I think everyone would agree that the Big Three built many great looking cars in the 60's. Among the more pleasing designs from Pontiac was their '61 lineup of 2 door hardtops a.k.a. the "bubbletops". Pontiac built 14,524 Catalina bubbletops, 13,297 Ventura bubbletops and this Coronado Red Bonneville bubbletop which was one of 16,906 built. Unfortunately all of these cars have had a dismal survival rate and unless you seek out a large all Pontiac event the chances of seeing one are equally dismal.
The Bonneville had been Pontiac's flagship since being introduced mid-way through the 1957 model year as a limited edition fuel injected convertible. The following year (1958) fuel injection was optional on all models and a hopelessly complex air suspension option also became available. When these 2 options appeared on the same car along with power steering, brakes and air conditioning the resulting maze of ducts, hoses, belts, wires, compressors, shrouds, filters, brackets, pulleys, evaporators, condensers,and electrical controls would quickly transform the most experienced mechanic into a raging maniac cursing and throwing tools in every direction. Fortunately life got back to normal in 1959 as these 2 options were no longer available. 
All full-size American built '61 Pontiacs came with 389 cu.in. engines which could be had in horsepower ratings from 215 up to 348. The car you see here is a numbers matching tri-power version of that 389. More horsepower was readily available with Pontiac's over the counter Super Duty parts program which bumped the horsepower to 368 and made them fearsome competitors on the nation's dragstrips. By the end of the '61 race season those Super Duty cars were running mid 12's at 110 mph with the newly released 421cu.in. dual quad package. (HotRod,Nov,1961 pg 45) Even the hot new musclecars of today would be hard pressed to generate a time slip like that.
By 1961 the fuel injection and air suspension gimmicks were long gone and Pontiac was now attracting lots of young buyers due to their agressive racing/performance image. The Bonneville could be orderded with Pontiac's bare knuckles tripower performance engines as well as such ammenities as 8 lug aluminum wheels, 4 speed transmissions, bucket seats and air conditioning, consequently it appealed to a wide range of buyers.
This particular car was purchased new and owned by the same family for 40 years. I had owned several 61's in the past and had known about this car for many years before getting the opportunity to make the purchase. Other than service items and the addition of a factory correct set of 8 lug aluminum wheels it had not been altered from original which made the decision to purchase pretty much a no brainer.
Pontiac hit a home run with these optional 8 lug wheels with finned aluminum hubs and drums. Produced with several variations between 1960 and 1968 they were initially developed to solve problems of heat dissipation and brake fade. They accomplished that goal and have such a timeless design that even today they look bold, comtemporary and are highly sought after by hobbyists and restorers.
One reason people continue to be drawn to the 50's and 60's era cars is the dramatic styling changes that took place almost every year. In contrast to today's look-alike cars, who could ever mistake a '58 Chevy for a '57 Chevy or a '59? The '62 Ford looked nothing like a '61 Ford and no one ever confused a Barracuda with a Mustang, GTO or Camaro no matter what the year. Likewise, the 1961 Pontiac Bonneville was a one-year styling exercise that isn't easily mistaken for any other make, model or year.
The 1961 Bonneville bubbletop is one of those designs that look good from the rear as well as the front. With gold and white BONNEVILLE block lettering spread across the tail panel between the chromed tail light housings it is a very attractive design. Likewise the front grille with it's own Bonneville emblem is equally attractive. If you click on the picture below to enlarge it you can begin to appreciate Pontiac's obsession with getting the details right.
When I bought the car it was in relatively good condition. Over the years it had one full correct color repaint along with new fenders and bumpers. Basically it needed a full detailing, some new stainless, chrome, potmetal pieces, paint repair and lots of things fixed. A set of radial wide whitewalls were added along with new shocks, rear springs and a rear sway bar which greatly improved the ride and handling. It had been garaged all it's life and currently has a little under 87,000 original miles. I add about 300-400 miles per year mostly Sunday drives and a few local shows.
