville Special

Pontiac is among the defunct brands gearheads would love to see make a comeback, but there's a good chance that will never happen. As such, the value of rare and iconic Pontiac models has been on the rise over the last decade as collectors try to hold on to a key piece of American auto history.

Even though the Pontiac Bonneville Special was only a concept car, it helped earn Pontiac some respect among gearheads and showed the automaker could build a proper performance car if given a chance. The Bonneville Special's unique design language also adds to its appeal, as does the fact that only two examples were ever built and will ever exist.

The first time the emerald green Bonneville Special crossed the auction block was in 2006 when it sold for $2.8 million. It went back to a Barrett Jackson auction about a decade later and sold for $3.3 million, a huge gain in its price. If taken care of properly, we'd expect a higher price when the Pontiac Bonneville Special is for sale again in the future.

Sources: ConceptCarz, Supercars.net, Barrett Jackson

2024-02-24T10:04:09Z dg43tfdfdgfd