GM Kills another one.

[grzellmer]

Did anybody notice (or I suppose, care) that Pontiac plans to end the Bonneville this July. To quote GM/Pontiac "... it just isn't "relevant" anymore in today's market". Another way of saying "Sorry, we f***ed up so bad it died."

Sad. :depress: A once great car lost in a sea of look alike FWD junk.

[DEFYANT]

...and another one gone, another one gone, another one bites the dust!

[jgc61sr2002]

The new Pontiac Bonneville was ugly , overpriced and the wrong wheel drive. 1957-2005 RIP.

[wsmylie]

I agree, it's sad to see the Bonneville name pass into history.....but the latest several permutations of the model were really unfit to wear the name anyway IMHO.

[Mike Poore]

I agree, it's sad to see the Bonneville name pass into history.....but the latest several permutations of the model were really unfit to wear the name anyway IMHO.
Oh, the NAME won't pass into obscurity; it's gonna re-emerge on a Korean front wheel drive, ricer, *****-box. NOW, THAT'S EXCITEMENT! :tantrum:

[duhtroll]

I always used to say "Pontiac. Driving Excrement!"

However, it seems Ford is no better, so . . . :dunno:

-A

[MarauderMark]

I agree, it's sad to see the Bonneville name pass into history.....but the latest several permutations of the model were really unfit to wear the name anyway IMHO.


Before i bought the rauder i had the bonneville 2000 ssei.Nice car (thats were i learned to hate fwd) Great sound sys.only got 15 mpg :(

[Marauder386]

I had both a '93 and '94 SSEI...both of these with the proper tune and minor intake / exhaust mods where amazing platforms....even though they where Wrong Wheel Drive...I would still be driving them but ceased due to personal reasons ( PM me if you really want to know ). I knew that the Bonneville was going to fade away into history back in '00...this isnt a sudden decision...


:cool:

[wchain]

Did anybody notice (or I suppose, care) that Pontiac plans to end the Bonneville this July. To quote GM/Pontiac "... it just isn't "relevant" anymore in today's market". Another way of saying "Sorry, we f***ed up so bad it died."

Sad. :depress: A once great car lost in a sea of look alike FWD junk.


Wow! Even after they did the V8 in it too!

[marauder307]

Yeah, the new GXP version is actually pretty good...although it's the Caddy V-8. THAT particular trend started with the late '70s Firebirds---a lot of those were running Caddy engines too. It's disappointing to see. The GXP version almost got me out of my MM...Pontiac basically stole all of the Marauder's engine/drivetrain/styling cues:

---4.6L 32v DOHC V-8
---18x8 specialty rims with matching tires
---faux carbon-fiber trim all over the inside
---dual exhausts (although in the GXP it's just a single pipe with a Y-connection in the back forking out to the polished tips)
---4-spd automatic
---Fullsize 4 door bodystyle

You'd think you were talking about a Marauder until you add the qualifier "FWD". Pontiac's also doing a GXP version of the Grand Prix this year; same basic concept as the B-ville GXP, only the engine's different (5.3L
vs 4.6L---and no, that's not a misprint).

I've actually test-driven a couple of the B-ville GXPs...they're not bad cars. But with all the extra-cost options that Pontiac throws in, the damn things are grossly overpriced---37.5-39k in some cases. And the extra cost options are stuff that GM's had around for a bit, like XM radio and the HUD that Pontiac swiped from some of Cadillac's parts bins. I like the idea of a HUD---it's the pilot in me---but I ain't paying an extra whatever for it. And apparently the consumers aren't either---hence the end.

[JohnnyB]

My father had a 1960 Bonneville when we were growing up. Now that was a car!

[TripleTransAm]

Yeah, the new GXP version is actually pretty good...although it's the Caddy V-8. THAT particular trend started with the late '70s Firebirds---a lot of those were running Caddy engines too.


Not Caddy, but Oldsmobile (specifically, the 403). Not a bad motor, but seeing as it was a 'stunted' Olds block (low deck, minimum interchangeability of parts with older more powerful Olds engines), they gained the reputation of being the black sheep of the Trans Am lineup. In '77 and '78 you could get three engines in a Trans Am that were in the 400-ish cubic inch range: the base Pontiac 400 (lots of low end grunt, little top end capability), the Olds 403 (similar hp and torque rating, but their RPMs showed more of a low-to-midrange RPM type of motor, still nothing stellar at high RPM) and then an optional 200-220 hp Pontiac 400 that showed a definite improvement at high RPM at the expense of low-end grunt.