One of the things that make late 50's and 60's era cars so appealing is the striking variety and detail that went into emblems, ornaments, moldings, lettering and chromed items. Most 61 Bonneville emblems and lettering are some color combination of gold, white, black, and chrome. The grille emblem and rear quarter crests are especially attractive items. The glove box displays a unique royal blue and chrome Bonneville nameplate crest while the hood and trunk carry Pontiac's signature arrowhead emblem. Oddly enough the name PONTIAC does not appear anywhere on the interior or exterior of the car other than the wheel centercaps.
I gave the trunk a full detailing, new side panels, new mats, decals, weatherstripping and painted the entire inside of the trunk and the bottom of the trunk lid. The floor was solid and unrusted as was the entire underside of the car thanks to being fully undercoated when new and the original owners near fanatical maintenence.
The luggage compartment has the optional reel-out utility lamp, spare tire cover and came with the original wide whitewall spare tire.
The enormous size of the trunk can scarcely be imagined from the pictures. If the spare tire were removed you could probably disassemble the entire car, put it in the trunk and close the lid.
The interior of '60's era cars are indeed a feast for the eyes when compared to the drab browns, grays and charcoals we are given in today's cars. The interior including all seats, carpet, headliner, dash pad, and door panels are unrestored and remain in excellent to near mint condition. The cowl kick panels,armrests, and rear package tray are the only things that have been replaced. When I had the rear seats out to run a new wire I found the original hand written assembly line build sheet - I took a photocopy and put it back for some future owner to discover.
Pontiac was well known in the 60's for their beautiful steering wheels. Their deluxe steering wheel with it's large sections of transparent acrylic would not seem out-of-place in an art museum.
This is one of a handfull of 1961 Bonneville bubbletops remaining that were factory equipped with bucket seats. These unique "steel back" seats were normally considered a convertible option but could be special ordered on other body styles. Note the lack of a center console which was not available as a factory option until 1962.
The visual appeal from inside is so pleasing and inviting that many consider the late 50's and 60's interiors from the Big Three to be the high water mark for interior design. At shows I continuously get comments like: "Why don't the car companies make interiors like this anymore?!"
Other options include Wonderbar signal seeking radio, rear speaker, remote mirror, power antenna, swivel map lite, E-Z-EYE tinted glass along with power steering and brakes.
The car was factory ordered with the I9 code tri-power engine, which has never been apart or out of the car. The engine compartment however needed a complete detailing as it had accumulated the usual collection of aftermarket plugs, wires, belts, hoses, clamps, cables, clips, filters, brackets, fastners, grime and flaking paint but there was no rust or damage anywhere. It took about 2 months to track down the correct underhood parts including an NOS set of AC45S green stripe spark plugs, spring wire clamps, decals, etc, etc then another 2 months of cleaning, painting and reassembly. It looks much better now and is considerably closer to original in function and appearance.
If you have a fullsize Pontiac project of this era, Ames in N.H. will probably have most of what you need or check out the country's biggest Pontiac club at www.poci.org
All three carburetors still have their original metal I.D. tags and suprisingly, the car retains the original vacuum linkage to operate the end carbs which is a bit unusual since almost all of these early tripower setups were converted to mechanical linkage. The vacuum linkage works fine so I plan to leave it as is. In addition, gas mileage is also suprisingly good with vacuum linkage since the car only runs on the center carb unless you put a heavy foot to it. I have the original dual snorkle air cleaner but prefer the look of the individual units.
The enduring impact of Pontiac's racing heritage cannot be overstated. While several brands like Oldsmobile eventually had to deal with: "It's not your father's Oldsmobile" image, that has never been a problem for Pontiac. The next generation has always been eager to get their hands on their father's Firebird, GTO, SSEi or better yet their grandfather's 421 tripower 4 speed car, many of which are still hiding in barns, garages and woodlots around the country.
Everything is now back in working order and the original purchase papers, owners manuals,etc are still in the glove box. A reproduction of the original window sticker provided by Pontiac Historic Services showed a list price of $4,421.88. The window sticker also provided some amusing details: the tri-power engine option cost $110.40 and the special order bucket seats cost $116.21! Today a ready-to-bolt-on, correctly restored and detailed, complete tripower setup with the correct air cleaner would cost almost as much as the original base price of the entire car. As you can imagine its great fun to drive and I feel very fortunate to own it. Thanks for looking and please feel free to leave a comment in the guestbook or email 61bonn3x2 @ gmail.com