Anyway, I'm not surprised at this cancellation. As with most GM products, the moment they finally perfect it, GM decides to cancel it (think the F-cars, the Fiero in '88, and others...). And with the remaining products, Pontiac is heading deeper into models that are named with alphanumeric mumbo-jumbo... maybe it's cheaper to punch 2 or 3 characters into a bumper or other flat spot instead of punching all 10 letters of "bonneville". Who knows...

Funny how import mid/full-size sports sedans are doing well in sales... when you keep handing them market-share by cancelling hi-po Bonnevilles and Marauders, it's no surprise. And then folks complain that no one buys American...

The 300C is truly the last man standing (if you consider Chrysler as still remotely local...)

[wsmylie]

Oh, the NAME won't pass into obscurity; it's gonna re-emerge on a Korean front wheel drive, ricer, *****-box. NOW, THAT'S EXCITEMENT! :tantrum: You mean sorta like what they tried with the LeMans name Mike??

[TripleTransAm]

My turn for a Bonneville-related memory...

One of my favorite cars ever, and the reason for my obsession with getting a Marauder back in 2003... this 1985 Parisienne.

http://www.tripletransam.com/hof/pari_4.JPG

Note the factory rake... never did figure out why it had that stance since brand new. Really stiff suspension resulting in aweseom handling when matched with 225/70-R15 Goodyears all around, ultra-aggressive caster (also from factory)... and a semi-healthy 305 4Bbl unsmothered by anything remotely computer-related (this car would smoke 1987+ PCM-equipped 305 4Bbl F-bodies up to 50-55 mph, but would really get breathless in 4th at 60+ mph).

I was -> <- this close to searching for a pristine '85 or '86 Parisienne on which to work on, mere months before we took the plunge into a Marauder. No worries... I'll always have the memories, and the Marauder's a better car overall anyway.

The reason I associate Parisienne with Bonneville is that the full size top-level Canadian Pontiac was called a Parisienne instead of a Bonneville. Canadian cars of the 50s and 60s were, for importation reasons, simply Chevy full sized chassis with Pontiac-specific body panels and grilles/rear ends. While some years of US-Bonnevilles were absolute gorgeous, some model years (in my humble opinion) were just plain awkward looking slabs... the slightly trimmer Canadian Pontiacs tended to avoid these garish years, looking like US versions that shrunk in the wash.

So even when models were harmonized between Canada and the US, the big Pontiac was still referred to as Parisienne up here, in the mid 70s and onward. And here's the killer: when the big Pontiac was shrunk to Malibu-like size in '80 or '81 or thereabouts, Canada continued on with the big Pontiacs as Parisiennes, AND received the smaller Pontiacs as Bonnevilles (as in the US). When GM realized the big cars still had a market, they quickly "imported" the Parisienne nameplate in 1984 as nothing more than a Caprice clone with a specific front end (even the rear end was Caprice-like!). In 1985 they spruced up the model by incorporating 1980 Bonneville / Parisienne tail end treatments to the new Parisienne, and in my opinion they created a most tasteful looking luxury sedan.

The Bonneville went FWD for 1987 both in Canada and the US, and only the Parisienne Wagon (Safari) soldiered on until 1990 or so, at which point Pontiac lost its last remaining RWD non-Firebird. The Caprice continued on as a RWD sedan on the same frame, nonetheless, as well as the big Cadillac. When the big cars were redesigned, Buick got a Roadmaster out of it, but no RWD big car for Pontiac... Bonneville stayed FWD and V6, no sign of a RWD V8 Parisienne anywhere.

R.I.P. ...

http://www.tripletransam.com/hof/pari_8.JPG

[Mike Poore]

You mean sorta like what they tried with the LeMans name Mike??
Oh, Yeh, but they turned that LeMans into a GTO in '64, followed by the wonderful '65, then ... man, those were great cars.
:burn:

[Silver_04]

I thought there was talk of the Bonnie being brought back as a RWD car at some point, kinda like how the Impala is rumored to go RWD in a few years.

[jgc61sr2002]

I thought there was talk of the Bonnie being brought back as a RWD car at some point, kinda like how the Impala is rumored to go RWD in a few years.



I heard the same.

[ADE 1000]

The replacement for the Bonneville will likely be called the G8. I doubt the Bonneville namplate will be used again.

[Mike Poore]

The replacement for the Bonneville will likely be called the G8. I doubt the Bonneville namplate will be used again.
They will never give up that nameplate. The question is: when and on what will it re-appear. I'll stick with my first guess. (Korean made ricer *****box with the quick change door option like Charlie's 72 Monte) :rofl: